The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-18

Accepting the theory of astronomers that
our ann and the millions Of other suns were
evolved from masses OF nebulOus matter,
We should like to know how the earth ana
the rest of our suns planetary brood came
into existence. The Bible tells us some
thing about the earth's infancy ana lnieren-
tally about the other planets. 1.-The earth
was without form and void, We are told.
There was no division Of land and water
nothing hut darkness and chaos. ms
agrees with well-knOwn scientinc fnct
Geology takes us back to the time when
land and water began TO take form as We
see them now.
But we should like to know something
about the earth's history farther back than
the Bible and geology take us. We are sat
isfed with the evidence As to its childhood,
but when and how was our dear old earth
bornf How came the suns eight planets.
and the little asteroids, TO be made into
halls and placed outward in space at dis
tances ranging from tbirty-fiye million TO
three thousand million miles from the pa
rent SUM- Even the astronomers do not
pretend 20 say positively how this mighty
work Of matchmaking was accomplished,
but some of them have theory that seems
plausible aud that fully barmonizes with
demonstrated facts.
What are called spiral neutrality-suspicious.
bodies, which are evidently rotating or
whirling, have lately been studied with
greater care and mnuteness than ever he
fore. Ii seems probable that these spirsls
indicate a stage in which masses Of nebu-
lous matter begin TO concentrate and begin
the initial work Of making a star system
aftei the manner Of our solar system.
The attraction Of nebule, as We know by
analogy, would cause a rotary motion, parts
nearest the nucleus moving with the great
est rapidly, aud other parts moving more
slowly IN pro portion TO their distances from
the centre. Such a nebula as this would
extend billions Of miles in space. The diff
ferent yelocities Of the parts would natural
Nv produce the spirals, and, as the process
of condensation went on, the nucleus would
become comparatively solid body, like
our sun, while spirals, at various distances
therefrom. would, by their own attraction,
become more closely defined as individual
rings.
In course Of time, perhaps millions OF
wears. these rings would gradually draw
together and assume the spherical form that
seems TO be the ultimate shape OF all tie
heavenly bodies. II this superstition be
true, the earth was once section Of spiral
nebula. AZ The sun settled down into CON-
narrative sOlidity the nearest spiral or ring
became the planet Mercury, the next one
Neptune, nearly three billion miles away.
And II planets are thus evolved from
spiral nebnla surrounding the sun or star,
then II logically follows that our moon, and
the moons Of the other planets, are the
spherical sutgrowth OF nebulus rings. As
tronomers that believe in this theory declare
that Saturn's rings will eventually increase
the already very liberal allowance OF that
planets moons.
Bat II this plsnet-making theory 10 cor
rect. why cannot the completed planets Of
star be discerned through the telescope
Because the stuff OF which the planet is
made becomes thousands Of times smaller
when completed than il was in the nebu-
lous state. A woman's dress may be not
more than four feet high and two feet in
diameter, but probably there are twenty
yards of stun In II. Tbs spirals Of which
our planets were made must have been
billions OF miles In diameter, but the diam
eter of the largest planet IL only eighty
thousand miles, Philadelphia Times.