New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-06-21
CONSCIOUS MIND in NATURE.
THE TWELFTH CAMBRIDGE LECTURE.

Y1oN THEORY IN THE ADMITTED FACTS OF EN-
RRYnNIc NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. TIE woII OF
MINp AND NOV PRODUCT OF LAW.
IFRoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT oF1'IE TRIBUNE
CAMnRDGE, Mass. June 16.-Tbs following lecture
was delivered by Prof AgasSz before the Museum
of Comparative Zoology on the 18th of May:
intend this closing lecture of the present ceuse
10 be a summary of the preceding ones and at the
same time On introduction to the course hope 10
give next Autumn GA the succession of organized
beings in past geological times Allow me 10 SAY
that these lectures have not been compiled from e.
tablished sources of knowledge. j have tried 10
give you the freshest results of invssuganoh ho'
yet incorporated in text books and manuals III ~
doing have drawn largely from my Own resources
and in approaching the subject to-day aih Ioireu W
say one word more of myself Ii was my sooo ZOE
time early in my scientific career TO reach certain
cancellations which are generally accepted no"
nv scientific men. and which 9re used SingulaIly
enough considering my own posflon WIN references
to il to sppport the tranSnutatiGl doctrine. read
an order 10 show you that do not make this state
Inent loosely some extracts from, pamphlet en-
titled DE POrg1ne 6l Monde Orgonique, just pub
6sbed bv Prof Martins, the Director of the Botani-
cal Garden in Montpelier, and one of the leading
scientific men of France Speaking of those who
have laid the foundation for the present state of the
science of Natural History, he names in succession
the prominent investigators of the beginning Of
our century, ana then coming to more recent times
he says:
Another Of these precursors OF modern science Lous
Agassiz. Euargiug and fertizing the results OF Baer
he has proved that archaeological development may ne
compared 10 that OF the embryo Wmle the ahim i
now living rise through many stages uuTlns Ineit t
growth the fossils have followed similar ilut IN past
ages The Oldest fossil forms have simpler organl1a
ton than the later and represent some Stage Of the
embryonic DEVELOPMENT Of the latter This truth eStab
hshed by Agassiz has more than any oher enthtehea
the history of creation and prepared FOR the generaza
by which the whole may be comprehended
In another place the writer says
To sum up the question may state that whether
womb Of It's mother, or with Darwin and Hoekel
from the lowest 10 the highest living being, or trace
with Agassz the fossils scattered through the Whole
series of geological formations We stndy parallel phe
nomena the Investigation OF which leads 10 concurrent
results nutualiy explained.
And more especially:
The oldest fishes known all more or less related to
the sharks and skates; their teeth and their scales only
with small portions OF their skeleton, have been pre-
living species recalls that OF the embryo OF our living
fishes This Is a Truth which Agassz was tie first to
proclaim ~ the scientific world. He confirmed II when
he showed that the young garp!Ge LfP'doSichS tlal
strange fish of the fresh waters Of North America has
a tan stnkngy similar TO that Of the fossils OF the De-
woman Here We touch as 1t we're tue parallehsn
between the papontOogica and the embryonic series.
An adult fish Ot the DevOniln period the embryo of
living species both derived fro identical eggs Only
that In the first ages OF our globe The fossil hsl has
stopped Ia It's Developments IL has preserved us en-
bTyOnc form, while the living hsb has cOutnuedits evo-
luton and risen many degrees n tbs scale OF animal NE
As you perceive my results are here admitted with
out reservation, but they are presented as forming
an essential part Of the very foundation Of the trans
mutation theory.
EMBRYONIC LIKENESS NO PROOF OF DERIVATION. .
How does il happen then that there is so complete
an antagOnism between my views and those of the
adherents of this very doctrineY Simply because
their Interpretation Of the facts is based upon
fancied identity between phenomena which, so far
we know have not, and III the nature of things
cannot have, any material connection. 1t Is true
that stated in the work above quoted the series
of transformations observed IN the egg corresponds
in a general way to the succession Of animals III
geological times. Embryonic conditions of the
higher VertebrateS to-day recall adult forms OF
lower Vertebrates in the earlier geological times
From this fact the transmutaOnists infer that there
has been some material development in the long
sentence of ages of the one out of the other. But
the embryonic conditions of the higher Vertebrates
recall adult forms Of lower VertebTates now living,
their own cOtempOraries just as much, and in the
came way, as they recall the fossil forms. Shall we
infer that because "A chicken OF a dog in our own
day. in certain phase If its development resembles,
il certain aspects ull-grOwn skate that therefore
chickens aud dogs nowadays grow out of fishes
We know it is not and yet the evidence Is exact
" the same as that which the transmutaJionists
use so plalsibly to support their theory The truth
is that while a partial presentation of the facts
seems to sustain this theory when taken in their
true connection aud fairly stated they destroy it by
proving too much. They show that the relations
between fossil animals supposed to prove descent
exist also between living animals, where they have
nothing to do with descent.
II is true that the series of growth chat is. the
successive changes in the egg, and the series of
time the successive introduction Of animals in the
geological acesi cover the same ground; they CORE
spond remarkably. But there are other like series
ia nature, parallel with these, and of equal import
ance OF one have just spOken-the series OF rank
among living animals. By this mean that, taking
Vertebrates as they at present exist, we recognize
graduation among them We sec that fishes are lowest,
that reptiles are higher that birds have a superior
organization to both, and that mammals, with man
al their head, are highest. The phases OF develop
ment which aquadIuped uudergoes, III his embryonic
growth recall this graduation. He has fsh-like,
reptile-like. stage before he shows unmistakable
mammal-like features. We do not on this account
suppose that quadruped grows out of fish in our
times. for this simple reason, that we live among
uuadrupeds and fishes and we know that no
such thing takes place But resemblances of the
came kind. separated by geological ages, allow play
for the imagination aud for inference unchecked 10y
observation
OXIDATION OF ANIMALS BY RANK.
Difference Of structural rank prevails throughout
the animal kingdom, both in larger and in minor
groups. We have it in the animal kingdom as
whole. and in each smaller division Let me explain
this graduation first in its larger sense. No one has
ever considered the Radiates standing on level
with the Vertebrates. al naturaliss agree in con-
siderng the former as the lowest type Of the ami
NAL kingdom. All agree also in considering Verte-
brates as the highest type All place the Artculates