The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-16
The Earth in its Vigor.
The End Not Yet-Lines of Weakness
The Bright Side Of Recent Catastrophes.

The moon is dead. 1t has not life enough
left to ooze forth the tiniest mud volcano or
sput out tho feeblest geyser. No throb ever
reaches its surface, and not the faintest rumble
is ever echoed from its jagged mountain Sides
No earthquake wave can ever sweep its island
Shores for earthquakes there are things OF the
almost infinite past, and the last drop of water
quilted the surface of our planet icons ago.
Its very atmosphere has deserted it, and il, in
deed, there were "a man in the moon" he
could never hear the sound of his own voice.
But If by some means this mythical man could
have witnessed the "Ischia disaster" and the
"Java catastrophe" how he would have
longed that any such manifestations Of life
were possible on his lifeless planet. That oc-
currenees like these referred to are calamities
every one must admit, and some may be apt to
maintain that mans arrival in his earthly
home has been premature, and that "Provi-
deDce' would have acted more wisely and hu-
namely had he postponed mans advent on
the scene until the internal fres'' had
exhausted themselves. But when that hap
pens, geologists tell us, We may look upon it
the beginning of the end. Not even the 600o
heat of the sun which beats upon every part
of the moon for fortnight at time is able to
rouse within its bosom the faintest sign of
life. There is evidence enough to show that
at one period its volcanic activity must have
been of the most stupendous kind, far exceed
ing anything ever witnessed on its mother
earth. But that has gone with its water and
its atmosphere, and taken with it all possibility
a5ee a aMe Esyssis a5s told 4 that our existing vol
the dying remains of what at the time must
have been volcanic activity almost universal.
Instead of spasmodic eruptions at few isolated
spots, we had constant outpour of volcanic
matter from wide fssures extending across the
earth's surface for many miles,
That the earth has not yet, however, entire
iy lost its vigor is evident from the Java out
burst, which is the most stupendous phenome-
non of the kind on record. SO long as the old
earth is equal to efforts of this kind we need
not mind its latter end. When the blood
leaves the cold extremties and the heart has
not vigor enough to send 1t to the surface, the
end is not far off; and when volcanic and
earthquake manifestations cease from off the
face of the earth, the end may be within al
most measurable distance. Much of its ocean
water will have been absorbed by the under
lying rocks, and the atmosphere may be rarer
and less ife-giving than it is now; by-and-bY
with the last ray of internal heat, the last drop
of wafer, and last particle of air, all life will
have vanished, and dead earth will shine
upon dead moon. So long, then, as the moth
or OF us all has any vigor left, we must expect
ter to manifest it occasionally as she has doue
recently at Ischia and Java; so that, lamenta-
BILE and regretabe as has been the loss of life
at these places, the cataStrOphes not entire
ly without their bright Sides Only when the
earth is as dead as the moon will such catas-
trophies become impossible.
Geologists and seismologists know pretty
well the lines along which these manifesto
tions of the eaTth's vigor are likely to occur;
lines of weakness they call them, but in view
Of the above considerations we might call
them, rather, lines of vigor. Per-
haps when they know still more they may be
able to tell their fellows what places to avoid
in planting their settlements and building
their houses. But it is doubtful if such telling
would be OF much avail. After the most de-
structive outburts of Etna and Vesuvius, the
decimated inhabitants have crept back to their
old locations, rebuilt their huts, and planted
their vines Needless of the terrible lesson. Al
ready has building begun again even in shat
tered lschia, and if the proper kind of wooden
house be used possibly the next shaking the
island gets may lead to fewer calamities.
We have said that the Java outburst is the
most stupendous on record. An island has
been shattered aud sunk and sixteen others
have raised their heads above the surrounding
waters. Some hundred thousand people have
been sacrificed to their mothers anger, buried
beneath volcanic debris, or swept off the face
of the land by the volcanic wave. The floor of
the ocean over a wide area to the southeast of
waters, and the effects of the general upheaval
the Pacific.
was felt along the coast of North America was
propagated across the Pacific from the Java
outbreak.-London Times.