Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-11-29
CREATION.
TIE Sixth Day-M Man the Crawning Work
The Allegorical and Geol
ogic Parallels.

I
Aud God said, let Us make man in
our image. after our likeness: and let
them have dominion over the hSh of the
sea, and over the fowls of The air, aud
over the cattle, and over ali the earth,
and over every creeping thing that
crcepeth ON the earth So God created
mau in his own image, in the i'm sc of
God created he him; male and female
created he them. Gen :26-27
These verses state the final work of
creation rs related by Genesis. Verses
q to 81 refer in detail to the dominion
given to man over all other created
things on earth. The 3lSt verse closes
with, And the evening and morning
were the sixth day. Chapter ii begins
with "a general summary of the works
OF creation, continuing down to the Sth
verse, with which begins the allegorical
description of the garden of Eden and
the detailed allegorical account of the
creation of man and woman.
1t will be observed on reading these
chapters that the whole work of crea-
| ton is completed with the first chapter.
while the second summarizes the whole
and adds the allegory of the garden of
Eden, of Adam and Eve.
According 10 the best evidence which
we have from archaeological remains,
| from philology, from the place where
! the most ancient remains are fOnnd, as
determined by association with geologi-
,.al III no. Inn |,
place in some part of northern Africa
! and southern Europe, at a time when
the Arctic ocean extended all over
northern Europe and Asia and when
Africa was Cut in twain by the great
Sahara sea, in the present site OF the
Sahara desert. Ihe Mediterranean sea
was then dry land, and formed a part
of long narrow peninsula extending
westward into the Atlantic and between
the great northern ocean and the Saba
IN sea. The time of his appearance
was toward the close of the tertiary age
of geology. This was 100000 years
ago, if we admit that man existed i'm
the tertiary. and may have been As re-
mote Is 200, 600 years ago. If the
100000 years ago To allow glaciation
with > months, hot summer and "A I
months, cold winter. then that period
must be rejected I'm that case e
must come down to the next series of
alternating long. cold winter and short
hot summer, beginning 2j0, 900 years
ago and closing 10000 years ago.
Many contend that this Is too recent.
but we know almost 30 demOnstra-
ton that the last glacial period, or
series of periods, extended 200, 900 years
beginning 100000 Il. G. and closing
about 10000 Il. c. We are incli-
ned to the view that the tertiary
was a period of about 100000 years.
Git could not have been less and NAV
have been much longcr,) beginning
| about $50, 900 b. &. The earth then
was tropical in climate from pole To-
| pole. and snow and ice were unknowu
except on the very highest peaks of the
mountains. The whole earth was %
garden as described in Genesis II
There was no need for labor for food:
all man had to do was to extend his
hand aud pluck the fruits whlcA grew
in profuslon around him. He needed
no labor for clothing, for in that tropi-
cal cline no clothing was needed
There was no cause tor strife, for all
had in abundance. The cranial con
formation of skulls discovered of the
most ancient races shows man then 10
have been very peaceful being. but
without the motive power for progress
The story of the rib in the formation
Of woman is merely allegorical and in.
tended To teach the close cOmpahionship
OF man and woman 9s expressed IN
Gen. 223-2j. The statement that man
was formed from the dust of the earth
was merely to teach that the material
elements of his body are the same as