The Columbus journal., 1911-03-08
ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF THE
EARTH.

but the most profound commence III
my theory, sustained, IS l believe, by
all the facts and phenomena Of the
earth, internally and externally. could
induce me to offer hypothesis so
completely at variance with all those
heretofore advanced, and with our
present one which is all but univer-
sally accepted.
But l will waste no time in apollo
gizing-if wrong am with n great
throng of writers, a thoughtful, studi.
Gus set, fairly good company | pre-
sume.-it' right l am alone, and can
well afford to be. In my opinion, this
world is as old as the space in which
it floats, and is new as your latest
breath. We are told that all space is
the abode of worlds. 1t is equally
true that all space is the abiding place
of atoms. 1t is further true that each
atom has a power of attraction pro-
pOrtionate with its bulk and density
and that when atoms come into such
proximity that their attraction is
sufficiently strong they will come
together and be held thus by the same
force that brought them together, be-
coming more compact by attraction
and adhesion with each additional
atom. Two of these atoms thus
brought together have formed little
world of twice its former bulk and
power of attraction. This formation
grows with rapidly increasing vol.
ume and attractive force, yet, incalcu-
liable ages are spent in its growth TO
msicnroid aud to asteroid. But it has
tir.'. ii! :he space Of the universe is
i.,t greater than the silent flood of
years before IL.
Let us assume that our earth thus
started and that it has reached one
thir,; its present size. IL then drew 10
it within Il given lcUgth of time from
any given di-;auc: IN space One.thlrd
the amount "f material it would now
receive in the same length Of time
whether of atoms or meteors weighing
tons. This proportion has run through
every stage Of lis existence until now
We find, according to the best author
ity and the closest calculation Of the
scientific, that there are drawn to it
each twenty-four hours IO,OO0,OO0 of
meteors sufficiently large to be visible
to the naked eye and 6O,OOO.OOO
smaller "ncs visible through an Ordi.
nary telescope. Of c'urse NO definite
estimate can be made of the annual
increase by this material, but when We
consider that many meteorites reach
the earth, after having lost the greater
part of lh,ir bulk because of fusion in
our atmosphere, whose weight ranges
from ounces L" tons, We know it is very
great, Nor does this average include
the thickly strewn orbits through
which We pass each August. nor the
more extensive November one, through
which ue pass once every thirty three
years.
All this being true, and there is no
doubt Of it, it is plainly to be seen that
the earth adds largely to the surface
every year. The question then arises:
L: the earth has thus grown from an
atom, how are We to account for her
internal heat? This is plain. Nature
is never incoherent. She presents no
illogical stumbling blocks. That
which man does in his tiny way, she
does in her gigantic wav.
Ii We can produce heat by pressing
atom against atom, As when with a
hammer We strike a cold rod of iron
on an anvil, heating it unbearably hot
in a few blows, it is easy to see how,
with miles of cubic feet of earth press.
ell one upon another. composed of
sharp, irregular grains with no room
for adjustment of atom to stom, these
atoms would for the same reason be.
come heated. The same condition is
produced by friction. Friction is hut
the pressing and crushing of atoms
together without room for adjustment.
Calculate the weight Of cubic foot
would have to bear at fifty, one hun.
dred or two hundred miles beneath the
surface of the earth, and We will read
ily see the cause Of this internal heat.
If this were not produced by pressure
but had its existence because of fire
that has died down to its present
depth, the same degree Of heat at a
given depth from the mountain top,
whatever the height, would not de-
velop as from a sea level. In further
proof of the theory that internal heat