The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-16

and II there are stlll oceans on the earth.
her rotation VIII be subject 20 retarda-
tion in consequence Of the solar tidaN
frietlon The day will then become long,
or than the month. whilst the moon will
AT first continue TO revolve round the
earth I'm ffty-hve days. Lunar tides viii.
now be again generated but as the mo-
ton of the earth will Doe very slow rea-
lively TO the moon. the oscillations viii
also be very slow and subject TO little
friction. But that friction viii act ia
opposition 10 the solar tides and the
earth's rotation will 10 some slight ex-
tent be assisted by the moon. The moon
herself will slowly approach tic earth.
moving with q shorter period, and must
ultimately fan back into the Garth"
Freed OF the technical phra seologv and
the mathematical minutae that tend 90
made such scientific works Urirterestng
II not actually uninteiigibie 90 the novice
Professor Darwn's theory is:
There was once time whom the earth
was nothing more than mass of vap1r
and gases that b'azcd IN space. hut with
I'm these gases was contained the vital
elements from which the earth and an
that is upon 10 were created. Gradually
the earth changed from this first nohu-
lous condition and as the gases cooled
the vaDors became a liquid.
The axis on which this fiery liquid ban
turned was the same as that on which
the earth rotatos to-day but at that time
# turned so swiftly that instead Of re-
ouiring a period Of twcnfv-f0ur hours
I'm which TO make a revolution, as 70 does
to-day. It made the turn in three and
p@rhaps two hours These swift rota-
lions tended 10 change its form from n
round ball 10 more pear shaped figure,
while immense tides were raised through
out its entire mass by the attraction Of
the sun In fact as Professor Garrett
T. Serviss has shown. tho earth then re-
semhled an enormous pin-wheol spinning
IN the night Of space The smaller ,nd
OF the pear-shaned mass formed q glgan-
tic tidal wave Of liquid fire. rising thous-
ands Of miles from tho center Of gravity
and rushing round with such fearful We
locitv that small masses were hurled of.
The crisis ~ this juncture was UNI
doubleday produced by the attraction Of
the sun. As the mass that was then the
earth slowly cooled and stimoned the
portion that had formed tho neck Of the
pear grew more and more slender until
II gave way under the increasing strain
and broke away from the parent mas =
The substance that was thus broken off
represented about onc-eightieth part Of
the entire mass ~ earth-sphere ard
freed from restraint, began 90 spin on an
axis of irs own.
II tho theory advanced by Professor
Darwin IS correct an interesting qucs-
ton is opened for discussion. whoa the
neck of tho pear was broken and went
spinning away by itself it must have
taken with 20 its relative portion of tho
chemical elements that. as vital germs
finally became human beings on the
earth Whether these celsei to exist
after the fiery birth of fhe moon or final
IS succeeded iu fulfilling their destiny
is problem that science Wil do Wei 10
fathom.
For long period both the earth and
the moon continued in a semi-ucbulons
condition. but they were 50 close 20 one
another tnaf thr uaal attraction rails