Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-25

rvrruLE-cRowDED TO THE EQUATOR By THE
roxgrERING ICE-A VOYAGE ABOVE A DYING
PLANET AND SOME SINGULAR MEETINGS.
ron the Contemporary Review.
The earth had been inhabited for about
TWENTY-FIVE million wears, and its vital history
Lad been divided into six progressive periods
The primorliil age, or formation Of the first
organisms (infusOria, zoOphytes, echinoderm-
4ta. crustaceaus. molluscs-a world of the deaf
srI dumb and almost blind. had taken not less
than ten million years to go through its differ
cut phases. The primary age (fsh, insects.
more perfect senses, separate senses, rudimen-
ts-v plants. forests of horse tails and of tree
srrusi had then occupied more than six million
years. The secondary age (saurians. reptiles
bi-ls forests OF conifer;e and of cvcadaca) in
o-ier 20 accomplish its work. required two
million three hundred thousand years. The
tertiary age (mammifers, monkeys. superior
plants flowers fruits and seasons) had lasted
half million years. The primitive human
age the time of national divisions. Of borbar-
i'm and Of militarism had filed about three
hundred thousand years. and the sixth age.
that Of intellectual humanity, had reigned for
nesrly two million years.
During that long succession OF centuries the
earth hal grown older and the srn had become
collier In the beginning Of tine ages the ter
restrIal globe was entirely covered bv the
waters Of the ocean Cpheavals caused first
i-anls then vast continents to EMERGE. tbe
surface OF evaporation diminished in extent.
tie atmosphere was saturated with less yapor
and could not so well Preserve the heat re-
ceIved from the sun; so that gradual de-
"reaSf OF temperature was brought about
During the first human age tbree-Cna-tars ~
The glore were still covered bv water and the
temperature remained high But from CEN
tl-y 10 century portion Of the rain water
penetrated through the soil to the deep rocks
and returned no more to the ocean tbe onar-
tltv Of water diminished. the level of the
was lowered and the screen Of atrnos-
nIeric vaUOr afforded only an insufficient pro
lection 10 The nocturnal radiation. There re-
s1.teI SLOW eentury-long decrease in tenn
prratlrs ana Then spreading Of the ice
winch IT first covered ONLY the HIGH
uoIntalns and the polar regions. but
Ett.e By little invaded tbs tennperate re-
cI"Hs and lnsensibly lowered the line of per
p-tusl snow.
On the other hand. the SIM. the source Of all
light all heat radiating perpetnaIIv with
"it an instant oi cessation in the center of cold
obscure and empty space. slowly lost the Gallo
MI power which caused the earth to live. OF
an electric and almost BLUSH white, saturated
"-.H In'HILesGent hydrogen. during the geo
logical periods which witnessed the an
NtaraGce Of terrestrial life. it gradually lost
wax dI1zanC Wilderness. to acquire the color
perhaps apparently warmer. of glittering gold
ami such was Its real color during the first
three hundred thousand wears of human
history. IL then became vellower and even
reddish. consuming its hydrogen oxidizing
itself. metallzing itself. This slow TRANSPORTS
lion OF It's ph0tosphere. the increase of its spots
the diminutiOn Of its protuberant eruptions.
brought abont correlative decrease in the
emission OF its heat
In consequence Of these various csuses the
terrestrial temperature had. from century to
century. become lower. The geographical as
fect o. the globe had metamOrphosed itself
ne sea having several times taken the place of
ne land. and vice versa. and the extent of the
sea having considerably diminished and been
rr'iuce,t 20 less than quarter of what il was at
the advent Of humanity. The seasons which
had begun in the tertiary age had perpetuated
'hemSelves through the centuries but with n
decreasing intensity for the summer heat. Gil
mates lnsensiblv approached each other near
the equator: the glacial zones Cboreal and ans
trull lnexOrably forced back the temperate
zones To the place of the ancient torrid zone.
warm valleys and equatorial regions alone
were habitable: the rest was frozen
from century to century humanity had at
famed forms of exquisite beautr and no longer
worked materially. A network of electricity
covered the globe. producing at will all that
was needed II was then a unified race en-
tlrelv different from the rude and heterogene-
Gus races that had characterized the first period
doubtless the absolute equality dreamed of bv
the poets had not been attained and there were
stil superior and inferior beings. seekers and
indifferent. active and inactive men, but there
we're no more >candalous unfortunates nor ire
ne,iiable miseries
About the year 1900 coo after Jesus Christ
The last great focus Of human civilization shone
in the center ~ e0uatorial Africa in tie bril-
liant city of Suntown. which had already bee,
several times raised again from its ashes II
was more than hundred thousand wears since
the spots where Paris. London Rome. Vienna
and View York had stood were buried beneath
the ice.
The capital OF this aristocratic republic had
attained the last limits of a luxurious and
'0iuptuou- civilization Leaving far behind it
The childish amusementS of Babylon. Of Rome
and Of Paris 1t had thrown itself heart and
HGfh INTO the most exquisite refinements of
pleasure and enjoyment and the results of
progress. the achievements of science art and
Industry had. during several centuries been
applied 20 raising all the JOYS of life to their
maXimum Of intensity. Electricity perfumes
music. kept the senses in "a state of xcite-
mcnt. so that under the brilliant light Of en-
cnantlng nights. as beneath the yelled shadows
- the tav. the nervous system could no longer
IND moments rest and abOut their twenty
MN wear men and women drOpped dead of total
exhaustion Perceiying the increasing cold
asSs Of the plar 81 and the approach of eternal
winter. they had early maintained about them
elves a warm and oxygeniZed atmosphere
-li' TT anu moro exciting tha1 the old breeZeS
ron the woods and prairies. had lived more
-'plllv and rushed more rashly to the inevita-
Ole end The elegance Of costumes. the beauty
., forms had gradually risen TO an unexpected
-~rtection IN consequence of pas-iOnal selec-
'cn. which seemed 70 have no Other object
han immediate happiness. Wives no long II
h".1ne mothers unless by accident Besides
some o. the lower classes alone remained in
condition 10 undertake the duties Of mother
hood. fashion having for some time been able
= suppress the necessity in the upper social
s. heres
il-n u was seen that the women o. the lower
classes we're the first TO feel the deadly effects
~ invading cold. and the dav came when II was
""cpgulZei that amid the blind ENJOYMENT o.
hlTA-ure no woman was a mother or could be-
come one. They no longer desired the incon-
f-ri"uces Of maternity. which had so long been
'eit - the inferior women. and they reigned
y al the splenjor of cir Unblemished beauty
y was only vneu a law was passed that the en-
IRE fortune or the republic wOuid be given to
he fist woman who would give birth 10 a child
lat thew understood the irreparable extent of
re misfortune that had befallen the last in
hslitants Of the earth.
Doubtless the end would not have long DELAYED
- coming. the steriiiZed soil being hencefor-
NardIncapable of feeding its children. But thew
were ceiuding themselves with the thought
taat perhaps by some Ingenious proceeding il
"1Gld become possible 10 put of the fatal pc
rl'I, :" gain time: and who knows. they said. IL
H o. met e 81.