The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-29

| set it on fire. In such an event 1t would
never burn up entirely. 1t would go
from an incandescent to a gaseous form
and ultimately cool down into solid
again. There is nothing lost in nature.
ire could not extinguish planet
! yes, it is true that within millions of
years we will either strike or pass the
constellation of the Lyre-sometimes
called the harp--now overhead al about
10 p. m. That group of stars is an in
dependent solar system from fiftyfive
to sixty billions miles away. 1t takes a
ray of light eighteen years to travel
from their gun to earth. When we look
! at that sun now we see 1t as It appeared
in 1882 If it should suddenly disappear
tonight we should continue to see it
until 1918. Whether any Of the planets
in this constellation would strike the
earth before they would hit the sun or
other planets of our solar system would
depend upon what side of the sun we
happened to be on at the time. If Nep-
tune, Uranus Saturn, Jupiter or Mars
were on the side nearest the approach
ing constellation they might encounter
one of its pantes four months before
the sun would If our sun should
strike the sun Of the Tyre, the shock
would probably throw us Immediately
into their combined mass"
Professor w. j. MCGEE considered the
question from the standpoint Of an eth
nologist and seologist. IT can see no
probability of mans ultimate annihilS-
ton from any cause" said he. Were
1t not for the great factor of intellect,
the last human being on this planet
would probably freeze to death. From
age to age the quantity Of ice on the
surface of our globe increases. More
over, the continents are growing and
the oceans shrinking. The earth is
gradually drying as we'll as freezing.
But intellect viii not let the entire
earth freeze and thus exterminate the
human race. AS soon as man becomes
thoroughly dissatisfied with the earth's
temperature he will change it to suit
his needs. A century hence man will
live all over the world. In the polar re-
gions he will warm the temperature
around him; in the tropics he will cool
it.
Intellect will extract water from
the rocks after they have absorbed all
of the earth's moisture. We can ex-
tract water from rock now, but the pro-
cess Is both expensive and unnecessa-
ry AS the oxygen in the air becomes
exhausted, intellect will make some
more Do we not manufacture it now?
1t also can be extracted from rock.
We do not thus produce it because the
process doesn't pay now"
HAS it not been estimated that there
will be standing room only on earth in
the year 314S?"
Nonsense! Intellect does not let
such catastrophes as that occur when
1T can prevent it. 1t may suffer consd-
cradle shock, but 1t ultimately protects
itself"
Can you think of no sudden catas-
trophe which might possibly end the
earth?N ~so5s
1.-THE impact of our sun with some
other sun or star is more apt to work
havoc with the earth than any other
possible event. The mass of the sun
might be thus increased to such de-
gree that the earth's orbit would have
to change. If the sun came in contact
with body of equal size and if its
earth were thereby doubled, the whole
solar system would probably be broken
up. To balance itself, the earth would
have to fly away to a greater distance,
or, as is more probable, 1t would tumble
into the enlarged sun. We have lately
learned that the sun Is not stationary
and that 1t is describing a path toward
the constellation of the Tyre. Now the
other apparently fixed suns or stars in
the sky are in motion also, but each is
going in it's own direction and at its
own rate Of speed. These movements
threaten collisions from time to time;
such collisions have apparently resulted
within the historic period"
That man will entirely disappear
from the earth and that evolution will
meanwhile have produced from his
stock a bigger race is the original no.
ton of DR.. Theodore N. Gill, the great
biologist of the Smithsonian.
'In the course of untold time" said
he, man must develop into a creature
as different from what he Is now as is
the ape ancestor from which he sprung.
This evolution will depend upon future
changes In the surroundings of earthly
life The system of mans offspring will
react to meet them. What these condi-
TORS can be l cannot foresee: If the
earth gradually dries? Well, then this
Of man, whatever creature
he may be, will have adapted himself
to much less water than man now re-
luires. Life would be possible under
such conditions. The desert animals
i've on very little water Rats and |
nice of the desert do without it for long |
intervals. The camel stores 1t up for
future needs. l do not think that this |
new creature to succeed man will have |
stomach like that of a camel. If the |
Earth cools? This new being will sim
ply live generally as the Eskimo does !
o-day. No, do not think that he !
would grow hair overNhis entire body |
Neither do think that he would devel-
Up into an aquatic animal In case water
should cover the earth's surface. With |
he slow encroachment of the water, |
his new race would retreat until the
asst bit of land disappeared. After
hat sooner or later, the whole race
would have to give up the ghost
Suppose there were another glacial
pooh, you ask? In that event great
r part Of mans offspring would retreat
o the equator. Those left behind
would either die or they also would as
ume life somewhat after the manner
f the present Eskimo. No, there is not
he slightest danger that mammoth an
mails Of any kind will ever develop and
estroy either the human race or that