Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-11-11

become disintegrated, and their mater
ials are spread over and mingled with
the general surface.
If We look for the principle at
work in all this ceas eless action of ma
ture. we find it in the force known as
attraction of graTitation, an incessant
downpuH By invisible fingers of energy,
which act upon every atom Of matter,
dragging it downward towards the cen
ter of attraction, and never for an in
staut releasing it, not even when it
has been brought to the lowest attain
able point. Step by step every atom
of every mass must descend. Here it
may rest for years, there for ages;
but its time to move downward will
again arrive, and these moEem ents
will not cease until all things have
gained their final level.
In obedience to gravity the atmo-
sphere yields its rain, that most active
of all disintegrating agents. Gravity
avails itself Of every assisting infu-
ence. Multitudes Of agents are called
to its aid. To its endless pull yields
every tree, every animal, every man.
Despite the lusty strength Of youth,
we feel ourselves slowly yielding to
the force of these unseen fingers. The
eager vitality of youth plays with this
silent but unwearying foe. Youth
leaps, bounds, flies, sports with its con
scious strength. The elevating force
is here predominant. But manhood
soon loses this vital energy. 1t has no
vigor to waste in play; it is erect and
strong, but quiet and deliberate; the
forces are becoming equalized. Old
age drags and droops, the nerves and
muscles lose their vigor, the vitality
has become nearly consumed in the
long conflict, and slowly the patient
foe is taking its own. In the end the
strongest mortal is forced to Weld,
gravity remains triumphant master Of
the field, and the earth takes to itself
again its share in him who was man.
But we may here ask, what is the
nature Of these forces opposing gravi-
tation-these constantly active ener-
gies which lift again the material that
has been drawn down by the action Of
central force -? These are the infu-
ences acting beneath the earth's sur
face, the mighty uplifting forces which
rend the rocks asunder, pour burning
lavas from the peaks Of lofty volca-
noes, and raise the -olid rocks into
vast mountain chains Joined to
these are the influences of the neigh
boring spheres particularly Of the sun
and moon.
There is one form of uplifting infu-
ence possessed by both of these
spheres, and second form possessed
by one of them only. The attraction
Of gravitation is exercised upon the
earth by sun and moon alike, its most
effective action upon the surface con-
ditions being that of the moon, since
the tides of the ocean are principally
due to the latter. But the disturbing
and elevating influence exerted by the
tides becomes in the end an important
agent in the levelling principle which
we are considering For the tidal ebb
and flow acts as n constant washing
and degrading infaence on sea-coasts
and rlver-banks. carrying down in
cessantly new supplies of material
to add to the growing oceanic strata.
To this tidal effect the sun adds
that Of evaporation, through which
vast volumes Of water are lifted into
the upper air. 1t also acts to produce
winds and currents In air and ocean,
and, by the rapid fluctuations of tenn
perature, to disintegrate the most solid
rocks. 1t is to the sun, then, that the
greater part of the degrading influence
is due. The waters lifted by evapora-
ton, through solar heat. from the
ocean surface, and distributed by at
mospheric currents, fall again as rain,
and carry off with them the materials
loosened from the rocks by other solar
agencies, as we'll as those dissolved by
the flowing waters themselves.
The incessant conflict between these
two forces, the levelling influence of
gravity, and the elevating force of ter
restrial and solar heat, seems likely to
end in favor of the former; for it re-
mains constant and unvarying in Wig
or, while the elevating forces arc slow
ly declining. The earthquaking and
volcanic energies acting from the
earth's interior are growing less and
l. IL