River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-03-10
ADAMS PLACE IN CHRONOLOGY.
q Paper Read by Pastor E. D. Be-
wick at the ministers Meeting
February 20, 1898.

! just now long ago IL was since Adam
/ graced the earth with his presence.
At this present time, with science
yet in its infancy, and the doors OF
I the vast treasures of knowledge only
( slightly agar, tits not possible TO make
/ statements that shall be worthy OF
/ utmost confidence. 1t will be suf
/ ticient for US to examine the sources
Of chronological information, and the
authenticity Of the figures furnished
to US The data are: Geology
| Archaeology Conjectures Of men, and
last, but not least, lie Bible, the
those passages which are capable Of
being demonstrated will be found tC
be worthy Of utmost confidence.
First then let US see what facts
Geology has to contribute toward the
solution Of this problem.
1t is now pretty generally accepted
by biologists that man made his APP
pearance on earth during the Glacial
period. With this. however, some
few differ, Prof. Whitney. for example,
tried TO prove mans presence in the
Tertiary age, but there seem to be so
many contingencies in the case that
such 4 conclusion is not readily ac-
cepted. That man Tas upon earth
during only a part of the Glacial
period may be stated as the cOncensus
of opinion Of students in this line.
The following hint at the grounds for
this belief
stone implements are found in the tin"
Human bones are eXhumed, and bones Of q
fauna rs eNacti 9 as man
These Glacial-period men were sons
of Adam for there is evidence that
they possessed religious nature.
Our question must be answered in two
parts The First tO-Wt: How far
back iii the Glacial period did Adam
live?-This is a hopeless question at
present. The other, How long since
the sea of ice ceased to wend its weary
way across the State of WisCOnsin-we
can approximate in several ways.
% The thickness Of the earth's
crust.
1t is reckuncd by Prof. Newcomb
that 30,0O0,O00 years were required to
cool the crust Of the earth to its
present depth. Then dividing this
into the proportion just and right for
each great period, we should have for
the Pu>t-Giacial period $4,000 years.
~ Changes Of the eccentricity Of
the earth's orbit,
The orbit Of the earth is an ellipse
which is slowly but constantly chang
ing As the eCccntricity is increased
The temperature Of the Northern
Hemisphere would be lowered
During one of these maximum
periods Ci eCcentricity the Glacial age
existed According to Winchell the
last maximum occurred 200 years
tgo. The one preceding it, 100000
years ago. Hence the Glacial period
began HOO years ago aud continued
to within 10000 years Of this time.
But these high figures are not sustain
d by other putations.
% Erosion.
The work Of the modern river is
post-glacial. Careful com putations
nave been made by Mr.. Jas. Gardiner,
showing that TO wear away the whole
gorge of the Niagara would require
1900 years. but that the new gorge
from the place where it ntersects
the old would require between 5000
ana - 900 years.
Estimates made upon the gorge of
the falls of St. Anthony, show that
about 5000 years would be required
for the erosion ccOmpli>hed there
A very ingenious calculation upon
he condition of the blutf north Of
Chicago has been made by DR.. Il
Andrews. This bluff wears away at
. known rate. Its old stump is easily
sCcrtainable. From this data he de-
Iuced the estimate that since the
Glacial period, about 5000 years have
elapsed. We infer from these and
ither estimates that from 1000 to
5000 years would strike the mean Of
he findings of the geOlogist Hence
e odd his - a no It
.ears Adam lived in the Glacial
period. we shall have the whole dura-
ton from Adam to the present time.
Second. Egyptian Chronology.
This proposes to utter its voice in
the ~ettlementof this question. Next
% the b bic, no record reaches 50 far
uto the past But the quotations
from ManethO leave wide range OF
attitude.
Pool says the evidence of the monu-
ncnts is neither full nor explicit.
Baron Bunsen says chronology cannot
he elected from them. The over
apping Of the dynasties makes it an
lmOst hopeless task to set dates in
rider.
Deductions from the Hieroglyphics
cad to such vague conclusions as
heSe:
Cnampollion places Menes 1861 B. G,
Wilkinson 269l
BETWEEN these Fallows $4,000
If this is the best that can be done
with the re rent data we cannot eX-
uect much from that which is so much
arther away.
From Egyptian data Robinson puts
tie food at 1890, b. 9. The Chinese
VI tbs, according to Crawford, require
uore than 10000 years. Chaldea 466,
o. The Hindoos more than 1000, 000
Thus far we have found nothing to
.ubstantiate the dates put in the
marginal column in reference bibles
" Bishop Usher.
Third Biblical Chronology.
Under this head | would say, Cd:
haiti is easily evident to the student
Il the Bible that the book does not
purpose to teach chronology. 1t does
lot seem to be necessary to the scope
4 its design, and therefore, there are
lut few statements that assist in
chronological Investigation.
~ In Hebrew times people. dated
heir documents. not from any fixed
Julut Of time, but from the reign Of
he king. or even that Of the Cover
lur And when in captivity from
he ascension Of the heather captur-
king. Thus showing that they had no
dea Of locating definitely their posi-
tion in the period Of the race.
3 Our commonly accepted data have
been largely drawn from the record of
the age Of the patriarchS, but in this
the different versions differ widely and
there seems to be good ground for their
divergence: for instance; W. seem
70 read that the life of Adam was $50
Years. That he lived 1870 years. begat
son. and all the days Of Adam after
ne hegat Seth were 500 years: and he
hegat sons and daughters. Now
Crawford says that the term Adam
is in this sentence first used as
personal name and aftei wards to
de ote a whole family. and the word
translated hegat signifies appointed,
and refers to Adams designation Of
Seth in the place of Abel that the
word translated likeness, refers rather
outiice. "Begata son in his likeness
then would read appointed success
Sor in office. And thus the Adamic
family continued to he ruled over by
- Of Saith