San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-05-19

five or six thousand years ago,
when the Inhabitants OF Java had
no knowledge OF human beings
outside Of their island, they might
we'll have reasoned, that their
Gods had become angered and had
determined upon the destruction
of the whole human race. Today
we attribute the disaster Of Java
to the eruption of a submarine
volcano.
This argument, regarding the
solution Of the tlood-story in Gene
sis, seems the most reasonable,
were it not that we must turn to
astronomy for the true solution of
the tradition. cannot help think
ing that the calamity as related in
Genesis has actually taken place
not only once, but many times, in
the history Of our earth. And
Furthermore, believe that 1t may
be satisfactorily demonstrated,
that such a flood covering the
whole earth, has occurred with
in the time Of man.
Making all due allowance for the
traditional additions, there is al
ways some foundation for a myth.
Science is satisfied, that man in
his present physical form has ex-
sted over One-hundred thousand
years. Geologically, his existence
may be traced back to before the
first glacial period, which is cal
culated to be Straightforward years.
This is well to bear i'll mind, as
the bookstores come down to us
from the most remote antiquity.
But let us turn to our earth,
which is one Of many planets more
or less advanced in their develope-
ment. Universal law envelopes
all things. 1t is the same every
where. The same law which gov
ems the position of the planets
about the sun, governs the posi-
ton of the leaves on a tree. The
law which exists upon one corner
OF the earth, exists upon another.
The law which creates blade OF
grass in Europe also brings forth
DldU6 Ill N6" LedIdhu. lhO Ia"
which makes a blade of grass, also
makes a man. The law which
governs the development of our
earth also governs the development
of all the rest Of the planets. To
the other planets then we will look
for a solution of the myth before
our consideration.
/ In the study of the planets we
discover them in different stages;
from the comparatively youthful
Saturn andJupiter with their rings
and belts, to the beautiful Venus,
whose surface appears vast
watery expanse; from the ripper
Mars and earth, to our dying satel-
lite, the moon. 1t is fact, well
established, that all our planets,
at one time in their history, were
in an igneous Qlery) state. Taking
this to be true, we would naturally
ask: If our earth, for instance,
was in a fiery state, where was all
the water, which ts now upon its
surface? where were the carbon,
iron and other mineral substances,
easily soluble under heat? And
the natural answer would be: In
the air. Far out in space, driven
by the intense planetary heat so
far indeed, that they would be but
little influenced by the earth's
gravitation. Have we such instan-
ces in the universe today? Indeed.
Saturn with his rings, and Jupiter
with his belts. These rings and
belts are nothing but such sub
stances, which have been driven
into space by planetary heat to be
attracted back unto the mother
planet as their centrifugal force
decreases, which they inherited
while being left in space by the
contraction of the central body.
The rings, having lost some OF
their force, the central body can
exert a greater influence upon
them. What then happens? the
masses of iron and carbon (coal)
and calcium Qime) etc, and last
but not least, hydrogen (water)
fall-not all at once, but in success
sive and often tremendous showers
upon the planet, covering vast
areas OF county. This accounts in
a measure for many Of the strait
} fed rocks, lamellated iron, coal
deposits Qallen smoke, as it were)
extensive lime beds etc.
Our earth at one time had such
rings, and why is it not more than
, likely that some of those rings
were still encircling her within
J the time Of early man? The old
, coal theory, that it is the result Of
vegetation, does not seem quite
, satisfactory. For before we have
| vegetation to make coal, Carbon,
we must have coal to make vege
tation. While it is true that we
find fossil ferns in the coal beds
, they are almost always on the sur
| face and have merely grown after
the carbon fell. The fact that those
; early fossil plants invariably be
long to the ferns and MOSES, is g
prove in itself that the atmoDshert