The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-09
THE PLANETS.

Their Origin, Growth, and Death Described
by Prof. Proctor.
Prof. Richard A. Proctor lectured on
1.-The Planets" He compared the diff
ferent bodies in the solar system to the
trees in forest-some, like the sap
ling, young, others of mature growth;
Others, again, old, and others still.
withered and dead. These things fol-
lowed just as in any other evolution.
This earth is in its middle life, doing
what she was intended to do. The
stages OF planets life were given
from the time when it was formed
by the gathering together of the frag-
ments until its death. The first stage
is that of intense heat. and the greater
part OF the time the planet would be a
mass OF vapor, the orb being lustrous
and glowing. giving out intense heat.
Later 1t would lose heat, and the great
er part of it would become liquid. af-
terward becoming solid. The earth.
while in its first stage, had probably n
diameter OF 10000 or $4,000 miles, in
stead OF S.0OO as at present. In the
earlier stages the volcanic and other
disturbances were much greater than
now. The globe gradually became
cool enough for life, and life would be-
gin. There is evidence that the earth
is ten millions of years old, but it is
difficult to say what is the age
OF planet when life on it begins.
Sir Isaac Newton believed that the
waters OF the ocean were being grad
uaily absorbed by the earth. The
waters of the sea were being diminished
in this way, but in what degree can not
be said. They are absorbed to the
thickness of sheet of paper i'm one
year, to the thickness of an inch in one
hundred years, in ten millions of wears
"a mere second in time) ten thousand
feet, In time all the waters would be
gone, and in a long period the air itself
would become SO thin that it would
not support life. Planets. like other
bodies, cool slower as they are of
greater bulk. If the earth cooled in
ten million years, then it would take
Jupiter seventy million years to cool.
Thus, the large planets are yet in their
youth or first stage, while the small
planets are in their advanced age.
Thus the moon shows old age, while
Jupiter is yet a baby. The largerones
have the characteristics of youth and
the small ones old age.
Illustrations of these things were
thrown on the screen. The sun shows
better than any of the others the
vaporous first stage, and no one be-
lieves it to be the abode of life. Being
the largest, the sun is the youngest of |
all the solar system as regards advance
ment in life. The tornadoes of the sun
move at the rate of one hundred miles |
per second. All the tumults of earth |
would not equal the noises on
one square mile of the suns surface. |
The great disturbances of Jupiter were
compared with those of the SUM- Jupi- |
ter Is still glowing, and too hot for
life. Saturn was also said not to be |
the abode of life.
The condition of planets less than the
earth was considered. Mars shows
division of surface into land and water.
Masses OF snow are seen. which grow
larger in winter and smaller in sum-
ner. This has been the case every sea-
son for two hundred years-the time
which has elapsed since their discovery.
oceanic and air currents are also oh
served. The reduction of the seas ind
'ates age.
The moon is so old as to be in pla.-
.tary death, though evidences of her
iery youth are yet to be seen in the
mouths of her extinct craters. She is
lot too cold or too hot to support life.
tut the seas are all absorbed, and there
S no air, or it is so thin that no crea-
ure known in this world could live in
n it. There is no water. and the moon
5 dead. Pictures of the moon werr
brown on the screen, showing he.
cath and desolation. Myriads of en-
inctvolcanoes We're shown. -Baytimoy3 /
nm.