Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1888-05-05
ASKETcHOF CREATION
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Dr. AieEsn1RK HineksiI. Professor Of
Geology. .as greeted b. good s1aisncs -
tas hal Of The La.,i<s' Literary CnD. where
ks spoke last sssniBg ander ths auspices q
ths Ksnt seientife Iassitats. @ the -Lils
Of World DR.. Holmes intsodaesd Dc.
WiaehelL Ia opening Dis lectnre Professor
Wiaeneii spoke Of the pleasure be had IN
ina recollseti0n a his carry sequaIaIAnce
With the kent scientific lnsntuss IA looJ,
a1a ex pfesse1 gAe eEah fbzt q ncnunsnt
mlghf - erected 10 the memory % A. O.
Cnfrier. The sesisct 70 Dc discussed Was
80 great thar Il mnsf 90 passed over very
s1Doptic4sly, and hen1e ULsaflsl1cl0Egly.
Geology was. be believed. science srea.sr
than ar 0thsF snd one which maize all
others eonnieutGry 70 H. Geology hnds sls
data IN Lhs most familiar objects. hence IL
vas proper 10 LaEn lie mind early 20 geo.
Logical science. From the secuIn VI zled
DAT. Ne proceed to dsd1ctions and genera
lied principles. Then We 20 farther snd
develop tns imaginative faculties IN dsdue-
Gi0ns and deal With Iacus which
may belong % millions OF years ago or nail
hons OF years IN The future lie wtshsd his
hearers 10 Eote thai geology develops every
power Of the mind. The child looks oct
UPON the field and sees bouiders, sees that
these stones show syiosnee 0f having been
subjected 10 intense heat Ii he travels ia
northern regions ne will see vast masses OF
rocks bearing evidences or having been the
origin OF ths bouldeFs. These Eocks have
been yitrihed. he sses or reads OF volcanoes
and Of geysers. aad ne sees evidence thar II
there Was once heat al Tie surface. there j.
also heat stiil beneath the surface. Then
be naturally inters that the earth mas been
cooling aud is cooling still.
Thea the question arises: From what
condition did this process begin? ADD
what will be the end OF this
eooiingf While this last question may
not be fully answered. We may go out
In the direction OF the answer. Matter ex-
ists Ia three forms, solid, liquid anu gaseous.
Even iron has esen converted into q gas,
and the gases have been reduced 10 solids.
so that the state Of matter is mere cream
stance depending upon beat and pressure.
Now, bearing this ia mind If We think
back We can imagine how all the matter OF
the earth may have been IA state OF tluid
ineendescenee. The sun presents Us With al
example OF iiery mist stlll existing. Ii we
look a. the nebUle, we see, IL the spec
Iroscope may DE trusted, they are also ia this
state OF Gre-mist. Ana 50 we find many
examples of fire. mist, Just such as We had
arrived at by our deductions.
This world evidently has not had his
tory by itself liz revolves around the
sun as the other planets do. IL IS
natural that the planets should
have attained different degrees of temper
ature. for their masses are different and the
| smaller would cool The more rapidly. No
astronomer questions.that the planets of the
solar system have had similar history.
| The presumption that the planets OF the
whole system have had cOntemporaneous
history. implies that they once existed 10
| one vast mass of hre-mist We cannot de-
l termine whether matter was created in that
| condition or not. Science does not tell Us.
| Bat we must be convinced that matter was
created by some Power superior TO that
| matter. Hence the Creator Is not excluded
by this line OF thought.
Science deals only with the development.
II attraction existed at the epoch of the fire
mist. the accumulation of cosmical
matter Is explained. To account for the
| rotations OF the matter We have TO
imagine some of the contributions of mat
ter coming. not directly toward the
center Of gravity, by at q slight tangent, so
that the rotary motion was created, and
finally an oblste spheroid was the result.
| Continued contraction increased the rapid
ity of the revolution, and an equatorial pro-
tUbersnce resulted. This continued until
the centrifugal force equalled the centrpe-
| tai force. and the protuoerant portion
| would become ring separate from the gen.
| eral mass. The cooling continues and
other Rugs are successfully formed. These.
rotating as they did. might, conceivaoly,
have existed forever. If there were no other
objects tn the universe. But external in
huences would change the center of gravity
10 the ring, and the ring would be broken
up. There are rings sbout Saturn which do
not break up, because the seven satellites
are 90 located a. to support the rings In
their place. But in the regular develop
mcnt of the solar system rings
break up. and rs the cooling proceeds and
contraction continues the planets are
naturally formed and the sun remains as
the residual mass. The speaker looked upon
tue sun as the great teacher Of world his
tory, and held that the sun Is In the heavens
not merely TO give life and warmth to he
earth. but IA there 10 serve cur intelli-
gsocs, and rot only our intelligence, but
eli other fntelligences, whether dsnizens of
this planet or some other planet
This planet on which We evist, IL is rea-
sonabls TO suppose, has had history SIM
liar to that Of the others. We see the fire.
mist raining toward the center and cooling
until a LIQUID. molten mass is formed. In
the course Of time the cooling process
you'd create q solid finn AZ the surface.
Rocks now began to form. The crust
would continue 10 thicksn, and as the
central mass shrunk. the crust would
wrinkle and thus the land and the noun
tainswers born. As the cooling continued
vspos Of water began % form and clouds
appeared. The sunlight was gradually ex-
Guided. K xss not dark under the canopy
Of cloud. Tor the heated central mass az
fordsd ligh. The continuance Of condens-
alton resulted IN = rain Of waters and the
rain falling upon the heated central ma -
vas again converted into gas and returned
TO the clouds Rapid and violent chang IS
followed. until at last the wAts
rested upon the cooled mass. Electric
storms must have accompanied the changes
With fearful vlolsncs. In the planet Jupiter
ss have now an example Of a similar
stormy condition.
But bT and by there was rift in the
clouds and tee sun looked through upon
the vast wsters ard now for the first time
we're the phenomsna Of sunrise and sunssi
possible. Tois corresponds to the fourth
day Of creation n revriation-
A want Of tiale made Il necessary for The
Doctor % draw bis address 20 close with Z
lev remarks II sliusion 70 the future
history Of the earth. Before the ce1ter s5sl
become solid the wsters Of ire surface wiI
have been ABSORBED by The pores Of ths
earth aod these Will have been followed by
the atmosphere. Hence there mast - Z
limit 10 the hsbita5iiity % TIE esrtb- The
moon - an example Ct the more advance
stage 81 cooling toward which the earth 4
proceeding. This = = stage 70 Which Al
cosmic lie i tending.
--e e.
Dee and Roe
Yesterday Justice Wash issaed vayran