"END OF THE WORLD."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1767, 4 June 1913, Page 10

"END OF THE WORLD."

ME. M'CABE'S LECTURE. In tho Concert Chamber of the Town Hnll last night Atr. Joseph M'Cabe delivered an illustrated lecture on "The End of The World." Tho chamber was well filled., . Mr. M'Cabe commenced by assuring his audience that modern science had put back the.end of the world to a timo somo millions of years hence. By tho end of the world ho -meant, among: other 'fchingy, the cessation of all life on this planet. Science oould tell ns that the system of things in which wo lived to-jday would oomo to an end, but could not tell ns when. .It showed, however, -that there were yet many millions of years for men to play their comedics and enact their tragedies on this globe. Ihe end of tho world might oomo in one of three ways - " through internal disease, through violent accident, and, if it cscapod both of tne&o, the time would come when the heart of the system would slow down -and dio a natural death. Mr. M'Cabo dealt with the question of internal complaints (earth--quakes and eruptions) very interestingly, and finallv dismissed them as unlikely to bring about a sudden end to our planet. Tho possibility of accident, such aa collision with a planet or somo other body, he also dismissed; and he summarily rejccteu tho "latest eoaro" that tho sea would eventually wear tho world vauay. H<J went 011 to say that tho ear w L as . ' ing colder nnd colder, and that it was l>os3ible than in tho course of time , tho whole globe would bo ns the arctic regions now are. This would/ not ncoessarily meati that tho planet w*ould be uninhabitable. Still, the day would como when mankind would hayo to. quit tho earth. Tlic sun was slowly d.vmg. How long would it be before the enn.cooled down to such an extent that it J® give tho eartlt the light and the heat which it required? A popular cstiiuato was 15.000,000 years, but since we had disoovered time might be longer. To-niuht Mr. M'Cabo will lecture on "Evolution of Man."