, 1890-06-19
THE EARTH IS DYING.
A Time Coming When Hy-
drogen Will CONCEAL.
ALL THE WATERS WILL FREEZE
Piteous Prediction From n Scien-
tihc and Sentimental
Standpoint.

Written for the REvtEw.
While II Is generally believed by
scientists that the earth n cooling
oil and becoming less hospitable to
It's animal inhabitants, no very
definite or pleasing impression has
been attempted relative To its APP
pearance or character In death. We
shall see, In this paper, how 1t will
look after death.
The Substances of the earth are
all, without exception, subject tn
one uniform law. All have existed
at some time in u gaseous state.
some yet exist In that state. The
water Of the earth Il as much a
geological stratum, or element, ns
the GRANTEES. II Is ut present found
In all Of the three states known to
the mineral world. II Ia fluid, solid
and vapor. To this unsettled con-
dition of water ls due the entire
sum of animal and vegetable life
and history.
The rocks that were finally con.
gealed, ages ago, were for n long
time in the same states. Their in-
stability could not afford conditions
favorable to animal or vegetable
life. The last rock to quit the vapor-
Gus state was mercury. Except by
artificial heat II never returns 10 the
vaporous condition; and, except at
very low temperatures Mt the poles
and at great attitudes, II does not
CONCEAL. The fluid II, therefore, Its
present condition. Since its subsi-
dence To that condition III compara-
lively recent, we see that II, with
other metals, made life impossible,
until comparatively recently. Lead,
iron, and all other metals were first
sublimed from the uppermost geo.
logical stratum, or atmosphere. ex-
listed for ages In fluid state, then
congealed, as we fiud them now.
One metal remains to be noticed,
| In order to show what the corpse
/ of moth earth will look like, and
that Il hydrogen. IL will be the
last to sublime and solidify. But
the inquisltion Of the laboratory has
reduced II to both the nuid and
solid states, and 1t Is n metal with a
stecly silver color with crystal
edges sharper than any razor. Not
even at tho south pole can natural
cold be found To CONCEAL hydrogen.
Just before hydrogen congealr all
the water of the earth will he pre-
| cipitated and frozen. The energy
necessary TO unlock the formula OF
water and set It's hydrogen free will
not exist, and that amount Of hydro
gen will remain In combined oh
scurity, as iron, lead, mercury, sil-
N,r apIiurn unl nther ptptaia ara
In the earthly combinations OF ma
ture. There viii not even be wind,
but the stiffness OF dead winter VIII
feet composurc of surace. The
will see, for ages, IA ghnstly
planet Of great beauty. hut the
Transparent stratum of the earth,
the last relic OF it, nebuin, the air.
VIII bcgin to lose one Of Its ele-
ments. Slowly the coat Of snow
Will be shccted over with n thin
foil Of glittcting silver The spec
tator from Venus or Mars VIII say
that the planet is being rcillumi-
nated. Not 80; II IL the whittier pal
lor Of death. | will reflect n glori-
ous light, but pltiless and cold, md
quite different rom the soft varic-
CATION now reflected To those neigh
boriug spheres.
since heat, or energy, IL neccs-
sary to the combination OF oxygen
and hydrogen, to form water, the
small amount Of free hydrogen, left
by the excess of death over life,
Incident upon the extinction of all
living things, will not bc recom-
blned; and oxygen and nitrogen,
perfect air, will remain for ages.
Then oxygen, whose true character