Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-24
SECRECY OBSERVED
|NDRAW|NG UP PACT
News of Russian-French
Naval Convention Held
Back for a Time.

PARIS. August 15.-The announcement
of the naval convention between France
and Russia might have been made three
weeks before it actually was. if the secret
had not been well kept. Political acts Of
national Importance have heretofore been
invariably negotiated at the foreign Office.
on which the press, both French and for
eign, always keeps q careful eye.
This time the center of operations was
the palatial building at the other ex-
tremity of the Place de la Concorde.
where Theophile Delcasse, minister of ma
rine, presides. The Russian admiral
chose a quiet hotel close at hand. and
for once in a way the Paris press missed
were held at the ministry of marine, and
no one was the least aware Of the fact
The scheme was drafted the second
week of July. just in time to allow M.
Delcasse to be present at the naval
maneuvers I'm the mediterranean. The
communicate revealing the fact was made
at the wish of Premier Raymond Poin-
care It is understood, in order to give
an inkling to the public as to one of the
objects of his visit to the imperial court
of Russia.
Destruction of the Earth.
A treatise by Prof. A. Berget of the
recently inaugurated Institute of Ocean
ography, giving. the result Of exhaustive
researches into and prophesying the ul-
innate destruction of the earth, has at
tracted widespread attention, especially
as the authority of the professor is I'M
disputed in his particular field.
The Life and Death of the Globe
treats not of the dream of lmetaphy-
scian, but of a problem. the solution OF
~ ,4kf< fhx
sphere of physics. NJ. Berget considers
that. as our globe possesses an indie
pendent life. a careful study of the con-
ditions Of this life is bound to reveal
it's ultimate fate, in the same way as a
physician prognosticates after careful
examination of a patient.
The first agent of the earth's destruc-
ton is the sun, and in this way: Rocks
are but poor conductors of heat: the SIDE
Immediately opposed to the rays of the
sun alone is affected. Hence expansion
of the mass being only partial, the mole
cules are disintegrated.
Every day this expansion occurs and
every night the corresponding contraction.
In the end the rock cracks; its surface
becomes covered with riffs and assures.
AS vapor is continually condensing on
the higher regions. water will soon be-
gin to penetrate these assures and freeze.
The rock will be rent asunder. making
the second stage of destruction. The
fragments will fall from the submits to
the valleys, where the watercourses will
carry them on ever to a lower lever. the
fragments acting as destructive agents by
friction wherever they go.
The action of the rivers in carrying
away portions of their banks is still
another agent of destruction. In addi-
ton large masses of earth will become
impregnated with water and slide down
into the valleys.
Will Level Continents.
The result-far off, but certain-of all
these ceaseless processes will be that
after many centuries the continents will
be leveled and the oceans. filled with
the accumulation of their materials, will
rise and overwhem them. The oceans
themselves are factor in the work OF
destruction, attacking the coasts with
their wave power of ten tons per square
foot The coast lines of the globe total
nearly 100000 miles. which will give
some idea of the immense extent of sur
face offered to the destructive action Of
the sea.
A comparison between the average
statures of the French and the German
army recruits shows a difference of .:91
inches in favor of the latter. OF the
entire number OF French recruits in 1917,
433 stood over feet inches. and
were accordingly classed as of 'excep-
recruit from La Vendee. who measured
6 feet . inches. while a man from the
Isere came second with 6 feet { inches.
The shortest recruit of the 1911 con-
tingent measured exactly one meter &,
feet 3.4 inches) The average stature
of the French conscrpts in 1911 was >
feet inches