The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-05-03
THE GREAT DELUGE.
satisfactory Evidence That the Entire
Earth Was Not Inundated.

Geological and archaeological rea-
sons combine TO prove that geograph-
ically the deluge was not universal. At
the time assigned for the delugo tho
surface Of the earth was substantially
as IL Is now. II, then, some great pOr-
ton Of the dry land had been sub
merged, n prOpOrtlonate rise OF land
above the waters would have been nee
essary in some other part Of the globe.
For, as Prof Alexander Winchcll OBJ
serves, "tho terrestrial globe, in some
Of It's behavior, may be compared TO an
inda-rubbcr ball filled with water II
indented by pressure in one place, there
must be n protuberance equal in vol
ume In another place.
Hence, II all Asia had been sub
merged, proportionate amount Of dry
land would have been lifted above tho
waters some whore else That Asia,
Africa, Europe. Australia ana America
were all submerged at the same timo
seems gcologically impossible, and we
have no evidence which would justify
us 10 assume that God wrought 50 stu
pendous n wonder
On the contrary. there arc geological
and archaeological facts which evident
ly prove that somo portions OF tho
earth have not been inundated by tho
Noachian dclugc. For instance, in
Auvcrgno, France; in the Eifol country
of tho Prussan Rhine Province; in
Now Zealand and elsewhere, there are
extinct volcanoes, evidently older than
Noe. that arc marked by cones OF
pumice-stone, ashes and such light sub
stances as could not have resisted tho
waters Of the dcluge.'
Whcreabout was the delugeP lndi-
cations seem to point to Western Cen
trail Asia. 1t Is quito probable that tho
leading descendants Of Adam, tho di-
rect line OF the ancestors Of Gods
chosen people OF old, continued TO re-
side near tho former happy homo OF
our first parents, the Garden Of Para
disc. Now, this was undoubtedly sitn-
atcd in Western Central Asia, rs tho
Book OF Genesis Enthusiastically indi-
Gates by stating that four rivers, tho
Prison, the Gchon, the Tigris and tho
Euphratcs, had thcir source in the re-
gion Of tho Paradise. That really tho
Tigris and the Euphratos OF to-day wcro
meant can not bo doubted. In the first
place, Of the Tigris it is expressly
stated that IL is the Same that passeth
along by the Assyrians. Secondly,
there is no geological reason known
why the present Tigris and Euphratcs
should not have existed in the days OF
Adam, or even long before.
Thus, for instance, our Missouri, Ohio
and Mississippi, tho latter about as far
south rs Tennessee, seem TO have been
in existence during the tertiary age
long before the appearance OF man upon
earth.
Moreover, IL is not likely that tho
transient inundation caused by the dell
uge has permanently changed the cham
nols of those rivers. which it could not
have dono without changing the entire
surface of tho surrounding territories
And, finally, tho Book of Genesis was
written at time when no other rivers
woro known rs the Tigris and the
Euphrates than the rivers which still
bear these names.
For these reasons IL can not DO
doubted that the Paradise was located
somewhere near or about the sources OF
the present Tigris and Euphratcs, in
Armenia. This is the opinion of COM
petent authorities, John Gmcincr, il
Catholic World.