Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-24
THE GENESIS OF LIFE.

Eafly conditions AZ the P0le-LtXht
Shed upon Prehistoric Times by the
Holds that the Theory that Life be.
gan 1t the South Pole il Inconsistent
with Facts.
Mr.. Richard A. Proctor, the astronomer, has
written al interesting letter to the New York
Tribune in reply to theory advanced BY 'Tau
Sigma" in the Tribune that life had begun
around the south pole NJ. Bailly, the French
astronomer, who persisted on the scaffold In the
French revolution, Mr.. Proctor says, wrote q
book on the Atlantis of Plato In which he
strove to show that science lad had it's origin
IN hlgl ATTITUDES, If not actually around the
north pole. or course he was unable to find
the slightest evidence of any old system of
astronomy in which the various relations
correspondent to pOle-star nearly overhead.
All balily could attempt to show was that the
astronomical records OF old times seem to retain
traces OF system OF astronomy belonging to a
higher latitude than any passing through the
Assyrlan. Egyptian and Indian regions to which
the origin OF astronomy has usually been as
signed He showed some evidence in favor
OF latitude fifty degrees north as having been
that to which early astronomy belonged
'Tau sigma in his interesting and sugges-
tive letter in the Tribune OF Friday, November
18th, presents the southern polar regions as
originally more suitable than the northern for
life's commencement. He conceiyes that lite
had begun round the south pole. aud progressed
some distance toward the equator, before life
began round the north pole. He appears to
base this opinion on the actually existent rela-
ton between the position of the earth's axis
ana that the direction of the time of apses-as
astronomers pleasingly term the major axis of
the earth's orbit His words on this point are
these: If the relative position Of the earth TO
the sun at the beginning of organic life on this
planet was about the same as it is now (and we
have no astronomical Indications to the con-
trary) either the first suitable temperature,
and, consequently. the first vegetable and
animal life on the earth occurred at or
near the poles" and later, lin this in
qury 1t must be taken into consideration,
among other things, that the south pole at the
time OF Its midsummer in the earth's perheion
is some three million miles nearer the sun
than the north pole at the time of its
midsummer In the earth's apheon." So
far as can be judged. his whole argument is
based on this consideration. and tall to the
ground If this consideration is rejected
AS a matter Of fact astronomy would not
only be unwilling to concede "Tau Signals"
view. but would emphatically reject it. 1t is
not only scientific fact that the earths peri
helion is changing with the lapse of ages, but
absolutely certain that the relation now exist
ing between the apses and the soistices has
been reversed and re-reversed several times
since life began upon the earth. Not to use
techinal expressions. the earth is now nearest
the sun few days after the midwinter OF the
northern hemisphere. which OfcOurse is the mid
summer of the southern hemisphere. Thus.
whereas the effect of varying distance from the
sun partially cOrrects the effects of VARYING
solar elevation with us in the north. these
effects are intensified for the inhabitants of the
southern hemisphere. We draw nearer by
100000 miles to the central fire in midwinter
and recede as many miles from the fire in mid
summer, the entire range of distance being
about 3,OOO,OOO miles; in the southern hems-
phere they draw nearer to the fire in summer
and recede from it In the winter. But this only
fOr awhile. In few hundreds of thousands of
years, which. in problems relating the
genesis OF life are only as seconds. our northern
hemisphere will behave as the southern hemis-
phere does now. and vice versa. Not only so.
out the range OF distance, on which TAU Sig
mas" case In like manner depends. undergOes
great variations 1t has been many times
in the past, and will be in the future much
less than it is now; while again it has in the
past often been far greater than at present.
nave before me picture of the eartf's orbit
which originally drew for an illustration to nv
article on astronomy in the encyclopedia, in
which the orbit of the earth $50 1000 years ago.
at time when it had very nearly its greatest
possible eccentricity is represented. instead Of
the eccentricity being as now only about one
slxtleth, 1t was at that time more than atwelfth
OF the mean distance. In other words instead
OF the earth ranging about 500, 600 miles on
either side OF her mean distance, she then
ranged about 5000, 600 miles from and toward
the sun. making a total range of distance Of
about 16, 600. 600 miles, At that time. then, very
much more remarkable varieties of climate must
have existed on the earth than now.
MI. Proctor expresses himself Of having no
doubt that the present arrangement by which
the southern hemisphere is the chief oceanic
region, Is the result of a disturbance which has
caused the center Of gravity of the earth's solid
mo8SnrahIV Of
center. A proof OF this, he thinks, is found in
the low barometer of the southern hemisphere
The seas are drawn southwark because the
earth's center of gravity is south of the center
OF the figure. Whether with change in the
position OF the perihelion the water will be
drawn northward, and these relations reversed
remains to be seen-a few thousands of years
hence.