The midland journal., 1917-09-21


when the seas were warm, steaning
baths, and the steam formed clouds,
so that the sun had never been seen.
Before the sun appeared, the world
was lust diffused light and darkness.
There's an answer to your Bible crit
les who say Genesis is all wrong, be-
cause 1t says light was made before
the sun. Light did exist, before the
sun was dreamed OF, SO far as man Is
concerned.
'You're right, sir" answered Don
aid, who like most sailors, was q re-
ligious man.
"And then," continued Masterman,
"what does the record tell us? The
moving creatures that have life were
made, and the great sea monsters, Le-
viathan and his kind, and the fowls
Of the air. And afterward the earth
| monsters, and creeping things. And
man not till the last. Now don't tell
me, lieutenant, that the man who
wrote the story Of the creation wasn't
an up-to-date scientist.
"WelI, sir, at last the day came when
| the waters had cooled, the clouds
opened, and the sun streamed through.
| By that time the ocean wasn't 30
pleasant place to live in as formerly,
especially as the climatic zones were
appearing. No doubt there was rush
to the equator on the part OF the sur
face monsters. But the ocean beds
were still warm from the hot rocks,
and the heat down there was good for
several thousand, OK hundred thou
sand years yet
$50 some Of the sea creatures re
mained in the depths, and others pre-
ferred to bask on the rocks In the sun
light. Then their gills began to be
replaced by lungs, or else they had
gills as well as lungs, or an interme-
diate apparatus"
Common today, captain. Certain
lizards develop either lungs or gills,
according to the medium in which
they i've"
swell, sir, as ] understand it, the
first organisms that came out on land
were armor plated, like the crabs and
spiny fossil fishes. Their bones were
on the outside, to protect them against
being eaten. But after a while the
progressive ones turned themselves in
side out. Those that didn't, remained
like the turtles and degenerated. The
rest found that it was easier to escape
their enemies by using their bones as
props and developing speed.
'sNow, lieutenant, suppose men had
developed that way in the depths OF
the sea. Suppose you had race of
men who had discovered, not neces-
sarily turning themselves inside out,
like US, although they might have done
so, but other means to avoid being
eaten-say invisibility."
"There I can refute you," answered
Donald. 'Man has developed from an
ins, the four anthropoids, supposedly
chimpanzeelike creature with the
structure of a gibbon, from which he
obtained his erect posture. Your sea
creatures would have had to go
through the lemur-ape FORMS"
"But let us suppose man who de-
veloped off the line," persisted Mas
terman. "a manlike organism with
webbed feet-something like a man.
seal. How about mermen? Do you
believe there is anything in that
story?"
'I hardly think SO, captain"
"How about the old legends Of the
CyclopsesT
"a myth, Masterman. Besides, the
Cyclops kept cattle and lived upon
land"
"But they ate men, lieutenant. How
ever, let us call our men of the sea
imaginary. Grant that there might
be such creatures, though. You'll ad-
NIT that, with life SO hard under the
ocean, they'd have developed more
cunning along certain lines than the
human race. And they wouldn't know
much about pity or love, or anything
except how to find their food"
"rll grant that" answered Donald,
'if we accept the hypothesis that such
creatures exist"
Good! Put q pin there, my lad
Now, as we were saying, after thou
sands Of years the heat at the bottom
of the sea would disappear by its diff
fusion through the oceans every
where. The depths would grow too
cold for them. It's bitter cold in the
water at 81 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wouldn't the time come when they,
| tO0 rvnI1Id fool tho fnonuISo IN mi ora tp
into the sum-"
"No. Masterman. Their breathing
II know what you're going to say,
lieutenant. You're going to tell me
that, even If they could breathe air,
they couldn't live when the pressure
of those miles Of ocean was removed.
But suppose nature has been busy
preparing for the change during thou
sands of years, while she has been