West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-09-14

Age Of first life, the Silurian period. Tn,
Biblical account merely ignores these lowei
forms Of life evidenced in the great beds Of
limestone. This day ended with the full
accomplishment Of the divine intention.
Evening and morning--day two. The sep.
aration of the clouds and vapors from the
surface waters by an atmosphere
Geology fully corroborates the record OF
the third creative day. As the earlh's crust
cooled, the weight of the waters would tend
to make dePressions and upheavels, not sud.
denly, but gradually. One range of noun.
tains after another forced up. Nor are we
to suppose that all these changes took place
even In the seven thousand years OF this
third epoch day. Geology is correct in
Claiming that some great changes of this
nature are of comparatively recent date.
Even within century we have had examples
OF this power, and, as we near another
transition period we may expect further
paroNysms of nature to produce the changed
conditions requisite. This third day wit
messed the beginning Of the work necessary
as pTepatorY to vegetable life.
AS the waters drained OFF into the seas,
vegetation sprang forth, each after its own
class, or kind, with seed in itself to produce
its own kind only. This matter is so fixed
by the laws of the Creator that although
much can be done to give variety in perfect.
ion' yet the kind cannot be changed. The
different families of vegetables will no more
unite and blend than will The various animal
families to produce new kind, able to re-
produce itself.
In this early period vegetation was ex-
tremely rank. In geology it is styled the
Carboniferous era, Moses, ferds and vines
grew immensely larger aud more rapidly
than now because the atmosphere was ex.
lremely full of carbonic and heterogeneous
gases that breathing animals could not then
have flourshed. Plants which now grow
only few inches or few feet high even at
the equator, then attained growth OF forty
to eighty feet. and sometimes two or three
feet in diameter, as is demonstrated by fossil
remains. AT this period biologists claim
our coal beds were formed; plants and
moses having a great affinity for carbonic
acid gas. Stored up within themselves the
carbon forming coal while purifying the
atmosphere for the animal life of the later
epoch days. These vast peat-bogs and
moss-beds in turn were covered over by
sand, clay, ETC., washed over them by furth.
er upheayels and depressions of the earth's
surface by tidal waves and by other descend
ing rings of the waters above the armament.
Evidently this procedure was oft repeated
for coal beds are found one above another
with various strata of clay, sand, limestone,
ETC., between. Evening and morning, the
third sevenIhousandYear day accomplished
its part in preparing the world according to
the divine design.
We are justified in suPposing the work OF
one epoch day was carried forward into the
next, and that the light of the first day be-
came more and more distinct during the
next two, as ring after ring came down from
above the armament until by the fourth
epoch day the sun and moon and stars could
be seen; not so clearly as now, until after
Noah's food, the last of the rings came
down and the earth would no more be
deluged to destruction.
The sun on the fourth day shining through
the translucent veil of waters to mark time
for man and beast when created, aud mean.
time to oxygenize the air and prepare it for
breathing animals. Later the moon and
stars also appeared, to influence the tides
and mark time in the night for mans con-
venience. The increased influence of sun
and moon served to bring forward other
varieties of grass, shrubs and trees. Geol
ogy shows advances too at this period; re-
mains of animal life of the lower orders are
found in coal seams as we'll as elsewhere,
but this does not disturb the order, for the
formation of coal beds evidently continued
after the third day, thus running into the
RePtilian period. This day correspond.
closely with what geology designates tn,
DevonIan period. Evening and morning
day four of seven thousand years, or 20, ooC
years from the starting of this work, closed
witnessing great progress in the earth's prep
aration for man.
Thus saith the Lord that created tn,
heavens: God Himself that formed the eartl
and made it; lie hath established It, II,
created not in vain, lie formed it to be in
habiied.-Isa. IS rs G..