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

cd tides in each mass. tides that were
greater than those that had been caused
bv the sun. so that both the earth ana
the moon, drawn out Dy TIDAL atuatu'h'
became ellps0ils
Unlike me ocean tides OF to-day these
tides We're enormous in Their dimensions
and owing 20 the rapid rotations COM
pieteIy circled tine earth in from TWO 10
three hours.
As the tidal wave however was nor
directly under the moon, but always d
utft. .ift of limo. BOD tue direction iu which
the earth was rotating, it had tendency
ia increase the speed 0f tne moon rotl-
lion round the earth Astronomy teaches
that ir YOU hasten the revolutions
of "a body around the center of atirac-
tion that body win Immediately move
further away. and this is what happened
10 the moon. IL began 10 travel away
from the earth and kept going unti To-
dav IL is about 10000 miles away from
its terrestrial mother.
But according 90 the new Daf"ihlhh
theory This is not the end of the tragedy
of creation. lie holds that the moon is
etW retreating from the earth and that
10 will continue in its course until II is
about one hundred thousand miles iur-
+bor avrav than IL now is. BY this time
its period Of revolution around the taLlh
will have heightened from twenty-eieht
10 nfty-fve days, when means that the
months viii then be hiiy-hNe Gays long.
Gradually other changes VIII come
obout the rotations OF the earth viii be-
come slower. the tides Of the ocean act
inc as a brake upon 10 just as the tides
If the moon when it was just molten
brought il into a condition in which II
could only rotate once on its axis IN
,rovellina. around the earth, and this
will 90 on. until. I'm the course of years
"the period Of the earth's rotation has
been Increased from tWenty-four hours
nm TO fifty-fve DAYS. or I'm other words,
10 the length that tho month will then
have"
Even this. however. does not comprise
tho end when these millions Of years
have passed and the time has come when
the months and days shall have become
Of equal length the tides that the sun
will stiu raise upon the earth will con-
tinue TO retard the earths revolutions
until at last II will actually be moving
more slowly than the moon Then "heh
the DAYS become longer than the months
the tides raised by the moon Will be
thrown out Of line again, and this time
i'm a reverse direction. so that gradually
the moon will turn about and begin its
return VOYAGE towards the earth. The
final result. as Professor Darwin pre-
diets. Is that the moon must ultimately
fall back into the earth
In speaking Of this finale Professor
Serviss says: Ut,
"If there should be people dwelling
upon the earth NJ that time all the rear
ful results that have sometimes been de-
scribed as n result ~ collision or the
earth with a comet would be nothing IN
comparison with the consequences OF the
ran OF the moon. with It's seyenty-hye,
qulntillions OF tons OF our sateillte woui'
smlte it's mother earth mighty biow
that would shatter the mountains ana
snfI the oceans and bring back at
stroke the age OF fire and chaos"
such IS the new scientific doctrine of
Professor Darwin and while the general
public NAV be inclined to treat II as un-
worthy OF crcdence astronomers the
world over have received II with respect.
have examined II with me greatest or
care and have pronounced II the most
perfect theory the world has ever known.
According TO their testimony II is per-
feet in every mathematical principle and
entirely probabls IN every conclusion.
Moreover as Professor Darwin ia not =
wild dreamer. prone to lose his way l.
all kinds OF imaginative speculation but