﻿Geology 
  and 
  Natural 
  History. 
  389 
  

  

  A 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  paleontological 
  evidence 
  shows 
  how 
  

   strong 
  an 
  argument 
  can 
  be 
  make 
  on 
  this 
  side. 
  He 
  concludes 
  : 
  

   "Until, 
  therefore, 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  geologists 
  and 
  paleontolo- 
  

   gists 
  have 
  misinterpreted 
  their 
  records, 
  they 
  are 
  surely 
  well 
  

   within 
  their 
  logical 
  rights 
  in 
  claiming 
  as 
  much 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  

   history 
  of 
  this 
  earth 
  as 
  the 
  vast 
  body 
  of 
  evidence 
  accumulated 
  by 
  

   them 
  demands. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  opinion, 
  

   one 
  hundred 
  millions 
  of 
  years 
  would 
  suffice 
  for 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  history 
  which 
  is 
  registered 
  in 
  the 
  stratified 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  crust. 
  

   But 
  if 
  the 
  paleontologists 
  find 
  such 
  a 
  period 
  too 
  narrow 
  for 
  their 
  

   requirements, 
  I 
  can 
  see 
  no 
  reason 
  on 
  the 
  geological 
  side 
  why 
  they 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  at 
  liberty 
  to 
  enlarge 
  it 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  may 
  find 
  to 
  be 
  

   needful 
  for 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  organized 
  existence 
  on 
  the 
  globe. 
  

   As 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  remarked, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  which 
  

   interests 
  us 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  chronol- 
  

   ogy 
  of 
  the 
  events 
  which 
  were 
  transacted 
  within 
  that 
  time. 
  As 
  to 
  

   the 
  general 
  succession 
  of 
  these 
  events, 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  dispute. 
  

   We 
  have 
  traced 
  its 
  stages 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  rocks 
  up 
  

   to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  continents 
  and 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  seas. 
  We 
  know 
  that 
  these 
  stages 
  have 
  followed 
  each 
  other 
  

   in 
  orderly 
  advance, 
  and 
  that 
  geological 
  time, 
  whatever 
  limits 
  may 
  

   be 
  assigned 
  to 
  it, 
  has 
  sufficed 
  for 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  stately 
  

   procession. 
  

  

  "We 
  may, 
  therefore, 
  well 
  leave 
  the 
  dispute 
  about 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  

   earth 
  to 
  the 
  decision 
  of 
  the 
  future. 
  In 
  so 
  doing, 
  however, 
  I 
  

   should 
  be 
  glad 
  if 
  we 
  could 
  carry 
  away 
  from 
  it 
  something 
  of 
  

   greater 
  service 
  to 
  science 
  than 
  the 
  consciousness 
  of 
  having 
  striven 
  

   our 
  best 
  in 
  a 
  barren 
  controversy, 
  wherein 
  concession 
  has 
  all 
  to 
  be 
  

   on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  arguments 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  

   During 
  these 
  years 
  of 
  prolonged 
  debate 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  been 
  pain- 
  

   fully, 
  conscious 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  subject, 
  as 
  in 
  so 
  many 
  others 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  geological 
  domain, 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  accurate 
  numerical 
  data 
  

   is 
  a 
  serious 
  hindrance 
  to 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  our 
  science. 
  Heartily 
  

   do 
  I 
  acknowledge 
  that 
  much 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  meas- 
  

   urements 
  and 
  experiments 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  providing 
  a 
  founda- 
  

   tion 
  for 
  estimates 
  and 
  deductions. 
  But 
  infinitely 
  more 
  remains 
  

   to 
  be 
  accomplished. 
  The 
  field 
  of 
  investigation 
  is 
  almost 
  bound- 
  

   less, 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  hardly 
  a 
  department 
  of 
  geological 
  dynamics 
  

   over 
  which 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  extend. 
  The 
  range 
  of 
  experimental 
  

   geology 
  must 
  be 
  widely 
  enlarged, 
  until 
  every 
  process 
  susceptible 
  

   of 
  illustration 
  or 
  measurement 
  by 
  artificial 
  means 
  has 
  been 
  inves- 
  

   tigated. 
  Field-observation 
  needs 
  to 
  be 
  supplemented 
  where 
  

   possible 
  by 
  instrumental 
  determinations, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  more 
  

   precise 
  and 
  accurate, 
  and 
  more 
  capable 
  of 
  furnishing 
  reliable 
  

   numerical 
  statistics 
  for 
  practical 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  theoretical 
  deduc- 
  

   tions." 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  closes 
  by 
  an 
  enumeration 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  

   lines 
  of 
  investigation 
  which, 
  if 
  followed 
  out, 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  

   to 
  lead 
  to 
  more 
  definite 
  knowledge 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  this 
  fundamental 
  

   question, 
  and 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  coming 
  International 
  Geological 
  

   Congress 
  to 
  be 
  held 
  in 
  Paris 
  in 
  1 
  900, 
  might 
  well 
  organize 
  a 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  of 
  combined 
  observations 
  looking 
  to 
  this 
  end. 
  

  

  