New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-04

subject was: The Life and Death OF
World The lecturer considered the
various members of the solar system far as they
tended to throw any hight upon The beginning,
the middle life and the old age OF the earth, and
briefly summarized the processes through
which the earth must have passed in
reaching its present condition. lie estimated
the time consumed in these processes a. not less
than five hundred million years. and said that
twenty-five million years will olapse before At Will
reach the present condition of the MOON He saw
no obstacle presented ~ these vast periods OF time
to a belief in HIM who works through all things.
PROFESSOR PROCTOR'S ADDRESS.
The lecturer, having been introduced by
JACOB r Boyle president Of the Teachers Association
said
We have this evening TO consider The various members
Of the solar syscm representa-. 10 u- the beginning
the middle iie. the old and death Of planet
f0rbear troubling you with considerations as 10
tie various arguments concerning The creation Of the
universe, as think. that the students Of science have
satisfied themselves tnat the planets and the earth
on which live have arrived at their present
cordnon by processes analogous to growth. and which
arc commonly known under the one head Of cvolu
ton. buC I may particularly Indicate them IN
this wnv The changes OF the earth's crust
such are going we md have been going on
during periods Of time which in reality grows longer
the more study the evidence. and don't think u
would bo oxaggerating-in sfdct / know from
the evidence which has been gathered that IL does noC
fall far short OF the trutb-to say that one
hundred million Of years must have elapsed dur
ing which the frame Of the earth has been
very much Il Is present. Various processes have
taken place during that time which have aided In the
course % formation. such AZ the gradual
deposit Of matter and other processes which We
call denudaton. by which 'ne surfaces Of continents
have been worn away passages haze been
cut by the riyore, Gnd other details In the
formation have taken place. BY estimat-
ing at what rate the processes have taken
place able to form some idea OF the length OF
time which must have elapsed during which
these processes have been continually going on Then
the eart's orust shows us clearly that anterior 10
ths there must have been time there was far
heat upon hs globe Tor il 70 be the abode OF
life. and this period has been carefully estimated at
three hundred million OF years. Then have the
preceding period, when the earth was Ia a yaporous
state OF We derive evidence. from the eartn
Ae SELF but from the pre- state Of the solar system,
which leads US to conclusion whole system
have been In form or yapOr, and therefore our
EARN have had it, beginning q yaporods state
We nd another line of evidence Of this fact In regard
10 the moon which shows that the Trans OF the earth
must once have extended far to include
that luminary, ami that could not have been unless
she had been IN a vaporous state. so havo to take
into account also the length Of time that would be &C
cupcd the change OF our earth from yaporOus To
solid and LIQUID state. and We cannot regard that a.
les than hundred million Of years. Tns
brings IA TO the very moderate estimate Of
I'VE hundred million OF years during which
our earth has existed as an independent whole first n
vaporous state: secondly. the solid and hquid
form. and it, gradual cooling that at length, and
thirdly. its surface was nj 10 be the
abode OF living creatures OF various kinds and by the
processes OF wearing and denudaton. such
now taking place. reaching her present CONDITION.
It's essential that We should grasp tue idea Of the
long period which has elapsed during which
these various processes OF formation have been
IN operation; but there IL, OF course, an es-
cape from that by accepting tho theory
that everything find upon the earths surface
and everything we have discovered IN regard 10 the
nar syston is evidence that the system created
iust as 10 ~; that though all the evidences or
the processes OF Development are presented TO our
reason, have been mised that reason not our own
but given w. has led astray aud that all these
ations Of earth created az once Tor no other pur
pose apparently but to contradict our reason. Why
should we be scous to time limit ideas
space n this were so In the eyes Him who works
through all things there Is difference between great
and small and these longer periods easily 10 be be-
lieyed IN as resulting His action the shorter
periods much better able 10 deal with. Where
We admit growth and deve opmcDt on small scale We
ought to De able admit it large scale and
our reason seems point these periods OF
time do not think ought TO reject It's teachings and
refuse to accept them readily do the processes
OF development affecting plant. or animal or those
amacr details we are able 10 understand clearly
COOLING PERIODS OF THE WORLDS.
But after all II matters very little whether take
the longer periods OF time the shorter. We not
concerned with the periods OF time but the amount OF
de elopment period In the past OF our earth
and Il ma little whether the processes Of develop
ment quicker aud 50 required shorter period.
were slower In their operation and required a
longer time. What we have to consider is whether
the various members OF the solar system
remote past OF our earth IN some cases, and
remote future; ana think shall b. able
To show you that they do. for am going to adopt
the sun different and this principle IA that the
larger the orb Is the longer has be- lis period OF growth
because 1t would take lonXer, TIME iOr large |
TO cool than for small one. TAKE two |
balls Of heated ron for instance. one OF which is four
times greater IN size, and has volume eight times |
great err than the other. At The beginning the larger |
Da VIII nave egh' tunes ns is1oI Hent rs dne
times great the supply OF heat would |
the eartn and his volume would he IN the same ratio
that Of our earth TheD II we multiply Onr |
five hundred million years OF existence by seven we get
otner words. II the planets began their exist
ence at the came time as Independent oros,
only IL would he three thousand million years before
mould 0 ps IN me S%' W aS u Sn esn w tba
Jupiter will have to 40 through very long period OF time
before reaches the state this globe. Take
the smaller orbs The moon Is onc-tghty-rst part OF
the size Of earth and 0nethrteenh pant VI our sup
ply Of heat would the moon six times az long Every
stage OF our cath's cooling. therefore. would last six
long Therefore, instead OF five hundred millions
OF years we for no moon onytOOu eighty millions of
years In other words. the moon would have reached
the earth is now III four hundred and
twenty millions OF years ago.
The sun probably formed as al the planets were
formed state ofyapor, AMI probably stu remains
great part In vdporOts state lie Is the younger
member OF the solar system simply because he
urpasses all the by he same princp pie
ns we nave before applied It would take thrty-hve |
thousand millions o-years to bring the the same
state as earth therefore Will consider time
,lnrn nh ~