New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-30
DARwIN,s descent OF MAN."

From American Exchange and Review for April !
Mr.. Darwin sends forth the descent of
Man" to world ready to welcome it, how
ever much some may regard it as mans de-
scent in q sense not in the title. 1t was
otherwise when THE Origin of Species" was
published eleven years ago. Then tue few
defenders of the theory were in q seemingly
hopeless minority. The intervening time
has been brief, yet the doctrine of natural
selection is now the doctrine Of leaders Of
scientific thought, the only question being
as to the extent Of its application. The
young and rising among naturalists display
even 81 enthusiasm in its support, aud the
opposition Of veterans whose opinions have
been fixed by fe-time of antagonism to
ey olution in any form, grows fainter. Some
Of the latter are going-they, know not
living authority in geology, opposed all
theories Of development for forty years, and
embodied his opposition in numerous stand
ard works. Yet, in q new edition Of his
principles of Geology" he has abandoned
his former views as untenable, and confesses
himself forced to accept the new doctrine
The scientific journals now TEEN with arti-
cles, of which the principle of natural selec-
ton is q necessary element. 1t is unhesi-
tatingly assumed without any apology, and
is the basis Of the researches now made by
some Of the foremost scientific minds Of the
world The classification Of animals has q
definite principle to conform to-commu4-
ity Of descent, and with this advantage to
the naturalist, principles discOrdant with
it are sinking rapidly out Of sight. When
.'The Origin of Species" first appeared,
Professor Owens division of the mammalia.
according to the structure of their brains,
seemed likely to win many adherents, or at
least to excite much discussion. Now, it is
quietly ignored. The object generally
aimed at is to keep descendants Of the
same form in group separate from descend
ants Of any other form; and for this pur
pose numerous minor points of resemblance
are of much more Importance than the
amount of similarity or dissimilarity in a
few points. Moreover, resemblances in
unimpOrtant structures and useless or rudi-
mentary organs reveal the old lines of
descent. and far outweigh great differences
in organs whose usefulness has rendered
them subjects of modification.
The nature and growth of language is
such that he who promulgates an entirely
new theory can scarcely find words and
groups Of words which are not in some way
associated with the views he is opposing.
Mr.. Darwin was at first somewhat negligent
in this particular. On the same page with
his explanations Of the way in which he
supposed peculiar forms to have arisen by
the survival of such individuals only as
were best adapted to the conditions around
them, he would use phrases expressing to
most minds Though not to his) intention.
cOntrivance, design. Thus he says of one
species Of orchid, "the labellum is developed
into long nectary, in order to attract
lepidoptcra, and we shall presently give
reasons for suspecting that the nectar is
purposely 30 lodged that it can be sucked
only slowly, in order to give time for the
curious chemical quality Of the viecid mat
ter setting hard and dry" Mr.. Darwin has
sity to be careful and consistent in his words,
and few, if any, such expressions can be
found in his last work.
His great object in .'The Descent of Man"
is to show that ''man, like every other spe-
cies, is descended from some pre-existing
FORM" In thus combining his attention to q
single species, he is obliged to exclude the
arguments which are to be found in 1.-THE
Orlgin OF Species, derived from the relation
shlps OF large groups Of animals and plants,
their geographical distribution and geOlog-
zeal succession. He finds, however, sufii-
Gent evidence for his purpose in the follow
ing three great classes Of facts:
i. HOMOLOGOCs STRUcrUREs.-It il well
known that all the bones in the human
skeleton can be compared with correspond
ing bones in monkey, bat or zeal. The
Same Ii the case with the muscles. nerves.
blotd vessels and internal viscera. Even IN
the brain Of man every chief fasur6 and
fold has its analogy in that Of the orang.
EOualIv ClOa0 cOrreeOOudeucen exist with