Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-02-15

Sc'ies VI NedtS Oh inc coast OF lorldd.
with view to determine tie rate of
/ growth of coral reefs and islar ds, it has
been computed that eight thousand years
Is required TO bring one reef TO the sur
face, and that three times THAI number of
years have been consumed in the eIera-
ton of three different reefs in one neigh
borhood. Nor is this all Portions of
Florida itself exhibit abundan, proofs Of
zoophytic origin and applying the ra-
ito obtained from the oceanic observations
and estimates, we obtain record running
back two hundred thousand years, during
which time no change has taken place in
the specific characters of the coral, To
this evidence of the permanence of the
species Ii is objected that there may be a
transInutaion, or Development of new
species, without extinction of the original
species, and that the two species may ex-
ist together without any tendency to Goa
lesce. This may be true in fact, but it
rests entirely upon assumption and it, is
just here that na,uraists are peculiarly
sensitive, for they attach the utmost i'm
porlance TO permanence OF specific char
acters and TO ithe immutabllity of species.
Besides, the author of the " Vestiges as
sumes the transmutatlon of species, III cer-
tain instances, as fixed FACTS, while those
facts are openly questioned by others.
Amid all this confusion of fact and
speculation, we freely confess our inabil-
i'y TO settle the question at issue, and from
It's nature, II must remain mooted ques-
ton for an indefinite period The great
difficulty lies In our not being able to
seize upon IN individual in the very act
of deyelePement or creation, so as TO OBJ
serve the process as 1t really occurs.
Now, however interesting, and hovev-
er PHILOSOPHICAL it may be 10 transcend
the limits of any science, merely to specu-
late, we do not yet see good reason TO
change our original plan, which, so far
from attempting anything like a TREAT
IsE on Physiology, merely contemplated
few rather random sketches But nothing
in our plan precludes the consideration of
HABITS, INSTINCT, rRoDIGIEs, and the
like, or prevents our making legitimate
inductions from the facts before us, no
matter how far those inductionS may ex-
| tend only, while drawing differences and
making inductions, we do not think II
philosophical TO utter broader conclusions
than are warranted by the premises.
As touching one other question, we may
add word. Among philosophers, much
discussion has transpirea about CAUSES
1t is sufficient for us TO state, however,
that most agree in Distinguishing be,ween
EFFICIENT or rINAL, and rRoxIMATE,
PHYSICAL, or TRUL, causes. We SAID
that the former do not fall within the
range of scientific inquiry, and that the
latter are the only causes with which sci
ence can legitimatelv deal. At any rate,
if rISAL CAUSES lie a proper matter of
scientific investigation, the subject belongs
to Metaphysics, not to Physiology, which
treats only of the FUNCTIONS of living or
ganisms. Proximate causes-the WE'RE
CAUSE OF NEwToN-havlng REAL, not
HYPOTHETICAL existence, are proper sub
/ lects of inquiry for, so far as dIscovera-
/ ble, they belong to the phenomenal world
they are themselves phenomena-an
"" was right in supposing that we at
,ach all importance TO phenomena as he
materials of our knowledge, but he was
wrong in concluding that our philosophy
stops here for we have already IndIcat
ed that there is a NECESSARY ORDER OF
! sEqUENcE in The occurrence OF phenome-
na-every event has It's own true cause,
which may also be phenomenon-or, to
express this universal law of causa,ion III
the language of MI. MILL, 1t Is an
universal truth hat every fac, which has
beginning has cause. lSystcm of
Logic, Am. Ed. p. 1856
We may illustrate by referring to the
phenomena of burn. Put your bare
hand in Contact with live Goals, and the
act is invariably followed by what rs
called burn Now, although the act of
putting the hand to the fire is an antece-
} dent il is not the CAUSE, of the burn, for
no matter how, or by whom, the fire Is
applied, the EFFECT is the same. Mere
antecedence, then, by no means, Indicates
causa,ion The TRUE CAUSE must be
sought in something invariable and, in
; this instance, we find it in the physical al.
, tributes of fire and the relation suhsis,ing
between them and those of flesh. We are
accordingly led to ascr;.e the effect
BuRx, to the invariable RI ecedent, FIRE