The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-04-07

the humble sea-weeds But LIE Conte
remarks that the immense beds of iron
ore found In the Laurentian rocks are,
therefore, evidence of the existence OF
organisms In great abundance. That
these organisms were chiefly vegetable, we
have the further evidence derived from
the great beds of graphite; for graphite,
as we shall see hereafter, is only the ex-
IRENE term of the metamorphism of coal. y
Up. 274.) Dana remarks: "The occur
renee of graphite in the rocks, and its
making 20 per cent of some layers, is
strong evidence that plants of some kind,
II not animals, were abundant in the
Arch@an era. For graphite is carbon,
whose vegetable origin is beyond ques-
ton, etc., p. 157, Manual of Geology.
Again; animals cannot live on inorganic
matter; they need plants for food; there
fore plants must have been in existence
before animals And once more. the
geologic record displays a regular grada-
ton from the lower to the higher stages
of life, and it would reverse the whole
record to Introduce the animal before the
plant. Prof. Dawson is of opinion that
not only were there plants in the Arch
@an (Laurentian) Era, but that it was
prominently the plant-period, charac
terized by fora of higher order than
that of the Carboniferous. We may add
that plants as highly organized as any
of the Carboniferous have been recently
found in the Silurian strata by Saporta
and Lesquereux. 1t appears, therefore,
that Moses is not at variance with the
geologic record.
Now as to another point Prof. Toy
objects that Moses creates the sun, moon,
and stars on the fourth day, which, he
alleges, is irreconcilable with the gene
rally received astronomy"
l. If this be so (that Moses creates the
sun, ect., on the fourth day., then there
was no sun on the first day, on the
second day, or the third day. Three
of the creative days passed before
there was any sun, or moon, or stars in
existence. before there were any sea
sons or any days" or any "years.
These are evidently, then, no solar days
There were no seasons, no years" nc
sun rose or set; for as yet the sun did
not exist. Let DIR. Toy strike the sun
from the heavens now, and try to con-
ceive of a day" He complains in
one breath that Moses does not bring the
sun on the scene till the fourth day that
he runs the world for three days without
the sun and he complains, in another
breath (see his reference to Gen. i: IA
10, l8), that Moses is speaking "of course
of natural days, when, in fact, if there
were no sun to rise and set, they must
have been very unnatural days. The
sun is like lamp in the armament light
ing the earth by day: take the lamp out
of the room, and we are left in darkness.
Now, if Moses was speaking of solar
day, how did he get his nightP There
was no sun to go down. He knew moth
ing of the earth turning over. He must
haOe been speaking of some other kind OF
day, if as DR.. Toy affirms, he was CON
scious of the non-existence of the sun for
the first three days CELSIUS, like DR.. Toy,
thought it 0ery strange that Moses should
speak Of days" before the existence of
the sun.
2. Is it true, as Professor Toy alleges,
that Astronomy teaches that the sun as
we know it must have been in existence
before the appearance of plants? Who
teaches this ? 1t is universally conceded
now that light is independent of the sun,
and according to the prevalent scientific
view (Which, we presume, Prof. Toy re-
ceives), the sun was once condensine
nebula. In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth The earth
was not complete however it was at this
stage without form and void. The
earth grea0-grew out of the waters NAV
not the sun have gro10n too? What says
the latest science? Why, that the sun
was probably at first vast nebulous mass
charged with light and heat, and filling
we knew not what space. and that GRAD