GRANDEUR OF THE HEAVENS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1921, Page 6

GRANDEUR OF THE HEAVENS.

A STRIKING LECTURE. SOME REMARKABLE FACTS. The lecture given by Mr. Clement Wragge at New Plymouth on Wednesday night was a remarkably interesting one. Dealing with the grandeurs of Nature, some beautiful pictures were thrown on the screen—exquisite sunsets, “the playing o-f the most High upon some grand organ,” scenes in Sussex, Geneva, Switzerland, Ceylon, English lanes in winter, and the Himalayas. The speaker then dealt with the marvels of the universe, showing by reference to the heavenly bodies, that everything is part and parcel of everything else. Thoughts were real things and were allied to Marconi wireless waves. The whole universe itself was evolved by the master mind of the Infinite. Some awe-inspir-ing views were shown of the sun, the moon, the milky way, the polar star constellation, and the planets. Our own sun, it was explained, was 866,000 miles in diameter, And Was only a baby compared with such suns as Canopus, which was 10,000 times greater than it. It would take 300,000 of our earths to make up the size of our sun. Dealing with the wohderful romance of the earth, Mr. "Wragge said that historic time as compared with the entire period of the life history of our planet was as 24 hours to 5 seconds. Geologists, by examining the formation of the rocks, had estimated the age of the earth as at least 900 millions of years. By means of slides the various phases in the evolution of the earth were interestingly traced, the speaker mentioning that radium had kept up the heat of the world for millions of years, and would continue to do so for millions more. The change in climate zones, Mr. Wragge continued, was caused by variations in the inclination of the earth’s axis to the plane of its orbit, combined with variations in the eccentricities of that orbit, operating through many ages. There is an actual motion of the poles through an entire revolution once in 720,000 years. The earth’s axis in past ,agss was recurringly horizontal, it last being so 120,000 years ago. The axis of the earth was gradually approaching the upright, a movement which would be completed in 60,000 years, with the result that there would then be no seasons. These facts gave food for thought and solved many perplexing problems.

HISTORY OF THE MAORI. Mr. Wragge introduced an interesting theory on the origin of the Maori, on which subject ho is at present gathering material for the publication of his book—“ The Romance of Lemurion.” In tracing the wonderful history of the Pacific the lecturer drew particular attention to Easter Island, 2000 miles west by north from Pizarro and only 36 miles round. On that island were 500 images, some 30 feet in height. How did these get there? The problem could be solved. Ages ago there existed a continent called Atlantis, which extended from Western Asia, across Egypt, Europe, the Atlantic Ocean to America. The occupants of Atlantis were highly civilised and were sun worshippers, sending out missionaries to convert the so-called heathens. These missionaries found Lemurion inhabited by an inferior race of which we still have a type in the Australian aboriginals. These Atlantians erected images in their own honor to impress the simple-minded inhabitants of Lemurion of their majesty and power. Later a terrible catastrophe destroyed Lemurion, leaving Easter Island and its images as silent witnesses of the. tragedy. Both the Morion and the Maori were Atlantians and the script and carvings 'found, on stones at Easter Island were similar to those

found on the huge basaltic pillars at Russell, North Auckland, which bore signs of the manipulations of early man. The Maori got his. idea of tatooing, for instance, from the Atlantians and evidence of the sun-worshipping practice was found in carvings on rocks at Raglan.

At the conclusion of the lecture a number of people stayed to view the exhibit of radium. Mr. Wragge had a piece of radium, infinitely small, but which, when magnified, was seen to give off sparks at an amazing rate. This radio-electric activity had been going on for 18 years in this case, and was estimated to continue for 201)0 years. What a wonderful thing it would be, said Mr. Wragge, if we could harness the whole world with this marvellous force. LAST NIGHT’S LECTURE. “The Music of the Weather” was the subject of a further address given by Mr. Wragge last night before a good attendance. He dealt with the subject as affecting pastoral and agricultural pursuits, and also referred to the study i of the weather in regard to selecting health resorts. The lecture was illustrated by a fine series of lantern slides and was attentively listened to throughout. Mr. Wragge will speak in various parts of Taranaki during the next few days.