, 1870-11-27
THE SPONTANEOUS GENERA,
TON CONTROVERSY,


CAN living tuu0tANc6 ever U6 evolved OUT OF
,op-liy1pE substance? II 10 an oll--a very |
centuries have given different an
.Rers, acd it il not ye, certain Wien the time
sll come ~len the final verdict OF science
hail be absolute aud conclusive. II will be |
Il tic recollection of many of our roade1s ]
hat tic distinguished President Of the last
meeting Of the REitiAh Association put his
loot down las the Yankee phrase i1) solldIyt
lnd almoet tavagely, upoa one Of the rival
nspo&heste, and pronounced that the maxim |
Unt.e rirn,a t.z us1f was victorious all along
Lhe line. StEangel&fnough, this authoritative
on the p3 OF one Of the most emf |
1enr Of our 1nodern hool OF science has served
,1IS to revise thd&ontrore1sy which he en-
leavored 10 stamp Ut, and the pages OF ous |
scientific cotempora4s, Nature, bear witness
10 the koeunesB With Which the issue IL still 1
contested. So warmly indeed has the battle |
Eaged tbAt We are compelled to deplore the |
.ouvarkiou into controversial heat, ard the |
contequtht dissipation OF \ vast amount OF |
Ences, might have unaffected iteelf In tho
form Of sound aud Iastiug scientific work,
TLis 1fforis one moro illustration OF What il
almost truikln, that it payB better to ane*el
opponents than to Try to stamp them ont. But
passing ly, for the present At any rats, the
in which the warfare hAs been waged,
wc propose to consider what the result OF tie
evidence ts up to the present time On this
question, which has epgsged the attention Of
mankind from tho eaThest dawn Of science,
which, in successive Ayes. has received cpu-
f1ictirg nnEwers in cedkaaucs with the kcowl-
edge and temper Of th&tlme. which Is ELL, as
tome think, almost al 51usettlcd Al eyes. and
which. for aueht we kn84F, may remsin unset
Led to tho end Of tuned
The mott prominent champions who have rs-
Gently entered tho llsts in this great quarrel
are Professor Huxley, Who ma1ntaina that all
living things, without exception, ara the pro-
ducts Of previous living matter, and DR.. Bas-
tilu, who maintains tbaI biz owE experiments,
and ,hoee Of others who have preceded him
lot the probability, that living otgnni-ma are
sometimes evolved out Of non.lying nate
rails.
ReSore iaitcuetiIG the pointa Of dinerepce
between the two schools thus represented. it
will be we'll to note the extent 10 which they
are agreed. Professor Huxley and Or. l,as-
ttan both hold that there is no difficulty in
conceiving the Development OF protaplaam
etep ty step into higher Organisms, and the
Cnly iekue IL whether it IL or is not possible
Thai protoplAtm itself, or forms OK lie which
arc little moro than undeaned living Hubatsuco.
can under any condi.iona DO evolved from
uon-livipg matter without the presence Of prs
exciting life. Again, Professor Huxley con
cedes 20 much to his opponent a. to admit that
if he we're permitted 10 look back 4' beyond
the abyss Of geologically time to tho
Etill more remote period when the earth WI.
passing through the rhysica1 and chemical
conditions Of its infancy, be should expect,
not aaa = mater q belief, but Al
Al the evolution 0toPn'f 81 stng i protopsm %
from pon-liviug NATTER; but he
seenx to rely (apart from direct e1pnrtment)
On the analogy Of the known mode Of rcpto-
duction OF ailthe higher forms Of animal nd
vegetable life as strong priori argument
that in the lowest forms also tho rule Umue
ur. l:as;iAn, on tho other hand, OF course, ad-
u,its that, 80 long a. we keep out Of the re.
gtane which the microscope with ull III mod
ern improve mcnts has revealed, thero ia no
Known origin Of life without proviousfT liy.
ing parent; but hc considers the analogy oil
ahsy, even according TO Professor Huxley,
muet once hare happened On the earth to Ia
continuity III favor OF the present exist.
eEce of Tie same mode of evolution Of life
than the parallel sought to DO cEawn from ,1e
rule which rslpaily governs the genesis Of
the higher orders Of organized beings II wt
nre called upon to pronounce Judgment upos
Must say that they are equally worthless
Professor Huale5's faith thar there vas onct
IN age Of abiogencsis las he terms tho orisi1
Of lie from non-llying mnt.er}, wlicl, Ii.
now finally pasu1d away, has too much rcsen
blauce 10 the Theological theory about the az
| of miracles to DO very attractive to scitu
1itic mind; while Dr. Nastiau', teliance mo,
the lay of continuity teeuis to us to b.
strained too far 10 have any AprrecisoIe yaiue
To our miEds the question il pure qucs,io,
| Of fact, depending on tho rceatts Of scictltiti
| investigation. We see no a priori consiaer,
| tions which von1d weigh feather 10 I'll
sSulo against any we'll established sciaEtiii
| experiments, and We approach tbs es.nina
ton Of the evidence without the f4iutes
prejudice fo1 or asain.t the possibility Of III
occasional evolution Ut life from nou-iiviu
! matter.
| Now what arc the facts: This Ia the op]
| question worth discussing. From 1868 /
ls70 series OF experimental investigation
stands recorded, in Tho course Of which II
suits arrived a. Iy one inquirer laso been ovcl
thrown bE his successor. to De ses on thci
Which way tue hcau, ID At presont inclined
the inquiry 10 which We sha1l bsio.ly aidre.
ouErelvce. 1ils task is happily not 10 d.ilicu
IT it would hayo bean a fow months eiuce. l
tho address with Which be fascinated tie ii
seEblLl sayans Of the british Association
lruiessor Huxley las given an admissible sun
maEs eccn OF course from his OWN point c
yteh of tls wotk which Was done By successiv
LsoiuGists, f.oul tho year 1GGS to tic yaaz lSG:
At thla epoch he cio5ea his narrative, II
reasons which he has sicco partially G,
| llained, but which wo shalt presently cor
sidcr. But aeekers after truth need not /
dismaycd, for whatever they NAV lave 10,
Ly tho ellenco OF p1ofcssor Huxley las boe
supplied by tho very anplo ACCOUNT which D
Bastian has siron, in the paees of Nafuyp. (
tic work accomplished sinco the wear iS6
which closcs the Ifofesspr'B charming liistor
Need We say that tho bslauce OF evidence.
1S6., inclined more strongly than At any 9th
Period to tho side OF b!oGeucsis, or that Il
snbseQue1at experiments, whatever the
weight may be. point exclusively ip tho opp
site direction? just as il needed Hun
and Smollett to complete tue history
England, 60 we must combine the writings
Huxley aud Has.ian TO get the Nllnso story
tho Frcsractcd cvntroserey as to the origin
hle.
In the carly dawn OF scientific though
when authority counted Tor more than q
ltHmcnt, and I'rtor1 fsncies took tho rlal
Which belongs OF right to indnctive invest
CATIONS, klEld OF philosophical faith was II
only ffpfcschtahsc OF scientific oE,nio
WIN ut without reason, howcveF, the Wor
nao sahsnea nse!l ahat tue true faith vi
ihat hordes OF !isane CREATURES we're cailF AZ
hourly evoised ont Of non.hving matte
whenever NE appeared the origin OF whlt
MAS not pa'pable to the eye, it WAS exrlaine
! at-onee ~ = care OF ae1ogenesls. HavlI
emA'l means o. oHsettatoh. and making htt
Use Of what they bad, It Il not surprising til
these earty Theorists attributed to sl>onfanco
generation Inc appearance OF many hvt1
creatures which = lutte csre would have trAc
| to pEe-eAistinE Gcraas. The mAggot develop
, i'll. lutt,d meat Was allowed uo parent q
, ! celt the CARCASS Oh which If fed, and 9th
, clunde1s. equals gross. were made las "
: natutal) Lv luQuircIs who diu every thing {
. cept Nluife.
!, About two centuries age, when the 81 ir;t
:. Induction h.d l4id firm, hold Of tue n1taI.
!. men, even biological science felt The rsyo
g ton. Heidi seems to lave btcn tho tirst
!, tcst the sccerted doctrine Of 4nontaneo
Il Cencraiion. isy the s1ruule-t pr..cs.s IL t
!. world hc proved that uutrid meat did nat g
i e:ate rssrots. lie Kent The blow-iIiss a.
i aud tie ,naeco,s did uos arrc.r. Tie cellc
+ t,j Tie bio dies eggs, aud lI4tchei ht+ m.
Y COTS Without the presence Of tie 1lcth NH