The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-11-06

THE beginning of cosmic pro.
cess is generally described as
great, luminous suns throwing
off planets; they in turn losing
portions Of their component parts; the
latter becoming the lesser satellites.
The cooling process began, condensa-
tion Of gaseous vapor and moisture
followed. AT the very outset we are
confronted with the weighty fact that
life originated on our planet at q def
mite period. We know now for certain
that organized life began at certain
time, and did not exist there from eter-
nifty as some suppose. The proofs
are furnished OIL the one hand by phys
ico-astronomical cosmogony, and on
the other by the ontogeny of organ
fsms; otherwise the history and devel-
spment of embryonic life. Organic
life could begin only when water in
anid drops existed on the earth's sur
face; for without any exception, the
existence Of all organisms depends up
ION, the taking on, either by absorption
or normal oriice, certain percentage
of water. Without water, there is no
life.
Until the temperature of the fiery
globe had sunk to a given point, water
existed only in the form of steam.
Commencing at the first moment Of
condensation, water began its geolog-
Rcai action; and from that time to this
1t has effected continued aud varied
changes on the hard crust of the earth.
Rushing torrent, surging wave, rain,
hail, ice, crumbles and dissolyes the
rock into ooze. Huxley said the most
important fact in the past history Of
our globe is "ooze." All the different
qualifications Of rock were originally
deposits of ooze, and afterward hard
ened into stone. The enormous length
OF time required for the formation at
the bottom of the primordisl sea, Of
this gigantic strata, which is computed
to be seventy thousand feet in thick
ness, must have been many millions of
years. To give some idea of the length
OF time consumed in formation, it
might be well to name the FIVE COM
mon epochs, leaving their ramifications
and attending subdivisions to those
interested in geology. First, primord;al,
then following, primary, secondary,
tertiary and quarternary. The last
two epochs during which the mammals
developed and with them man, only
equals in time seven and three-tenths
per cent of the whole equation. Con-
sequently mans dominion of the earth
occupies but short period of the
whole-he being the last to appear.
Before touching Oil the subject of
spontaneous generation, it is not for
eign to the subject, to ennnciate the
very cogent fact that study, however
superficial, of Comparative Philology.
ODtogeny, and Anatomy, arising re-
spectively from primal root, germ,
and cause, and that there are "natural
systems" at work in the cosmos, re-
quires no tention of mind to find true
analogy, explicable along the lines of
ordinary logic and reason. For when
we reflect that the whole of the inor-
ganic world proceeds along the lines
OF mechanical laws, without any. inter
yention of creative power; and when
on the other hand, we consider that
the entire organic history of the world
Is determined by similar mechanical
laws-when it is evident that no super
natural interference of creative power
is needed for the production and Ion
gevity of organized life,-then it is
certainly inconsistent to assume any
supernatural interference for the first
production of life on our globe. 1t
follows as necessary corollary, that
the perfectly rational thing to do, is to
simply look for natural" explana-
tion.
Spontaneous generation cannot be
experimentally refuted; neither can it.
be experimentally proved. The empiric
evidence is wanting on both sides at
the present time; but it requires no