Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-10-21

Another probability is that of
collision with another world. With
the discovery of new comet at once
rises the question of whether it will
cross the earths' path, and dash us
to pieces. Halley's comet came no
nearer than twelve million miles in
its recent swing, but Lexeel's comet
in 1870 came within one and one half
million miles of the earth. Many of
the blazing spheres which We call
stars, whose diameters are as great
as half the diameter of the earth's
orbit, are swinging this way at a
mighty speed and it is not difficult
to imagine some such body, some day.
meeting us head on" and then, I'm
a moment in the twinkling of an eye"
this world will be no more.
A more probable end of the world
is to be found in what she is now
carrying within. Biologists tell us
that the heart of the earth is one
great living coal; that it is just like
ship on fire at sea, the flames
smothered beneath the matches, ready
to break out at any minute. "Oh,
says one, "the waters of the sea will
extinguish the fame" No, no. the
waters will add fuel TO the fires.
Call off the hydrogen from the water
and the Atlantic and Pacific will blaze
like oiled shavings. Astronomers
have swept their instruments through
the heavens and tell us that there
have thirteen worlds burned out
within the past two centuries. Who
knows when it will be the turn for
our world to go likewise? No in
surance company will take risk on
your house after il is on fire in the
basement, and / tell you that every
belching. death-dealing volcano shows
what is going on in the earth's in
terror. Just beneath our feet are
possibilities of immediate destruction
over which many so indifferently
sleep.
The enormous weight of ocean
waters is causing them to filter
through the ocean floor into the roar
ing fires of the earth's furnace,
where they become superheated
steam which even now actually belch-
es forth fro mthe mouths of volcan-
oes with fearful explosion, scattering
the fires of death and destruction
everywhere. In 1902 the entire pop
ulation of st. Pierre were sent into
eternity in the space of 3 minutes,
and in southern Italy, in 1908, more
than two hundred thousand people
were burned by the earth's boiling
lava. 1t is the boldest assumption
to affirm that any part of the earth's
surface is immune to such destruc-
ton. In proportion to size, the shell
of an egg is thick and massive as
compared to the crust of the earth.
An egg is easily broken, and some
day the shell of the earth may break
loosing the long confined fires.
writing to be free. and they will in
undate the earth's surface with a
flood of flame, from which there will
be no possible escape. Seeing then
that all these things shall be dis
solved, what manner of persons ought
ye to be-" Oh, the wonder that the
earth longer stands!
VII.
Finally the seventh wonder of the
world is the ingratitude of those for
whom God so mercifully provided a
way of escape from this sinking and
doomed vessel that is soon to go down
in everlasting ruin. The story of the
all compassionate love of God is the
sweetest message ever told to a list
ening ear. o wanderer from the
path of righteousness! Will it be
necessary that another cross be
placed upon lonely hill with the