Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20): Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20), by Various, Edited by Edward Singleton Holden This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20) Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky Author: Various Editor: Edward Singleton Holden Release Date: May 23, 2005 [eBook #15884] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YOUNG FOLKS' LIBRARY, VOLUME XI (OF 20)*** E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Sandra Brown, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 15884-h.htm or 15884-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/5/8/8/15884/15884-h/15884-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/5/8/8/15884/15884-h.zip) Young Folks' Library Selections from the Choicest Literature of All Lands; Folk-Lore, Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, Natural History, Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky, Animal Stories, Sea Tales, Brave Deeds, Explorations, Stories of School and College Life, Biography, History, Patriotic Eloquence, Poetry Third Edition Revised in Conference by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Editor-in-Chief, President William Jewett Tucker, Hamilton Wright Mabie, Henry Van Dyke, Nathan Haskell Dole Twenty Volumes Richly Illustrated Boston Hall and Locke Company Publishers Stanhope Press F.H. Gilson Company Boston, U.S.A. 1902 EDITORIAL BOARD THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH, Editor-in-chief, Author, poet, former editor _Atlantic Monthly,_ Boston, Mass. The HON. JOHN D. LONG, Secretary of the United States Navy, Boston. HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE, LL.D., Author, literarian, associate editor _The Outlook_, New York. ERNEST THOMPSON SETON, Artist, author, New York. JOHN TOWNSEND TROWBRIDGE, Author, poet, and editor, Arlington, Mass. The REVEREND CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY, Archdeacon, author, Philadelphia. JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS, Humorous writer, Atlanta, Ga. MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD, Historical novelist, Chicago. LAURA E. RICHARDS, Author, Gardiner, Me. ROSWELL FIELD, Author, editor _The Evening Post>_, Chicago. TUDOR JENKS, Author, associate editor _Saint Nicholas_, New York. GEORGE A. HENTY, Traveller, author, London, England. KIRK MUNROE, Writer of stories for boys, Cocoanut Grove, Fla. EDITH M. THOMAS, Poet, West New Brighton, N.Y. CAROLINE TICKNOR, Author, editor, Boston. NATHAN HASKELL DOLE, Author, translator, literary editor _Current History_, Boston. WILLIAM RAINEY HARPER, D.D., LL.D., President Chicago University. DAVID STARR JORDAN, M.D., LL.D., President Leland Stanford Junior University, naturalist, writer, Stanford University, Cal. CHARLES ELIOT NORTON, A.M., LL.D., etc., Scholar, author, Emeritus Professor of Art at Harvard University. HENRY VAN DYKE, D.D., LL.D., Clergyman, author, Professor Princeton University. The REVEREND THOMAS J. SHAHAN, Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, Professor of Early Ecclesiastical History, Catholic University, Washington, D.C. WILLIAM P. TRENT, Author, editor, Professor of English Literature, Columbia University, New York City. EDWARD SINGLETON HOLDEN, A.M., LL.D., Ex-president University of California, astronomer, author, U.S. Military Academy, West Point. EDWIN ERLE SPARKS, Professor of American History, Chicago University. The VERY REV. GEORGE M. GRANT, D.D., LL.D., Educator, author, vice-principal Queen's College, Kingston, Ont. BARONESS VON BULOW, Educator, author, Dresden, Germany. ABBIE FARWELL BROWN, Author, Boston. CHARLES WELSH, Managing Editor, Author, lecturer, editor, Winthrop Highlands, Mass. LIST OF VOLUMES VOLUME I. THE STORY TELLER Edited by CHARLES ELIOT NORTON VOLUME II. THE MERRY MAKER Edited by JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS VOLUME III. FAMOUS FAIRY TALES Edited by ROSWELL FIELD VOLUME IV. TALES OF FANTASY Edited by TUDOR JENKS VOLUME V. MYTHS AND LEGENDS Edited by THOMAS J. SHAHAN VOLUME VI. THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK Edited by ERNEST THOMPSON SETON VOLUME VII. SCHOOL AND COLLEGE DAYS Edited by KIRK MUNROE and MARY HARTWELL CATHERWOOD VOLUME VIII. BOOK OF ADVENTURE Edited by NATHAN HASKELL DOLE VOLUME IX. FAMOUS EXPLORERS Edited by EDWIN ERLE SPARKS VOLUME X. BRAVE DEEDS Edited by JOHN TOWNSEND TROWBRIDGE VOLUME XI. WONDERS OF EARTH, SEA AND SKY Edited by EDWARD SINGLETON HOLDEN VOLUME XII. FAMOUS TRAVELS Edited by GEORGE A. HENTY VOLUME XIII. SEA STORIES Edited by CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY VOLUME XIV. A BOOK OF NATURAL HISTORY Edited by DAVID STARR JORDAN VOLUME XV. HISTORIC SCENES IN FICTION Edited by HENRY VAN DYKE VOLUME XVI. FAMOUS BATTLES BY LAND AND SEA Edited by JOHN D. LONG VOLUME XVII. MEN WHO HAVE RISEN Edited by HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE. VOLUME XVIII. BOOK OF PATRIOTISM Edited by VOLUME XIX. LEADERS OF MEN, OR HISTORY TOLD IN BIOGRAPHY Edited by WILLIAM RAINEY HARPER VOLUME XX. FAMOUS POEMS Selected by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH, with Poetical Foreword by EDITH M. THOMAS. [Illustration: A GEYSER] Volume XI: WONDERS OF EARTH, SEA AND SKY Edited by EDWARD SINGLETON HOLDEN Boston Hall and Locke Company Publishers 1902CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi THE MARVELS OF NATURE xiii BY PROFESSOR E.S. HOLDEN. WHAT THE EARTH'S CRUST IS MADE OF 1 BY AGNES GIBERNE. AMERICA THE OLD WORLD 45 BY LOUIS AGASSIZ. SOME RECORDS OF THE ROCKS 77 BY N.S. SHALER. THE PITCH LAKE IN THE WEST INDIES 97 BY CHARLES KINGSLEY. A STALAGMITE CAVE 111 BY SIR C. WYVILLE THOMSON. THE BIG TREES OF CALIFORNIA 119 BY ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE. WHAT IS EVOLUTION? 127 BY PROFESSOR EDWARD S. HOLDEN. HOW THE SOIL IS MADE 135 BY CHARLES DARWIN. ZO �LOGICAL MYTHS 143 BY ANDREW WILSON. ON A PIECE OF CHALK 171 BY T.H. HUXLEY. A BIT OF SPONGE 205 BY A. WILSON. THE GREATEST SEA-WAVE EVER KNOWN 211 BY R.A. PROCTOR. THE PHOSPHORESCENT SEA 228 BY W.S. DALLAS. COMETS 251 BY CAMILLE FLAMMARION. THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 1883 261 BY E.S. HOLDEN. HALOS--PARHELIA--THE SPECTRE OF THE BROCKEN, ETC. 268 BY CAMILLE FLAMMARION. THE PLANET VENUS 282 BY AGNES M. CLERKE. THE STARS 296 BY SIR R.S. BALL. RAIN AND SNOW 342 BY JOHN TYNDALL. THE ORGANIC WORLD 357 BY ST. GEORGE MIVART. INHABITANTS OF MY POOL 366 BY ARABELLA B. BUCKLEY. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 387 SUGGESTIONS FOR SUPPLEMENTARY READING. 389 NOTE. The publishers' acknowledgments are due to Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., for permission to use "America and the Old World," by L. Agassiz; to Messrs. D.C. Heath & Co. for permission to use "Some Records of the Rocks," by Professor N.S. Shaler; and to Professor E.S. Holden for permission to use "What is Evolution?" and "An Astronomer's Voyage to Fairy Land." LIST OF COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS A GEYSER. _Frontispiece, See Page_ 47 VIEW IN A CA ON _Face Page_ 12� A VOLCANO 48 A STALAGMITE CAVE 116 WHERE SPONGES GROW 208 A COMET 254 THE SPECTRE OF THE BROCKEN 272 AND ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. THE MARVELS OF NATURE BY EDWARD S. HOLDEN, M.A., Sc.D. LL.D. The Earth, the Sea, the Sky, and their wonders--these are the themes of this volume. The volume is so small, and the theme so vast! Men have lived on the earth for hundreds of the sands of years; and its wonders have increased, not diminished, with their experience. To our barbarous ancestors of centuries ago, all was mystery--thethunder, the rainbow, the growing corn, the ocean, the stars. Gradually and by slow steps they learned to house themselves in trees, in caves, in huts, in houses; to find a sure supply of food; to provide a stock of serviceable clothing. The arts of life were born; tools were invented; the priceless boon of fire was received; tribes and clans united for defence; some measure of security and comfort was attained. With security and comfort came leisure; and the mind of early Man began curiously to inquire the meaning of the mysteries with which he was surrounded. That curious inquiry was the birth of Science. Art was born when some far-away ancestor, in an idle hour, scratched on a bone the drawing of two of his reindeer fighting, or carved on the walls of his cave the image of the mammoth that he had but lately slain with his spear and arrows. In a mind that is completely ignorant there is no wonder. Wonder is the child of knowledge--of partial and imperfect knowledge, to be sure, but still, of knowledge. The very first step in Science is to make an inventory of external Nature (and by and by of the faculties of the mind that thinks). The second step is to catalogue similar appearances together. It is a much higher flight to seek the causes of likenesses thus discovered. A few of the chapters of this volume are items in a mere catalogue of wonders, and deserve their place by accurate and eloquent description. Most of them, however, represent higher stages of insight. In the latter, Nature is viewed not only with the eye of the observer, but a