Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1882-02-16

plains, d lie directly in the
course of the southwest mon
soon from the Bengal coast.
Surchsrged with moisture, the
air-currents sweep across the
lowlands and are DETECTED up
ward by the hills, the expension
ofthe currents on rising caus-
ing a fall of temperature and
condensation of the moisture.
The effect is surprising, for
while the low plains have an av-
erage yearly fall of only about
100 inches of rain, the annual
rainfall of Cherrapunji is 4o3
inches or more than III feet.
As a comparison, it may be
stated that the annual rainfall
of the United States is from IL
to 50 inches, being greatest
near the sea-board.
According to the recent cal
culations of Mr.. G. W.. Darwin,
the earth and the moon must
have formed only one body some
ffty-four million years or more
ago, and at a time when this
body was rotating at the rate
of about one revolution in FIVE
hours the mass now forming
the moon became separated
from it. Thus was the moon
born, and Prof. Ball, in his ex-
position of Darwin's views, con-
cludes that in time the wound
on the earth became entirely
healed, leaving no scar to tes-
tify to the mighty catastrophe.
To this final conclusion Mr.. o.
Fisher now offers an amend
ment. He believes that the
scars yet exist, and that those
scars are the ocean basins.
When the moons mass was
thrown from the earth, the
liquid interior must have risen
to fill the hole, and portions of
the granite crust must have been
borne towards the cavity. The
hole only partially filed up. and
the crust became broken into
the fragments which now form
the continents.
as the human skull growing
thinner" is a question raised
by Mr.. w. B. Cooper, who en-
deavors to prove by generally
accepted laws of evolution that
such must be the case. These
laws teach that the stronger or
ganisms mnst survive the weak
in the struggle for life, and that
all living creatures possess the
natural tendency of becoming
accommodated to altered cir
within certain linz
its. Mr.. Cooper argues that
when barbara warfare and the |
dangers of the chase were COM
non occurrences the law of nat
jurisdiction musthave operated |
TO eliminate individuals with |
skulls too weak to withstand |
he severe shocks to which they |
we're exposed. Adaptation, also !
must have exerted an influence
n causing the bony armor of
he brain to become 'thickened
% serve as a protection for that
delicate organ. With civilized
men a change is found. Nat
iral selection no longer has
special occasion to remove
persons of weak crania, as the
ikull is seldom exposed to vio-
ence. For the same reason,
he law of adaptation, which
ike all evolutionary laws may
&c either progressive or retro
,ressive, tends rather to de-
.rease the skulls thickness than
o increase 1.-THE brain no lon
ter having need of a strong
protective covering. Mems
kulls are now less exposed to
iolence than at any former per-
ID in the worlds history, but
n view of the fact that the most
dvanced races of to-day were
arbarians a few centuries ago
is obviously too early to look
Or any great change. He main
aims, however, that in accor-
ance with theory the brain
lust be fast losing its shield,
nd points out that is is no I'M
sual event nowadays to hear of
actures ascribed to unusual
linness of the skull.