The sun., 1900-12-23
mads N explain Tho ongn ~ the solar
system under tho Influence ~ tho known

system under tho Influence ~ tho known
laws ~ motion. gtayitatlpn md h-at acting
upon IN altogether different antoocdent
condition ~ thing. y true process - eyo-
luton.
IHplnce supposed hat tho Who'll" fnn'ier
NJ tie solar system wis once IN n condition
of 'apot. and thst II formed IN enormous
n"hnlous mnss mnny timoa lnrg'f than
VI" then known dlm'n.on- q tho
planetary sphcfe He showed how under
~" Influence ~ grnViia'iuu, iIls n''uh
would conlcn'c and that such -, ,gy'ai.hcS
~ motion Hnl dop-iiy 10 would lc sure TO
exist would lead 10 fut.i.,u ~ tie mass.
| lnlcr the Inv ~ crns,t tbuu itIs Wunll
load to outer rings beng l,lt behind Ny Ito
| contraction ~ tho central inns'. wlich
/ rings would at later period become drawn
| together ~ some point II initial gf'h'or
density and thus form planets Tie whole
process Is admitted 20 be- mathcnotically
dcmonstrnble given the initial conditions;
but recent extensions Of our knowledge
of the intcrrlGnctary and inior6te!Iar
spaces have shown tlat tho supposed void
Il really full Of invisible solid matter. rang
! ing from the bun OF the smaller planets
! doWn to the fn,,t dust. nm! " Il very
difficult 20 imagine any possible cau"
which could keep all tie solid matter of
/ the system in a state Of vHpor. when sub
/ jcct, on tie confines Of tie mas, TO tho
q cold of intcrsttllar space. The snt.c'dont
7 con iition Of our system Is now Thought 10
have been either wholly or partially m''e-
critic, but N either case We have genuine
theory Of its evolution which has now been
50 extended rs to Include tho appearance
Of comets md moteors, Of rehulm and star
/ clusters. Of temporary. periodic and color'd
stars, and many other phenomena oi tho
stellar universe II il no objection to these
grand theories to urge tliot they Go not
explain the origin Of tie meter Of tie uni
verse, eltlor what IL Is or how II camo 10
be where We now find II. We can onIy
take one step at time and even II in there
greater problems any further advance
should be a. yet denied US IL IL stll great
thing to have been able 10 take even one
secure step into the vast and mysterious
depths Of the interstcllar spaces.
EVOLUTION OF THE F,ErHs CRUST.
Although Pythagoras 800 p, c. believed
that sea and land must often have changed
places, and q few other observers at differ
cnt epoChs came TO the eame CONCLUSION.
Vt, till quito recent times, the earth was
generally supposed to have been always
very much ps II 1, now, people spoke of
: the eternal hills" and the great mountain
ranges, the mighty ravines and precipces,
"a well a. the deep seas and oceans. were be-
lieveI 10 be the direct work Of the Creator
1t wa, only in tho latter hat OF the eigh-
teenth century that few Observers began
TO see the importance Of studying the ma
ture Of the earth's crust so far "a II could
be reached in the ravines. quarries and
mines. and one OF the most earnest OF these
students Or. Hutton Of Edinburgh. after
more than thirty years Of travel and study
published his great work, The Theory
Of the Earth" which must be con.i Tered
to be the starting point.ot modern geology.
He maintained that it was only by OBJ
serving causes now In action that We can
explain the phenomena presented by the
stratined aud igneous rocks he showed
that the former must have been laid down
by water, and that the larger part Of them.
containing as they do marine shells and
other fossils, must have been deposited
on the sea bottom. He showed how rain
and rivers, frost and snow. wind and heat
disntegratei the hardest rocll4 and would
in time excavate the deepest valleys; while
earthquakes, however small an elevation
any one OF them might produce, would in
time raise UP the sea bottom sufficiently
high to form. when denudel. mountains
ranges, plains and valleys like those We
now see everywhere upon the enrth's sur
face. He also showed that tho most an
cient stratifed rocks. those that lie at the |
very bese of the series, presented every |
indication Of having been formed In eX-
actly the same way as the most recent ones. |
Hence he stated a conclusion which excited |
n storm OF opposition. in thee words: !
In the economy OF the world | can fni !
no traces Of beginning. no prospect OF
an end" THIS was thought TO imply n
denial Of creation, and was quite sufficient ,
at that period 10 prevent the work Of any
man Of science from being Judged i'm
partially.
But although Playfair and few others |
upheld Hutton's views, they were too novel |
TO receive much support bv his contempo- |
raries, and this was especially the case as
regards the slow and continuous action |
Of existing causes being sufficient to account !
for all the known phenomena presented |
by tho crust o! the earth. Hence the belief |
in catastrophies and cataclysms-in great !
oonvulsiOns tearing mountains asunlor, |
and vast foods sweeping over whole con-
tlnents- continued to prevail. till finally |
banished by the genius and perseverance
OF one man Sir Charles Lyell. His Prin-
ciples OF Geology" was first published ,
In 1880. and successive editions, revised |
and often greatly extended. continued to |
appear Till the authors death forty five /
years later. As this work affords fine |
example Of the application of the principles |
OF evolution to the later phases of the |
earth's history. and as it not only revo- |
utlonzei scientific opinion in It's own do |
main, but prepared the way for the accept !
ance Of the still more novel and startling ,
application OF the same principles to the |
entire organic world. 1t will be necessary |
to show what opinions prevailed at the |