The age-herald., 1899-07-23

The theory of evolution as applied to man has been so generally promulgated for so long time that it is now regarded almost as an established fact and the presentation of such a doctrine of science no longer oc casions surprise.
 When Darwin published his theory to the world, however. there were few who were willing to accept 1t and the same sentiment of antagonism will probably be felt towards the newest Darwinian theory which has to deal solely with bodies celestial. While 1t was Charles Darwin who evolved the theory that astonished the scientific world upon the publication of his "Origin of Spe- cies," it is his son, Professor Charles Dar- win. who has announced that the moon is not only the attendant but the actual child of the earth. both born during the period of fearful emotions that existed when the globo was in a molten and partly nebulous condition.
 The book in which Professor Darwin pre- sents the evidence in proof of his hypothe- sis is called ''fhe Tides" but it might well bear the more suggestive title, "The Origin Of Celestial Species" for it is one of the most masterly examples of mathematical analysis that has yet been given to the sub ject to the earth and its attendant bodies. To men of science and especially to those versed in astronomical matters the con- tents of the work are not new, but to the general public 1t will come as a revelation, dealing as 1t does with things that are at once the grandest and most mysterious within the human knowledge.
 Professor Darwin's hypothesis, to quote from "The Tides" published by McMillan & Co.,. Is as follows:
 'I, Let imagine OllrSalVaa ad fO the indefinite period when the moons or bital period and the earth's diurnal period shall both be prolonged to fifty-five of our present days.<
 "The lunar tide in the earth will then be unchanging. just as the earth tide in the moon is now fixed, but the earth will be rotating with reference to the sun, and If there are still oceans on the earth her rotation will be subject to retardation in consequence of the solar tidal friction. The day will then become longer than the month, whilst the moon will at first con- tinue to revolve round the earth in fiftv- live days Lunar tides will now be again generated, but as the motion of the earth Will be very slow relatively to the moon the oscillations will also be very slow and subject to friction. But that friction will act in opposition to the solar tides and the earth's rotation will to some slight extent be assisted by the moon. The moon herself will slowly approach the earth, moving with shorter period and must ultimately fall back into the earth"
 Freed of the technical phraseology and the mathematical rninlitiae that tend to make such scientific works unnterestng If not actually unintelligible to the novice. Professors theory is:
 There was once a time when the earth was nothing more than a mass of vapor and gases that blazed in space, but within these gases was contained the vital clements from which the earth and all that is upon 1t were created. Gradually the earth changed from this first nebulous condition and as the gases cooled the vapors became a liquid
 The axis on which this fiery liquid ball turned was the same as that on which the earth rotates today, but at that time it turned so swiftly that instead of requiring a period of twenty-four hours in which to make revolution, as it does today 1t made the turn in three and perhaps two hours. These swift rotations tended to change ts form from a round ball to more pear shaped figure, while immense tides were raised throughout its entire mass by the at traction of the sun. In fact, as Professor Garrett P. Serviss has shown, the earth then resembled an enormous pin-wheel spinning in the night of space The small Ter end of the pear-shaped mass formed gigantic tidal wave of liquid fire, rising thousands of miles from the center of gray fty, and rushing round with such fearful