Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-11-27
THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION.

| What is the fundamental concsp
ton of the doctrine of Evolution
| 1t is "that the universe and all that il
contains did not come into existence
| in the condition that we now know it.
nor in anything like that condition. D
| 1t implies that the heavens as they
appear above us, the earth as it eX.
| lists beneath US, the hosts of living
creatures that occupy it, and human
ity as we now know it, "are merely
| the final terms in an immense series
of changes, which have been brought
about in the course of immeasurable
time" 1t affirms vast changes in
past periods: that these changes have
been according 10 a method, and that
it has teen oftbe nature of an unfold
ing. The essential changes of evOlu-
ton have been comprenensivsly for
mulated as from the simple to the
complex, from the homogeneous to
the heterog' neous, from the general
to the special. Is this an a priOri
speculation; that is, an idea formed
before observation and experience of
the facts to which it applies T; or is it a
scientific induction, that is, an idea
formed after the facts are known, and
based upon them?
As regards the stellar and planetary
universe, its origin from an all-dif-
fused nebulous mist was taught by
Kant a century ago. This view was
subsequently elaborated by Laplace
the mathematician; and Herschel the
astronomer, into the Nebular Hy-
pothesis, which was the outcome of
the whole body of known astronom-
ical facts This hypothesis affirmed
the progressive condensation and
differentiation OF the nebulOus mass
through successive stages to more and
more concrete and specialized groups,
systems and orbs. That the solar
system was gradually formed in the
way the nebular hypothesis implies,
and that its facts can be explained by
that hypothesis and no other, is now
the general belief of astronomers.
Consisting of more than one hundred
and fifty bodies, revolving and circu-
lating according to one great method,
IL has been pointed out by Prof. IIe-
conte that there are no less than three
hundred and seventy facts concerning
the distribution, form, and motions,
of the sun and planets, which are the
simple consequences of the sun and
planets, which are the simple eonse
quehces of the nebular hypothesis and
can be accounted for in no other way
The nebular hypothesis Is the doc
trine of to-day, in its application to
the most perfect of the sciences, and
il is nothing less or other than an hy-
pothesis of astTonomic evolution. Are
we to be told that it is but an a priori
speculation On the contrary has il
not replaced AN q p7iOrt cosmogony
that swayed the human mind foi
thousands of years before the solar
sy-tem WAS discovered?
AS regards the earth, it has been
studied by the method of science for
more than a century, and the result
Is. vast mass of facts and inductions
which make up our knowledge of
geology. All these go to establi, b one
proposition, viz, that our planet is
not what it was millions of years ago,
but has undergone series of devel-
oping changes resulting in the pres !
ent order of things. Our eminent
geologist, Prof. Dana, in his manual !
says: 'This law of specialization
the general being before the special
is the law of all developement. The |
egg is at first a simple unit, and grad !
ually, part after part of the new struc |
ture Is evolved, that which is most |
appearing earliest, until |
the being is complete in all its outer |
and minor details. The principle is |
in the physical history of
the glObe-which was first feature
less globe of fire, then had its oceans
and dry land, in course of time re-
ceived mountains and rivers, and fin
ally all those diversities of surface |
which now characterize it. Again,
the climates began with universal
tropics and at last the diversities of
the present day" Is this to be &C.
counted high flown a priori speeu-
lation, or a vast and valid induction
from a hundred years study of the
facts of Nature? Let it be remem-
bered that, according to the highest
inductive geography was
put back two centuries by the en-
slavement of the human mind to an
old q priori speculation in regard to
the age of the world.
The study of the course Of life upon
the earth conforms to the same great
plan. The life of the globe a few
millions of years ago was a very diff
ferent thing from what it is now.
Different races of plants and animals
have appeared and disappeared in