The Earth
THE NATURAL EARTH
- Chapter 18 -
The crust of the Earth
The outside of the Earth forms the skin or crust of the Earth's body. This outer part is the least mechanical and artful. Whatever it lacks in this respect is replaced through its countless formations.
The parts of the interior of the Earth are very uncomplicated. The activities of the interior might be compared to a simple driving wheel, of which nothing is perceived other than that it is constantly revolving around its axis with full vigor. But when you go into the workshop, where a very complicated mechanism is set in motion by the very simple action of the driving wheel, and where, because of this wheel-and-spindle mechanism, many different activities are being performed, it is amazing that the simple driving wheel on the outside accomplishes it all. The activity in the interior of the Earth may be compared to that of such a simple driving wheel, through which, in and upon the Earth's crust, numerous effects are brought forth.
The interior of the Earth and the Earth's crust are as intimately and firmly connected with each other, as the bark with the wood of a tree. First of all, upon the firm Earth rests an earthy skin, many miles thick, capable of feelings, and upon which lies the insensitive crust, in which the effects of the inner organic life of the Earth increase a thousandfold. There, everything is formed within and without; that means the seed, as such, is being newly formed as it is being determined within how, in days to come, the exterior form should be that will grow out of this germ. In other words, the energy that gives "life" to the already-created seeds for plants and animals is here prepared.
From the seeds, the energy will gradually be taken up and utilized by the plant kingdom, the water, and numerous small animals. For this preparation, a complex mechanical organic construction is necessary; but if this were the only requirement, not much would be accomplished. For the separation and distribution of the fluids and forces ascending from the interior there must be a second, much more complicated, facility present, which may receive the subtle influences from infinite space and carry them to their intended purpose.
It is unnecessary to say that a simple device would not be adequate for this task. The attentive observation of only a single plant will show you this: the manifold parts a plant possesses, the numerous and different forms these parts have - for example, thorns, hair, corners, nooks, fibers, threads, liquids, oils, and more. All of this is connected through an artful mechanism solely by the formation of this one single plant. When a single plant requires so many different faculties, how many more complicated articulations and mechanisms must there be in place for the formation of a rich mineral world, for the many different species in the plant world, and, finally, for the countless variations of species in the animal world?
A grain of sand is obviously the simplest of minerals. It is artfully joined together by a multitude of different crystals which not even the most competent mathematician can calculate accurately. When you examine these single crystals more carefully, you will discover that they are a collection of animal cadavers. Although they are a kind of infusoria, they are considerably smaller than the more developed kind which appear in a fermenting drop of water. If you examine this infusorial cadaver even further, you will discover therein a large amount of minute atomic-sized animals which are now joined together as crystals, although during their lifetime they served the infusoria as nourishment. And if it were possible to observe such a minute atomica1 animal (with spiritual eyes, rather than with even the best natural eyes), you would discover that such a minute atomical animal is a miniature shell-globe, in which, on the smallest of scales, the whole universe is represented in replica.
One of these small crystals is composed of millions of the small atomic animals and structured out of one thousand infusoria, and the grain of sand out of a hundred of such crystals. Now you have just a small idea of the highly artful structure of this simple grain of sand.
How intricate must this mechanism already be in the workshop where only grains of sand are produced, since two generations of animals, in which every animal already possessed a developed organism, had to precede every grain of sand; because such an animal requires eyes, ears, and other senses, and also free movement.
In order to structure a grain of sand out of this animal, a mature reproduction mechanism must already be present in our outer Earth. But how much more is required to form other minerals, to give them their appointed attributes and form! And what kind of wise faculties are necessary to structure the many different kinds of plants, and eventually the structure of the different kinds of animals! When we speak of numbers, "one million" would never suffice.
From this cursory description, you will readily comprehend that it would be impossible to give a specific description of this complex organism of formation here and now. Therefore, in studying this part of the outer mantel of the Earth, we shall only emphasize that which may permit us to explain its more important phenomena in general.