New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-14

explained the hypothesis Of an indefinite, lmuema.e
variation of offspring from their parents and kindred.
With this modification of Darwns idea Prof. Parsons
asks May not God act as wellthrough this struggle
for life as through any other Of bis laws Must IL
be regarded as a blot an imperfectior which ne
could not help and bears with as he may II we TO-
gard it as an instrument, by means OF width ne woFh'
out universal, inevitable and never-endi1g improve
ment, incorporating this law with the nature anu
essence Of every thing that lives or can I've, may we
not see in this ALSO at once bis infinite love ana ms
infinite wisdom 2" But, Prof. Parsons sill further
inquiries Does not the notion of man being born from
an animal stand in the way of positive revelation or IS
1t not indeed in utter opposition to all religious belief
To bis mind decidedly not. He believes undoubtngiy
that man is superior not only in kind but in degree 10
all animals, and is immortal which they are not Stu,
he would not be disturbed by the discovery, If science
should hereafter demonstrate that the gorilla or the
chimpanzee had given birth to offspring 30 organized
that Il could be inspired with the breath Of spiritual
and immortal life and become the subject of all the
attributes of human nature Not that science is in pos
sesson of any facts which would lead TO hS c'ncio
zion. or even favor its probability, but according to
Prof r. there Ieason for asserting it to be an I'M
possibility. Nor, in bis opinion, would religion suffer
blow even if science should hereafter solve great
problem of ethnology, and account for the different
races of men, by showing that the brown orang-ouang
that lives among the brown Maays was their progen.
tor the black gorilla the father of the black races,
among which he is still found; other smis the parents
of other human families; and some one fairer than
the rest the ancestor of the Circassians, whose
superiority over their progenitor was so great
that they had rooted him out from the earth.
Prof Agassz heats the subject more fully from an eX
clusivey scientific point OF view, in an article taken
from the advance sheets of the third volume OF his
great work on the natural history of the United States
lie maintains that Darwin and his followers have not
furnished single fact to show that individuals change
in the course of time in such manner as TO produce at
last species different from those known before In
stead of facts we are treated with marvellous bear,
cuckoo, and other stories. The geological record
shows that the supposed intermediate forms between
the species Of different geological periods are imaginary
beings called up merely in support OF fancifu theory.
Hence the origin of Species or Of the diversity among
living beings is as totally unexplained if the book OF
Mr. Darwin had never been written, for no theory
unsupported by fact can be admitted in science. So
far from Darwin been remarkable, as has been al.
legged for the fairness with which he presents the facts
adverse to his views Prof Agassz declares tina. moth
ing in his whole work is more striking than bis in
ability TO perceive where the facts fatal to his ar
ment. His mistake lies in the assumption that the
most complicated system of combined thoughts
can be the result of accidental causes. All
the influences to which he would ascribe the
ori0in of species are accidental in their very
nature; while science demonstrates that the or
ganised beings which live and have lived IN for
mer geological periods cOnstitutean organic whole, in
telleibly and methodcaly combined in ali its parts.
The animal kingdom is built upon four different plans
of structure and the reproduction and growth OF am
mails takes place according four different modes OF de-
veopment and unless it is shown that these plans
of structure and these four modes of development are
transmutable one into the other, no transmuta'ion
theory can account for the origin of species.
Beside the usual variety of scientific papers, the
number contains an elaborate revew Of DIR. Antisels
work on Photogenic Oils, which the writer, Mr. F..
H. Storer of Boston pronOunces simply tumble OF
badly selected extracts huddled together in manner
which must be anything but edifying to the student;
with scarcely attempt to instruct the manuiac'
turer either by clear enunciaion Of general princi-
pies TO be followed of special details 10 be observed
in given cases lin which respect the author has fallen
far below the level of previous writers on the sub
sct; while most lamenable lack of familiarity with
the chemistry of the subject is exhibited throughout
the work"
A COMMENTARY, CRITICAL, ENPOSIrOR1, AND
PRACTICAL, or THE GOSPEL OF ST JOHN. by
JOHN J. OWEN, d. ID. 12Iuo Pr. .Oi Lcayiu L Allen
The third volume of Prof. Owens proposed series OF
commentaries on the historical portions Of the New
Testament is here presented to the public, while a
fourth volume viii be devoted TO the Acts Of the
APOSTLES, and complete the work. In the preparation
of this commentary beside the popular works of