The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-02-08
PROF. PROCTOR.
The Birth and Growth of Worlds

As early IS last week il vas know
: that Prof. Richard a. Proctor, tn
great English astronomer, would hav
: large attendance at his lectures
the fret OF which was delivered las
evening; but that there would be sucl
a general turnout scarcely anyone be
; Iieyed, and that the numbers preeen
/ last night will probably be exceeded
to night no one will deny who wa
present. The subject OF last even
ling's lecture was the birth an.
Growth of Worlds" and long before
the curtain rose the Theatre wa
filed with an intellectual and intelil
gent audience. A few moments aitel
the appointed time the curtain rose,
and in a few brief and well timed re
marks the lecturer OF the evening
vas introduced by Rev. DR.. Barrows.
In beginning the lecturer stated that
the audience must not expect poetry,
but lew facts, which be would make
as simple as be could, regarding the
pact and the creation Of worlds. He
would not make dogmstic assertions,
but would take the audience with
him that they could see these things
for themselves. The child IN its in
fancy sees its world in the room il is
in. As it grows it learns that this
room is but part OF house, and the
house but one of many on q street
| So it has been with the knowledge OF
man, of the heavenly regions. At
fret it was nothing and be Imagined
the world to be all of the universe;
bu! it had gradually expanded until
he now knew this sphere was but an
atom in the aggregation OF stages in
the growth of planet ss there is in
that of a mAn-youth, maturity, old
age and decreptitude, followed By
death. That such Was the course OF
planets existence had been amply
proven in the case Of our own earth.
This earth is, with few exceptions,
the smallest OF all the inhabitants il
the solar system; and our sun, placed
beside some others, would be the
veriest speck. There are Systems
upon systems, and stars upon stars,
an infnity which the mind OF man
could not begin to comprehend. Man,
when he bad once learned that space
was absolutely without limits, had
also recognized that time was equally
Without bounds; and that cur world,
in its growth, in point of time, was es
one of these stars in the iuCompre-
hensibiIity of space-the mere2t
speck. These worlds have their
growth, just as other things do, but
require enormous periods OF time for
their development; and it is not, in
my opinion, detracting in any way
from the wonder of the works OF God.
Man sees the flower spring up and
develop, and he ia compelled to
recognize the existence OF law and
order in its being, and be does not
feel that be is impious in watching in
Its growth the working out of the
rules of God; why then should he
fear to recognize the same IN the
birth and development OF stars? Ii is
Amply evolution-We may sbudder at
the word, but it means development
only evolution on a grand scale;
and when he searches after knowledge
he is compelled TO acknowledge that
the evolution of worlds or their
development, is in accordance with
perfect laws; ard could We penetrate
ali space, and observe sll the
countless worlds, We should still find
that law exists there and that all
things are in accordance with it.
Science tells US that at ons time
the whole of the solar system was
vaporous gases, but how they
became vaporous gases l do
not know. l do not mean
one gas, but that all the elements
of which the metals OF this world are
composed were once nothing more
than gases, made 20 by the powerful
heat; and this is true Of all earths, as
we'll as ours. This vspory mass of
clouds represents the world in its
FIRST state. As is known, to heat
anything greatly is to bring it into
glowing. lustrous state, and thus q
world in the first state is world OF
great lustre and brightness and heat,
and OF such a state violent eruptions
and movements are characteristic.
So, a world in this would gradually
become cooler; first liquid and then
a solid state, while some would still
remain a liquid. This he illustrated
very clearly. While the world was in
this intensly heated condition, OF
course water would not remain on it,
bat would be converted into vepor,
which, by reason OF the great heat,
would be forced a great distance
above it, or away from it. Thus the
atmosphere would form mass of
clouds, and would surround the earth
completely, so that if person on
another esrth should be looking at
our earth while in this condition,
he could net see it; but By reason OF
the clouds surrounding it, TO MS view
it would appear vastly larger than it
really was, because of the great dis
lance OF the clouds from 1t. Some
idea of the amount OF moisture
thus converted into clouds might
be had when we reflect that
al our rivers and oceans, lakrs,
etc at one period OF this eer;h's
history surrounded it completely in
clouds. This is the second stage,
and | will try to show that there are
worlds in this condition. II after the
gradual cooling OF the earth, the
time 10 effect what could hardly be
it would come to be fit for
life; which ia the third stage, in
which is comprised the long period
during which is the existence OF life,
the state of our planet uoR, and the
same as every planet has undergone,
or must undergo. But a remarkable
feature ia the length OF the life stage
on a planet.
Geology proved that this sphere had
been G glowing MSS, and
the evidence Of the planets within
our ken showed that it's existence
and that of all the others had orIgi-
ginally been in the form of vspOr.
The geologist has obselsed that rain,
snow, and the powerfully grinding
glacial masses have carried the earth
from elevated plscesdoWn into toe bed
OF the ocean, thus changing and