The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-10-23
EVOLUTION or 4 PLANET.
Tracing the Growth of a World From I
First form Of vnpor,

VI SHfVfs
Clearest evidence shows that our
earth was once "a lurid haze of
light" and that for countless cons
afterward .her globe was instinct
with fiery heat, amid which no
forms of life could DO conceived to
exist, after tho manner of life known
to us. In the sun, tho ruler of the
planetary system, We have On orb
representing the earlier stage of the
past history of u earth, when it
was a mass Of glowing vapor. The
glory OF tho sun and his fiery heat
assure us, as with tho olearest words,
that he Is In the infancy of his ca
rcer as IN orb in space. The spoo-
troscope reveals to Us that many Of
the clements to be found on our
earth exist in the sun in the form Of
glowing vapor. With regard to the
mean density of the sun, we find
that instead of being far moro com.
pressed than the earth, as we might
expect from It's enormous mass were
1t in tho same condition, it has q
mean density only one-fourth Of
hers. All these features provo that
the sun is In the first stage of world
life, the glowing, raporous stage,
when the whole frame Of a planet is
instinct with fiery heat and aglow
with Intense luster.
We will find tho second stage of
q worlds growth in tho giant planet
Jupiter. At this period Of its exist
enco the earth was surrounded by
deep ass of clouds, tho water
was boiling on Its surface, tho whole
air was rod hot. The heat was so in
tense that the water could no more
have rested on that surface than 1t
can rest on a surface of redhot iron.
Vast quantities of steam rushed up
ward, passing with terrific uproar
into tho upper air. Tho waters now
forming tho seas and oceans on our
earth were then in the form Of va
por. At this stage of It's career tho
whole franc of tho earth WAS onycl-
oped by donso clouds. These clouds
were in an atmosphere drcnchel
with muriatic, sulplluric and other
acids, which, together with boiling
water, descended upon tho Garth in
tho form of intensely hot rain. Aft
er having been subjected to these
forces tho earth arrived at the pres
ent stage of existence, when it has
become tho abode of life. After hav-
ing served Gs tho homo Of mankind
it will slowly loso its fertility, im-
rcrccptihly fcde away, rs man him
self docs, and finally arrive at tho
fourth period Of n planets lifc-tho
stage of planetary decrepisudc, Us
shown in tho planet Mars
Whom NO examine Mars, VIC can
not help noticing tho comparative
smallness of its water surface. The
seas Oh Mars cover but one-half of
the planets surface, while on our
earth tho proportion tho water sur
face bears 10 tho surface of land is
II to Is. Tho conclusion seems to be
that tho older the planet the small
er the oceans. This wow seems
startling at first, but 1t has been
confirmed by scientists such rs Ster.
ry Hunt of America, FARMLAND OF
England, Meunior of France and
Seemann of Germany. According to
their theory, tho oceans of the plan
OF, as it grows older, are withdrawn
into cavities, while the atmosphere
grows rarer and rarer, until life be.
comes an impossibility. Finally the
planet becomes waterlcss and airless
and arrives at tho final stage OF
death. We have this period repre-
scented by tho moon, and it shove
how our earth will DO when 1t has
reached this stage, going around
the sun a mere graveyard, carrying
/ the memories of a past lifo."
So we have to accept tho evidence
that death bns to come upon the
earth at somo future time, howeve,
unpleasant the thought may DO, and
that after life has Como from oul
earth it may pass to the larger plan
cts. Then, after millions of years.
during which Jupiter and the Other
planets of the solar system may be-
come tho abode of life, a period
may como when death will reigr
throughout the whole planetary sys
| tenn. Thon life may pass to another
solar system, and so, age after ago
tho worlds will live on, throughou'
eternity, chanting the glorious
epic of creation. tho poem of TIL
universe" We may find q ney
meaning that would better agree
with our ideas Of an almighty pow
or. It is not with less reverence TO
tho universe and for the powe
which works in snd through it tina
we must pursue u study OF tn
heavens. In the words of Tcnnyson
Let knowledge grow from more to more,
Let more OF reverence Ia Us DWELL
That mind and soul, according we'll,
May make ono mufic rs before.
Lecture by Miss Mary Proctor.