THE AGE OF THE WORLD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1244, 2 October 1875, Page 3

THE AGE OF THE WORLD.

The science of geology proves, that the earth has existed for millions upon millions of years. The first vegetable forms, found far down in its crust of rock, are naked seaweeds, destitute of leaves and branches, and many millions of years passed before exogenous trees adorned the earth, or fruit-trees bore their blushing load. The earliest remains of fishes yet discovered are found in the Upper Silurian, small in size, and inferior in organization, and it is not until we arrive at the Carboniferous Period, millions of years after their first appearance, that we Hnd tish developed to the highest type. Millions of years _ elapse before the gigantic ichthyosauri float upon the waters ; the iguanodons march through the forest, the crocodiies crawl along the shores of rivers, and reptiles attain their most perfect forms. The earliest mammals are from the tirassic beds of Germany, and millions of years roll along through the Oolitic, Cretatious and Tertiary Periods before the higher order of animals of the mammal class appear on the face of the earth. If nature gave to her lower forms of animal life such an immense period in which to develop, will she not give humanity, her master-piece, time to arrive at perfect manhood ? Of course ; and time to enjoy it afterward. A perfect man the world has yet to see. If a hundred thousand years, at the very least, have been spent in bringing man to his present state, how many must be given to carry us as high as our highest ideal of human excellence? Ages. And the earth shall have them. Nature is never niggardly of time.