Evening star., 1924-12-01
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The American delegates to the thirt
meeting of the International Society
of Geodosy. recently held in Madrid
have just returned home. Seemingly
this news item is of interest only to
the ultrasscientific, but when it is
added that at that conference there
was accepted, for the first time In
the history of science, a new theory
of how the world was made tor
rather how il is in the making)-a
scientific theory as revolutionary as
GaIileo's doctrine that the world goes
around the sun-the meeting at Mad
rid takes an added interest for all
thoughtful men.
This revolutionary scientific theory,
called isostasy, is of American dis.
covery, first suggested by Arch
deacon Pratt in India. so years ago,
but it was not developed. In 1889
Maj. c. f. Dutton of the United States
Geological Survey revived it. in a
scientific paper. but not until Drs.
Hayforth and Bowie of the Coast
and Geodetic Survey took it UP in
the first decade Of this century, was
it given serious study, and as DIR.
Bowie states, only in the last four
years has it been accepted by many
scientists.
DIR. Hayford, last spring, was
awarded the Victoria medal by the
Royal Geographic Society of Eng
land for his work in establishing
isostasy. and In his paper discussing
the theory, in connection with his
acceptance of the medal. he said:
My successor in Washington. DR..
William Bowie, who is now in charge
of all geodetic work Of the Coast
and Geodetic Survey, has continued
this study, year after year. in the
I {c TIL
the foremost exponent Of isostasy
in this country at the present time"
DR. Bowie has been president OF
the division of geodosy of the society
from its start, and has just been re-
elected for another three years-until
the next meeting, which will be at
Prague, in 1927.
According to primitive teachings,
the earth was made in six days 5000
years ago. and its center is internal
fire. Later erudite teachings were to
the effect that the earth had been a
gaseous mass, and. in the course OF
millions of years. this gas had cooled,
as to its outer crust, but the interior
remained molten mass, from which
VOLCANOES are vents.%tand the internal
fire might break through the thin
crust at any time. y - - =,
mat mas Deen lHc accepted C|leOry
so long, by both the scientists and
educated religious teachers, that to
combat it now with any other theory
will appear 90 many as unorthodox-
especially to opponents of evolution
But there is no biblical basis for that
doctrine of internal fires. In the
book Of Job. the self-assertion Of
one who assumed to know all about
creation, was rebuked when the Lord
demanded:
Where vast thou when l laid the
foundation Of the earth? Declare If
thou hast understanding. Who hath
laid the measures thereof, II thou
knowest, or who hath stretched the
line upon it? Whereupo1 are the
foundations fastened, or who laid the
corner stone thereof"
Science has ever tried to answer
that challenge. Its best reply was
the theory that the outer crust rested
upon a seething mass OF molten rock
and that the mountains were piled
up by the shrinking OF this outer
crust as it cooled. But thft theory
failed to account for tho fact that,
for thousands of years, all the noun
tains and plateaus have been washed
down by rains and SHOWS and the