The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-27

And again we read, In considering an 49, To
difficulty, that man does not appem 10
have saboriginally inhabited, any h out the
island. We are as much puzzled ar ,sn,,.cy
original domain Of this5primeva.. sivan.
as Trim was about the mafa'ii
| tages of Bohemia" ,,rtad.
This IL very humorous and very poin' .,"
Toe great merit of the srecu'a'ion.,, their
| scientific men who are crazed "i'n YIN
ideas and theories with rcgardto VIC =.
.t;o, ;, which Is and must DC wrapped III
my sterv rs long AS time itself lasts, Is tti''I
they never fail to make them acpeho ur'"
some conditions which are so absurd INA.
no we'll regulated and calm intellect Is at ai'
in danger OF adopting them. Their argu-
ments are studded with impossibilities ana
bsurdities-impossibilI in the course OF
nature, and only possible to the creative
and almighty Power which they repudlatc'
MHuxLEY, a man of worldwide rcputa-
ton, suggests that probably the progenitor
Of the vertehrnted animals had cyllnuri'
cal backbone; 20 useful backbone III
| emergency and he accounts for its sup.
sequent division into vertcbrG by the straih
| upon the cylinder, occasioned by the at
itempts of the animal to bend his body.
Supposing the animal could bring so great
strain upon the bone rs TO break it, ana
| that it was not necessary in order TO break
it that Il blow should be given heavy enough
to kin the animal itself, where would
the bone likely break? At the point OF
greatest strain, which would likely be IN the
centre. II broken there, would any subse-
lquent strain of the body likely break it at
any other point? or could any such strain
break or subdivide hard cylinder OF bone
into joints no longer than the vcrtebrI, or
in equal parts like them, or would the trac-
turc be straight and heal up with the cartl-
laginous surfaces protecting them from the
Ief1ccts of friction! The Psychologists will,
we are sure, say no by no possibility un-
der any law of nature. The bending Of the
body, after the break in the centre, would
be at the point of the fracture ; and there
would not be leverage enough i'll the body
to break the cylinder again.
But there is another insuperabie difficult
lty. If the cylinder had Il spinal marrow, Il
single fracture of the hone would be fol-
L lOhCu VIII "HV uSn'h'
These theories cannot be true unless
there are supernatural agencies which the
enthusiasts deny. They assume that 'cvo-
, luton" and "natural selection have
brought the animal creation to its present
state from the lowest condition OF animal
life. Their presumption and vanity are I'M
i. limited. They are utterly unsupported by
the discovery OLA single animal in an inter-
mediate stage between any form we behold
now on earth or have discovered in the i'm
pressions and remains of past ages. and any
other. Wherever seen, wherever the i'm
preSSions of the past have appeared, the
forms Of animal life are decided and unmis-
taxable. The distinctions are indubitable-
80 that the great naturalists have classified
them thoroughly and completcly--So that
it only requires the smallest representative
part OF an animal to enable the accom-
plished naturalist to tell TO what order it
belongs.
The change must therefore, per force,
have been sudden and complete, or not at
lall. There could have been no gradual
melamorphosis Of one animal into another,
or the proofs would be abundant in the re-
mains of the past, and would lie visible
lnow for the theorists cannot possibly
deny the continuation Of the natural order
Of progress and metamorphoSis which they
Icontend has filed the earth with the various
animals known to us. They have no living
Example save The sloughing of the tadpolc's
tail, and this is Il metamorpho>is without
progress. The tadpolc repeats his tail and
drops it every year. and since recorded
time he has taken no higher degree than
the frog. Nor will the rationalistic the
crisis ever sllrpuSs him in their works.
Each year they may rchearsc their tales,
but they will never deytlopc anything new
ICr solid beyond their present intangible
dreams.
4 witty gentleman being told OF the the
o.iUS Of these scientists To show in effect
that things made themselves developed
themselves from inward forccs-very per-
tinenty inquired, "Why don't they let
God make something's" Certainly-why
not: