The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1892-02-20
THE LAST DAY ON EARTH.
A FancifuI Sketch Of the End Of Al
Things Terrestrial,

4 = lfAAAANAAAftA -
had taken not less than l0,00u, GOO
years to go through its several
phases. The primary age had Oc.
cupied more than 5000, 900; the
secondary age, 2,3O0,O 900 yrals
the tertiary age, 500,0nO years; the
primitive human age, the time of
+, national divisions, of barbatism
and of militarisn had filled about
100000 years, and the sixth age,
that of intellectual humanity, had
reIgnrd for nearly 1000, 900 years.
Daring that long succession OF
ages the earth had grown older
and the sun colder, and, In conse-
quence, the geog aphical aspect Of
the 81 be had metamorphosed it
self; the water of lle ocean had
slowly penetrated through the
earth's crust; the sea was contract
ed to a fourth of its area in the
early human period; warm valleys
and equatorial regions alone were
habitaule. "A | the rest was frozen.
From century to century humanity
mad obtained forms of exquisite
beauty, and no longer worked
materially. a uet work Of electricity
covered the 81 be, producing at
will all that was needed. Ii was
then unified race, entirely differ
ent from the rude and heteroge
neuus races thai had characterized
The fist period. About tue year
=, 100000 after Jesus Christ, the
last great focus Of human ciyiliza-
tiOn shone in the center or EquatO-
rial Africa, iii the brilliant City Of
Suntown, which had already
several times been raisei again
from its ash ). The sites where
Paris, London, Rome, Vienna aud
New York had stood were then
buried beneath the ice. The capital
Of this aristocratic republic had
attained the last limits Of a uXuri-
nus aud yOluptuous civil zalion.
Wives no longer became mothers
unless by accident; they no longer
desired the Inconvenience Of ma
rnity, aud reigned in all the
Splendor of their unblenished
1eauty. Lite had been, ii not dried
NJ at its urce, at least rendered
rrenediably untruitful. No young
woman remained; the soil, too,
was sierilized, aud the generation
saw Ihe end approaching. In this
dilemma Al acriai tlOtiI Il Was con
structrd, aud all the strong men
stare on 4 voyage of investiga-
Il II Of the whole equatorial zone,
t. see whether any isolated human
groups still existed. Tue entire
earth had almost disappeared 6e-
heath snow aud ICE, and already
na,f the members of the expedition
had died OF hunger and cold, when
he survivors discovered human
settlement on the banks of an un-
t'rozen river, They were received
us saviors by men who believed
themselves the only survivors Of
terrestrial humanity, looking on
with despair at the last days Of the
world. The river on whose banks
they were camped was the once
famous Amazon. The last woman
of the community was already
dead, the VINE and the grain were
extinct, aud the men subsiste
solely on fish. On hearing this
the guests were i'll despair; their
country was still wealthy; science
rendered them independent of soil
and natural temperature, ard he
leader Of the party excl tlmed: "We
came in search OF female asso siates,
aud had we found blt one single
vile, all the riches Of our land
would have been hers" Some time
before these events happened in
Africa, and America, he Island Of
Ceylon, now attached to ASIA, was
the last refuge Of the human III
Asia, and there, in this former
earthly paradise not far from the
equator at the foot of Adams Peak,
dwelt twelve women, s jle heiresses
oi the last unextinguished families.
the male sex had com pletely dis
appeared. The youngest of Jhe
females, little Eva, was 3 years
old. The decline of natural forces
had brought about a decline OF
human forces, aud with it the de-
cnne of inventions and usages
which had formerly seemed 80 iu-
disp nsaUlr. Crossing the Pacific
Ucrau, our adyrntuiers observed
the CeS lon was freer from ics THAI
her regions, aud appro ching il
they saw 10 their joy a group OF
i've women III mourning, the last
Survivors OF the race ia Asia. Tney
alighrtd, told The object Of their
explorations aud had no difficulty
IN convincing the fair AsIatics.
Their despair disapp ared like a
niIst, aud a few hours after the ar
rival of tie aeronauts the fiyr
nuns had become tue most elegant
Of women. But Ceylon was more
uesolate than Sunlown; provision,
we're scarce, and the whole party
taking tue women with tbem, re-
lIurnei 10 tDeir African home,
! Arrived here. they found that the
! frieBlls d relatives they had left
beulud were all dead or dk ing from