The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-19

dium- sized steamer carries. A few months ago she exported cattle. She often put on her main and spar docks eao Tat beeves, each weighing on an average of 1900 pounds. This alone, to say nothing of the passengers and their luggage, would be 1.425,oOo pounds.
 Now. according to the most recent re- ports of expert scientists there are s5oo species of mammals, the average size of which Is about that of a jack rabbit. Such rabbit seldom weighs 10 pounds, but at tfat figure 1000 of them twice the number of specics-would weigh 7000o pounds, There are. scientists say, $500 kinds of rep tiles. the average weight of which is less than three pounds. so that at the highest figure twice the number of the species, 1000, would not weigh more than 21,000 rounds. There are also 13,0o0 species of birds, whose average weight is not more than two pounds. Twanty-six thousand of them would weigh only 52,oaa pounds.
 So that the ordinary shipment of cattle on the Winifredian to say nothing of all else that she has aboard. exceeds by i,2S2, 900 pounds the weiyht of all the man. nals, reptiles and birds gathered at the same time of the flood into Noahs ark. II. however, any one should object that our estimate of the weight of the animals that went into the ark Is too low-while, in fact, it is probably too hight--to satisfy such an objector we will double it, and even then the weight of the cattle on the tramp steamer will exceed that of all the animals in the ark by l,139,eo0 pounds.
 To be sure. the space required for the animals taken into the ark cannot be ac- curately determined oy their weight, but beyond a reasonable doubt there would be ample room for them Ill on the main and spar decks of the Winlfredian, and quite enough room in tho remainder of the steamer for food for them during the full period of the flood.
 In 1909 Peter Jansen of Horn. Holland, built a vessel of the same dimensions as the ark and found that It would admit one-third moro cargo than a ship of like size constructed according to tho ordinary model of that day. It's space was 3,600, COX cubic feet. One-third of this space would give to each pair of the 10000 species 6t cubic feet. And when we consider how small many of these animals are this would be ample room for them all
 The remaining two-thirds would be quite sufficient for the accommodation of Noah and his household, together with the pro visions necessary for them and the ami mals. In space the ark had an obvious advantage over our freight steamer. It had no engines nor mammoth coal bins. It had no crew other than Noah and his sens. They that would have gladly served H. that capacity had to be drowned for the moral upllft of the race. It was an ex- amhle of heroic eugenics on vast and overwhelming scale.
 If our investigation has led even approx imately to the truth. the account In Gen esis of the ark and It's animals Is alto gether sane, while Mir. Churchill's declara- tion is ludicrously thoughtless and extrav- aeant. This popular novelist wields a strong. sharp pen when he uncovers tho sinuosities of some political boss, but in the interpretation Of scripture and the for mutation of theology he seems to be some- what immature.