EARTH -LIFE GENERATION. 393 



of years, a kind of euphemism for a very long 

 time. Earth-life is, then, to cease; and our 

 globe as a dead cadaver is to pass through a 

 new unseen unillumined stage, perchance the 

 meteoritic, buried in the graveyard of the 

 skies, till the aeon of resurrection arrives. So 

 the transition has been conceived, with some 

 show of facts though very inadequate. But 

 the initial point is again reached, namely that 

 shred of fire-mist in some Orion nebula which 

 is just emerging once more into light out of 

 its dark cosmical cemetery whence our 

 Earth is again to evolve, and to go through 

 its round of existence. 



Earth-life is, therefore, but a small seg- 

 ment in the vast cycle of terrestrial evolu- 

 tion; of that vital segment we here and now 

 have the satisfaction of standing on the cen- 

 tral point perchance. But it is significant to 

 note that the Earth as individual must die too, 

 like the rest of us animals and plants, must 

 be resolved into its original cosmical elements, 

 must be dipped into the Pancosmos whence it 

 was born, thence passing to resurrection and 

 new life. 



So we picture k> ourselves the total cycle 

 of the Earth's existence, the geogonic evolu- 

 tion as a whole, of which terrestrial life is 

 but a part. This part has also its past his- 

 tory, its long evolution down to the present. 



