New-York tribune., 1873-12-22
"TUE DAWN OF ANIMAL LIFE

HE DAN y OE ANlGAi' b
LECTURE BY PROF. J. W. DAWSON AT COOPER 'NSii'
TUE.
Prof j. w Dawson lecturcd Saturday even
ing at the Cooper Union "Thc Dawn of Animal Lle'
illustrating his subject by means Of diagrams huns at
the back OF tho platform. pcturing animal life IN is
earliest formations The Rev DR. Prime Peter Cooper,
and Abram $. Hewitt were tho principal gentlemen
upon the platform, the latter OF whom announced, IN
Introducing lecturer that the next lecture would Oe
the first course OF Prof Morse, and would he
continuation OF those OF Profs Winche and Dawson
Mr Morse would OF life 1t exists at present upon
tins planet.
Prof. Dawson began by making few terse statements
about the chronology OF the earth aud Ito geologca
classification assuming that not all Of hs audience were
informed as TO these matters The first was science
and the only science which intimated the beginning OF
all things The history OF tho earth showed that all The
animals aud plants now known in tho world are OF
recent date Sand were preceded by others and these
again by Others that successive dynases OF life nave
regned upon this planet from one period OF history 10
another and 1t was the same with the physical lorna
tIou.
It's natural question, why 1t Is that geology shows
OF beginning or an end, but the explanation
OF IL that in all the lapse Of geological time changes
have been going according to uniform and definite
laws, as building proceeds, changing IN appearance
from day to day, and yet according to liked ana ana
definite plan, laid down at the yeiy h S;
but t Se. s back 20 The series OF beds hard crys
raIIine rnck But the rocks which we know from their
structure and from comparison with the ROCKS that we
know in modern times were once deposited az tie DOT
tom OF the and therefore at the fnrthest DacK
period we have simply ocean with land bordering that
and sediments in that ocean, and those sedl,
ments hardened and crystallized but SIN
made Of the common clay as the
others that preceded them, are the American eontl-
nent There are vast quantities OF these eozoc rocks
here in the state OF NewYork. the Adirondack Moun-
tains aud along tho Atlantic coast We have there
fore large quantities of the very oldest rocks that we
OF
older than those rocks he would say that geology KNOWS
nothing older We may speculate upon a time before
the old LOrentan time, out geology knows nolhngo NJ
speculate OF still older time When the hedtcu
earth Was enclrced with great of yapors, but
geoIogy knows nothing of That we may 20 back OF that
time when the earth was mere Ormiess Voiu, Dut
Zoology knows nothing OF that Aud FOR the purposes
OF the present lectures. it sufficient to 90 10 the
orentan rocks ana these Oldest OF all rocks actually
contain wba we srd as traces Of animal life and
the 10 seems to have animals living far back as
geology allows TO gO Before any actual Traces ot
animal life were found in these rocks geOloglsts
yentlrea the probability that these old rocks might
contain In the first place there were eA-
tensiye beds OF limestone in these rocks Now In the
more recent geological formations, limestone ia gener
ally produced the action OF animals, ana II there were
no animal life in the Lorentan period how dld it hap
pen that these extensive beds Of limestone were foundi
There also :Ound large BEDS Ot carbon;
nants and ge nave cases where coal actually been
changed into graphite black lead and In the Loren
t,n rocks t ia found as graphite Again. great beds OF
IRON ore have found these rocks ana we attr
butte that To the indirect chemical action OF vegetable
matter: so when we fiud lime stone carbon and
existing Lorentian rocks arranged III the same
way as In modern rocks wnere animal life
known is natural that should suppose that ami
NAL life had there. But the time when the
cuations to certain extent verified In 1888 some
specimens were found which seemed TO Indicate
Kind Of FOSSIL and 10 1866 there were some specl
mems discovered better preserved and which under the
mcrOscOpe gave certain indications or fossil Tenalns
ana the evidence Of the microscope the best OF evil
dence. And yentured TO before the world and
say we mad discovered animal lie IN the Lorentian
rocks
Tue lecturer explained by diagrams the appearance Of
this life termed cocoon, which was found In fresh
water and ocean, their micrOscopical size yet
capable developing wondronsly beautiful and com
pick she'll their abundance at the bottom OF the sea- 30
per whose mud was composed OF these minute
animals The next OF life 10 the were the
trobite aud alter explaining minutely the appearance
OF this variety life lecture summed up IN the
following statements:
First In the cocoon is the Oldest 1t il old
any animal that likely TO hnd by tho ala OF
geology
Secondly II the Is considered the beginning
OF animal corresponds to that law OF introduction
the rst that every form appears hrst Units best
and highest condition-because the cocoon Is
giant head OF s tribe the brobite was the head
It's so, the different creatures have come into
the world they have their highest and .randest
forms.
Thirdly, That many forms Of the same group spring
into being once, very nearly at the same time.
FOurntly That new forms appear rapidly TO attain
their mum in distribution, in space and In variety
then become stationery. and at last begin To recede.
Fifhiy That the progress Of lie dependent not so
much modification of old forms as IN the INTRO
ton AZ lie er aud higher ones.