Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-09-01

stage to which she had been traced.
But there was a yet more weighty ar
gument favorable to this view. for it
appeared that the initial stage was one
in which the stability Of the species
of motion was tottering: so that the
system presented the characteristic of
a transitional form, which would de-
note a change of type or species. Dis
cussing the time occupied by the sc.
1nence of evolutionary events sketch
ed, Professor Darwin said that II at
every moment since the birth of the
moon tidal friction had always been
at work in such . way as to produce
the greatest possible effect, we should
fird that SIXTY million years would be
consumed in this portion Of evolu-
tionary history. The true reriod must
be much greater, and it did not
seem unreasonable to suppose that
500 to 1000 million years might have
alansed since the birth of the moon
crch an estimate would not seem eX-
|%travagant to biologists. Pure geology
rointed to some neriod between so
and 1000 million years. the upper
limit being more doubtful than the
lower. Thus they did not find any.
thing which rendered the tidal theory
of evolution untenable.
Dealing with the different esti.
mates of the physicists and the geolo-
gists were more nearly correct. And
a calculation Of the suns total output
of heat it seemed to be imperativelv
necessary that the whole history OF
the solar system should be COM
prised within some twenty millions OF
years. For the last forty years the
physicists had been accustomed to tell
the biologists that they must moder-
ate their claims. but for himself ne
| had always believed that the geOlo.
| gists were more nearly correct. mad
now. at length, relief had come to the
! strained relations between the two
| parties. for the recent marvellous
| discoveries in physics showed that
concentration Of matter was not the
only source from which the sun might
draw its heat. Radium was a sub
stance which was perhaps millions of
tines Eore powerful tran dynamite
Thus It was estimated that ID ounce
of radium would contain enough pQwA..
to raise 10000 tons a mile -e.S5ove the
!, earth's surface.
Another way. Of stating the same
estimate was that the energy needed
to tow a SKIP of 10000 tons a distance
of C,Q0r sea miles at fifteen knots
was contained in TWENTY-FIVE ounces
of radium. The Saxon" probably
burned Ave or six thousand tons Of
coal on q vonge Of approximate,
the same length. Now. we knew tina
the earth contains radioactive ma
terials, and It was safe to assume tina
lit forms IN some degree a sanIf'.e .
tie materials Of the solar system
hence Il was almost certain that tn
sun IL radioactive also. This brancl
of science was yet In its infancy. bn
they already saw how UNSAFE 1t wa
Ito dogmatise On the personalities o
matter. It appeared, then, that IN
!, physical argument was not susceptible
of a greater degree Of certainty thai
/ that Of the biologists. and the seal
: of geological time remained in grea
measure unknown. Passing on !
, the wider fields of the stellar universe
!, Prof. Darwin referred to the II
e conceivable vast multitude OF star
I and nebulae revealed by photograph!
e A celestial photograph, he said, lool
e ed at first Ike 2 dark sheet OF pane
snlashed with whitewash, but turtle
e examination showed that there WI
e method in the Arrangement OF IN
e white spots. Thus there was ordt
s of scne sort in the heavens. and
{ was nos sible to obtain general idef
e as to the succession of eventh in ste
n lar evolution. The conviction vi
It force o. them that the wisnv clont
% ~renresented She earliest stage OF q
Ivelopment, the condensed n
Is hulae 4 later stage. and the sta
D. themselves he last sta 20. Chan'
IS was c;,ri ruslv in progress e~verywher
lie as well in each individual netnle ~
al stars IS in t.r positions OF rose DO