| Page Four

 

 

THE COLLEGE NEWS

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Fi

 

 

 

 

Barth's Age Debated

By Dr. Alfred C. Lane

 

Maximum Age Is Placed at Ten
Billion Years, Minimum at
Two Million Years

 

MINERALS ARE STUDIED

Goodhart—Music Room — Feb. 22.
—The age of ‘the earth is not known
today, but scientists are: working to-
ward a determination of its age by
studying present geologic activities
and calculating with them’ as a’ basis

the minimum number of years our
Co  eketh can have been in existence, de-
claved Dr. Alfred C. Lane, professor

of geology at Tufts College. He is a
famous investigator and writer on the
mathematical aspects of geology and
is now engaged in the study of geo-
logic time. He believes*that the mini-
mum age of the earth can be traced
back two or three million years, but
that it is probably. not older than ten

billion years. 2

The methods for determining the
ageof the earth can be classed gen-
erally as periodic, progressive and
paroxysmic, as may the forces at work
in shaping the geologic features of the
earth. A study of the records of
changes due to these forces in con-
nection with ‘calculations based on
their present activities is the subject
of Dr. Lane’s investigation of the age
of the earth.

The age of the rocks which form
the earth may be seen in the sharp
teeth of high mountains such as the
Grand Tetons. But these mountains
are obviously much younger. than the
older and more complex -hills in the
east, particularly along the New Eng-
land coast. To calculate the age of
mountains the rate of wearing away
must be known; it has been deter-
mined in three different regions of the
United States. In Stewart. County,
Georgia, a gully two hundred feet deep
was commenced by a.drip from a barn
roof a hundred years ago. At Niagara
Falls there are recérds of the wear-
ing away of the escarpmént at the
approximate rate of five feet per year.
The age of the falls can be calculated
from the records. Again in Bryce
Canyon, Utah, Professor Pack -has
studied.the roots of trees on the edge
of the cliff as they turn back with the
retreat of the escarpment; he has dis-
covered that the wall is wearing away
at the rate of one foot every fifty
years and that since the Niocene age
the cliff has retreated one hundred
miles; therefore, these canyons are at
least twenty-fivé million years old.

The periodie method. 6f measuring
geologic time can be simply illustrated
with the annual rings of trees, which
have been used to date cliff dwelling
ruins in New Mexico and Mesa Verde.
Many rocks: have similar complicated
bandings where the smaller lines may
represent annual rings and the larger
bands periodic fluctuations over many
years. In the chalk. cliffs of England
where black flints alternate with the
white rock, the silica deposits may be
due to colder water currents which
would give this periodic cyclic effect.
Along the Baltic coast of Germany
there are great areas of sand ridges
which form each at the rate of one
every thirty-five years, and by follow-
ing these inland the total time neces-
sary for these to have formed can be
computed.

In the field of radioactive minerals
we may have a method of determining
geologic time which is independent of
the fluctuations of climate, These ra-
dioactive minerals explode atoms and
slowly disintegrate. But each of the
different elements disintegrates at a
different rate and the rate is meas-
ured by the half-life of the element.
It is known from the number of atomic
flashes per second that a deposit of
uranium will be half gone in four and
a half billion years, that in the next
stage two of the elements, UX and UZ,
will be half gone in 23.8 days and 6.7
hours, respectively, that the half life
of ionium, the next stage, is 110,000
years, and that of radium 1,580 years,
while the derivations of radium disin-
tegrate even faster into lead, where
the radioactivity is gone.

“®< Radioactive material discolors mica
in the same way that it does a pho-
tograph, leaving not a round spot but

‘a number of rings. There are also,
generally speaking, four different
kinds of uranium which come down to
four different leads. If one could join
the right uranium to its lead, and
knowing the rate of radium decay and

 

>

 

 

Congratulations

The College News. wishes to
congratulate Dr, and Mrs. Ru-
dolph Kirk on the birth of a
daughter, Susanne Brooke.

 

 

 

that the faster the disintegration is,
the further the atoms are thrown in ex-
ploding, and therefore the bigger the
rings on the mica are, one could calcu-
late accurately on this basis the age
of the minerals. From the comparison
of different effects of alpha rays on a
photographic plate, one can calculate
by the rings that the material is at
least 870 million years old. From the
fact that ‘thelium is given off in uran-
ium disintegration only when the rate
of exploding is high, one can discover
from cases of small helium residue the
age of the material’ The oldest rock
known has been analyzed by such
methods and discovered to be about
1800 million years old.

The springs in Yellowstone Park
have been found to be radioactive, and
the mounds which they build up are
more or less radioactive depending on
their ages. The bottom layers of the
Terraces were only very slightly ra-
dioactive. From these facts Dr. Lane
calculated that 15,000 years-had pass-
ed since the glacial period. He check-
ed his calculations by measuring tem-
peratures in the descent of a 5,200 foot
mine shaft, where he found that the
lower temperatures seemed to be ad-
justed to a surface temperature of
freezing, while above 3,000 feet there
seemed to be a wave down from the
surface indicating higher surface tem-
peratures. Knowing the rate at which
heat- waves move through the earth,
he was able to prove the accuracy of
the date he had obtained for the termi-
nation of the glacial period.

The age ‘of the layer of granite
which underlies all the continents can
determined from the veins which
are formed by the oozing out of sub-
terranean gases. From the knowledge
of the layer of viscous lava underly-
ing the earth’s crust and also from

he

\the fact that most earthquakes come

from a depth of less than fifty miles,
the theory has been suggested by two
eminent geologists that strains accum-
ulated at a depth of more than 200
miles may cause mountains to rise.

 

Works by Americans
End Pro Arte Series

 

Continued from Page One

s+

Stanley Smith, is dedicated to Mrs.
Coolidge. It is not so original a work
as may have been desired, for in many
ways it recalls the Dvorak quartet
performed earlier in the series, but it
is nevertheless a very neat and pleas-
ant composition. The negro spirit has
been carefully suffused throughout to
give an extremely enjoyable melodic
effect, which the artists brought out
to its best advantage in a fine rendi-
tion,

The Quartet in C Major, No. 1
(1933), by Walter Piston, was per-
haps the most interesting piece on the
program. The instruments were nice-
ly balaneed, as was the three move-
ment structure of the whole, with the
smoothly melodic adagio in contrast
with the vivacious first movement and
the vigorous third: movement. ~The
careful composition and the beauties
of the work received a_ superlative
performance by the Pro Arte group,
while the feeling of the adagio was
exquisitely rendered.

Four pieces by Louis Griinberg,
dedicated to the Pro Arte Quartet,
concluded the regular program. These
were a highly interesting and enter-
taining display of expert musician-
ship, which held perhaps more charm
for the musicians in the audience than
for the average listeners.. The Pro
Arte ensemble played these short
pieces with excellent technique, fine
feeling and spirit, particularly in the
many surprises of the brief finale,
allegro giocoso,

In response to continued applause,
a composition by Mrs. Elidbeth

dience, was played. It proved that
Mrs. Coolidge’s-sympathetic patronage
of the art comes from a profound un-
derstanding based on successfully cop-
ing with its: problems as seen in her
very excellent composition.

 

Meet your friends at the

Bryn Mawr Confectionery
(Next to Seville Theater Bldg.)
The Rendetvous of the College Girls
Tasty Sandwiches, Delicious Sundaes,
‘ Super‘or Soda Service -

hd Music—Dancing for_girls only

>

 

 

 

 

Sprague Coolidge, who was in the au- |

California Discours

Give Topic Subjects

 

Perfect Knowledge of French,
Research, Literary Study
Mark Speeches

 

PRIZE WINNER REPRINTED

 

Students who are interested in the
concours oratoire (see College News
of February 13) may be interested to
know what topics were used for..dis-
cours at the University of California.
The subjects chosen by the five run-
ners-up included: “Le Cid” de-Cor-
neille, Frangois de Curel, Mon roman
favori “Adolphe”, La Corse, and La
portée ou signification historique dela
"*Comédie humaine”... Each discours
lasted about a quarter of an hour and
all of them showed individual re-
search, a fine appreciation of litera-
ture and a_ perfect . knowledge of
French.

The prize-winning’ discours: was that
of Miss Charlotte Cerf, on Adolphe.
The discours, which was over nine
hundred words long, cannot be re-
printed entire, for lack of space. The
following are excerpts from the
speech: 4

“Nous avons vu, que le propre d’une
oeuvre tragique est de nous offrir une
représentation de la vie humaine dans
toute sa plénitude et dans toute sa
complexité. En _ effet, nous nous
soucions peu en lisant cette oeuvre,
que l’action se passe en Fologne au
début du 19e siécle, qu’Adolphe soit un
fils de famille, et Ellénore une femme
plutot mire . . ce ne sont pas 1a
les éléments essentiels du romain, et
auteur, comme je vous lai déja
indiqué, l’a trés bien compris. Ce qui
importe, c’est l’analyse de la situation
et des caractéres. Ici, c’est la nature
humaine qui nous est présentée, non
d’une fagon particuliére, mais dans sa
portée universelle. Le but de l’inter-
prétation de la vie ici, n’est’ point
obscurci par la prédominance, de traits
exceptionnels et accidentels. Tels que
Yauteur nous les donne, la sitg@ation
est de tout temps, les personnages sont
de toutes les époques; l’oeuvre, dans
son sens le plus profond, est ]’éternelle
et humaine tragédie de lincompati-
bilité fondamentale des émotions de
homme et de la femme qui s’aiment.”

Miss Cerf went on to show that
Adolphe; although it-is a great analy-
sis. of human emotions, is not the
product of long years of practice. “Car
Benjamin Constant était un “homme
politique qui occupa ‘une. place im-
portante dans le parti liberal sous la
Réstauration: . .et Adolphe est son
unique roman.” The second point the
speaker made was that Adolphe is
essentially an autobiographical novel;
and in connection with this she con-
sidered the problem of the identity of
Ellénore—-whether She was patterned
after Mme, de Stael or Mme. de Char-
riére or Mme. Lindsey.

The discours concluded with Miss
Cerf’s reasons for choosing Adolphe to
speak about. “De nos jours, il n’est
plus‘difficile de reconnaitre que ce livre
est le véritable chef d’oeuvre du roman
d’analyse, et une des sources essen-
tielles, non seulement d’une phase du
romantisme, mais encore de_ toute
notre littérature d’aujourd’hui. Car
je ne veux pas penser, je ne puis pas
penser que ce.cri du coeur soit tout
simplement une manifestation de plus
de la soudaine découverte du “Moi”

 

RICHARD
STOCKTON

GIFTS

 

 

 

GREEN HILL FARMS

| City. Line and Lancaster Ave.
Overbrook-Philadelphia

A reminder that we would like to
take care of your parents and
triends, whenever they come to |!
visit you.

 

 

 

 

L. E. METCALF,

' Manager.

 

 

romantique. Au romantisme.de Con- |
stant se méle un intellectualisme qui
n’est point. de cette souche. Ce qu’il
y a de personnel dans cette oeuvre a

été faconné par le génie de l’auteur}
participer en quelque sorte a:

pour
l’université dont se revélent tous les
grands sentiments humains, ‘traduits |
en littérature, de tout temps.”

 

Women Write Novels .
With Natural Talent

 

Continued from Page One

modeled after Richardson. The rank
and file were distinctly inferior, but
were nevertheless widely read through
the agency of circulating libraries,
which are the bane of English auth-
ors to this day.

It remained for°a woman, Fannie
Burney, to take the novel out of the
artificial and sentimental rut into
which it had fallen and to instil new
life into it. Her education was good |
and she knew a great many intellec- |
tual people. She was an excellent |
observerY had a good understanding of
people, and, above all,
sense of humor, Her best known novel
is Evelina. She got around the diffi-|
culties of the letter writing style most |
admirably. In later years she fell too
much under the influence of Dr. John-
son and her work became practically
unreadable. She influenced Jane Aus-
ten. greatly and this may perhaps be
called her greatest contribution.

The novel took another turn about
this time when there arose a tremen-

dous demand for stories of the roman-;

tic and picturesque type. Women led
in this attempt to recreate history |
which had heretofore been thought un-:
couth and barbarous. Clara Reéve’s

Old English Baron is typical of these |

historical novels.
ent of this school was Mrs.
cliffe, who wrote a series of “shockers”
which thrilled her generation. They
were harmless and entertaining and
were immensely popular. Some peo-
ple thought them harmful and started
to write novels with a moral purpose.
The “Blue Stockings” were such a
group. Their leader was Mary Woll-
stencraft, a great exponent of women’s
rights. The reformers wrote in a very
dull style and did not succeed in driv-
ing out the more exciting “shockers.”

Jane Austen led the novel

The greatest expon-

hated artificiality above all things, and |
did not allow herself the use of any-,
thing uncommon to heighten her stor- |

ies. She went straight to life for her

themés and never wrote about things,
with which she was not familiar. Thus |
we get an absolute sense of reality..
called

Her achievements have been

 

 

LIVE in FRENCH

Residential Summer School
(co-educational) in the heart
of French Canada. Old
Country French staff. Only
French spoken. Elementary,
~ Interme ediate, Advanced. Cor-
t'ficate or College Credit.
French entertainments, s:ght-
steing, sports, etc.
Fee $150, Board and Tuition.
June 27-Aug. 1. Write for cir-

cular to Secretary, Residen-
tial French Summer School.

McGILL UNIVERSITY

MONTREAL, CANADA

 

 

 

had a keen |

Rad-:

back |
again to the paths of reality.+, She!

“six masterpieces in miniature.” She
| painted the lives only of particular ~
classes of country people.
| The canvas. was widened by such
people as Mrs. Gaskell and George
Eliot. The former is interesting for
iher writing about labor conditions and
industrial life, while the latter was the
first to write about country folk with
| sympathy and understanding.
| The Brontés are not pioneers be-
cause they blazed no new trails and
have had few followers. Charlotte had
ithe greatest talent, but Anne, who is
often disparaged, is- thought by some
to be very great. Emily, who wrote
in @ more concentrated st¥le, was que
brilliant.

;The next turn which the novel took
was along introspective lines. It be-
gan to be concerned with things of
the mind. The psychological school of
Freud threw new light on the work-
a of the human mind. This concen-
trated peoples’ minds on the question
| of what others were thinking about.
| Ohe of the first people to try to ex-
[press this in writing was Dorothy
‘Richardson. She described the life of
a girl from the-inside and made a
study of her, mind. It.is hard, how-
jever, to see what Miriam’s mind is,
for it is so overlaid with details. May
|Sinclair saw this idea and took it.
‘over and made it better technically.
‘The most notable writer in this field
| now is, of course, Virginia Woolf.
| Hers are stories of the mind and
‘events as seen through the mind of the
‘central character. This gives us an
| intimate approach to the character.

The novel has gone as far as it can
go. What else is there for it to show
‘us? Whatever development is reveal-
‘ed we may be sure that- women: will
have a part in realizing it.

 

 

Cairo, Egypt.—Protesting the ex-
tension of the law course from four
to five years§ students at Egyptian
University here refused to attend
classes. The strike began with the
first year* law students who were sus-
pended for two weeks and told that if
they did not return to classes at the
end of this time, they would be expel-
led automatically. All other law, med-
ical and arts students thén joined in
the strike and a settlement has not yet
been. reached.

 

 

 

|

Ht costs no more to live In
| #@ the very heart ef town—with
| Eff all the modern comforts and

‘A conveniences! The suites (one
and two rooms) are large and
airy, with Pullman kitchen and
bright bath. You will have to
see them. to appreciate them.

 

rentals are

Of course,
not beyond your budget.

?
CHAS. C. KELLY
Managing Director

 

 

 

eeeasesoninena ae
a —

 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  

goodbye
to all that!

 
     
 

 
 

           
       

 

 

  
   
 
  

   
 

    
  

   

  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Have you ever been too busy to
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wracked ‘your brains for some-
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It need never happen again! Tele-
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