Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-14
UNCERTAINTIES or SCIENCE.

series Of lectures will be given or
successive Sand " evenings at ths Frst
Baptist Chareh on the antiquity, unit,
and destiny of man. Science has aim d
70 give man mu,h gre ster antiq 1isy
than has bsen generally held. Il Is to
bs rsne nbered that Archbishop Usher
not the Bible. ID responsible for on
present chronology. The author Of At
lantss, remarkable book paolished las
year, 10 seeking to prove the exisgenos
of An ancient primsgal civilization on
nos snnken continent vest of Africa
gives many valaibls proofs of the sini
iari.y vi traditions, the Resemblance ot
language and the paralls.isn u of arshi
testore on the eastern AMI western hem
ispnsres. AMI locates the aIod beyond q
question at the q ate of ths su5merR1nc4
~nen the fountains OF tae great deep
we're broken up."
The remains Of man have been fouzd
IN Connection with remains of ami nal
supposed ts be very distant in the pt4i.
The proofs used for the IN snufactura OF
Millions OF Ages" are based upon tbs
annual deposition OF psat, tbs anuua al
recession OF river bank. or tns anna u
deposit of rive, bed. These gradual
changes leave M room for sudden
cksnges caused by sarthql ,kes. vol
oan'c etev ItIons or subsi1enceS to which
Clarence King has app ,alsd ia dIfferin
from The renowned Professor M4rsa,
his teacher. Some of the uncertainties
Of scientific investigation remind one of
the laconic displssl of the matter by
the Lumorist, Mark Twin. on tue
length Of the Mississippi: rns Mls-
sissippi, between Cairo and New Or
leans, was l2l5 miles long l76 years ago.
Ii vas 1850 after the cut of in 1921. IL
Was 1910 after the American Bond cut
Of some years agI. Il mas lost 81 mites
since. Consequently its length is only
9l3 miles at present (l576)."
Now, il | wanted to be one of tn Dse
pOnderous scientific people and to prove
what had ocourred in the long past oy
what had occurred in q given time in
the recent past, or what will ooour in
the far future by what has occurred in
late years, what an opportunity Is here.
Geology never bad such chance. nor
suoh exact data to argue from no. nor
development of species either. Glacii al
epochs are great things, bat they are
vague-va2ue. Please observe. In the
space of l76 years the lover Mississippi
has been shortened 3i2 miles. That ~
an average Of over one mile and third
per year. Therefore, any calm pers III
who Is not blind or idiotlc, can sss that
In the old oolitio siiurian period, just
l.OOO,O0O years ago next November, the
lower Mississippi Vas upward of | 10000
miles long, and stuck out over the Gulf
Of Mexico like a fishing rod. Aud By
the same token. any person can see that
742 years from now the Missis Sippi will
be only a mile and quarter long, aud
Cairo and New Orleans will Join their
streets together, and be plodding oom
fort IDLY along under single IN lyor
and mutual boarl of aldermen.
There IL something fascinating about
science.
The above ia perfectly parallel ciss
to scientific calculations whicn esti-
mated the age of man at ab1at l5,O0J
or 2,OOO by piece of pianed WOOD
found 80 feet from the surfacs. in taa
Mississi ppi bottom. But hos tue theory
collapsed when that piscs of wood Vas
found to be part of the gunwale of a
Kentaeky fat boat! Pottery was fonud
In the Nile at depth III It from rec-nt
deposits argued Is 900 years. bat chang
cd Its argument when found to be Ro.
man in origin.
Some of these certaintie3 will bs sx-
amined this evening" At tas Baptist
Charch. p.