The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-12-18
Professor AEassiz's LAST work-Hts
Article I'm the "Atlantlc" OF Oar.
MISUNDERSTANDING from Advance
Sheets.


Professor Agassiz's Last worlk-HIts
Article I'm the .'Atlantlc" OH OAR
wtnissn-suEnInary from Al y n n c 9
Sheets.
Professor AgaSsiz llas long been known ms
an unbeiever in Darwipism, aud the I'M.
compromising cnunciation OF his views
which iS.to appear in the january Atlantic,
although il defines his position more clearly,
will surprise no student Of his works In
his essay Professor Aeassiz gave a synopsis
of his reasons for not holding the Darwinian
doctrines preparatory TO more detailed
statement which he intended TO make in fu-
turc numbers of the magazine. This sketch
the great naturalist will never complete, and
TO its scientific value is added the melancholy
interest OF being the last finished work from
the hand 10 which the students and lovers Of
natural science owe so much.
1t begins by SAYING that the law of evo-
luton. 50 far as its working is understood, is
q law controlling development and keeping
types within appointed cycles OF growth,
which revolvc forever upon themselves, re-
turning at appointed intervals TO the same
startin. point and repeating through sue
ccssion of phases the same course. THESE
cycles have never been known 10 osclllate or
10 lass into each other; indeed, the only
structural differences known between lndl-
r!duals of the same stock arc monstrosities,
or peculiarities pertaining to sex, and the
latter arc As abiding and permanent as type
ITSELF His next assertion is that no pri-
mary division of the animal kingdom will
stand which will not bear the test applied
hy Culver TO his four great groups-Ra-
date, Mollu>ks, Articulates, and Nerte-
bratcs that is to say, the test of distinct
plan Of structure for each.
The article then briefly reviews the dl-
! fcrcnt books published by Darwin, and says
that Pangene>is,' in which the whole
theory il summarized. "does but prove
| more concll,siyely what was already known
namely, that all domestcated animals and
| cultivated plants are traceable TO distinct
| species, and that the domesticated pigeons,
| which furnish SO large portion OF the Illus
tration, are, Notwithstanding their great
| diversity under special treatment, no eXcep-
| ton TO this rule" This review closes with
the assertion that the greater part Of the
| argument. both with Darwin and bis follow
ers. is purely negative. and rests partly upon
the assumption that Sin the succession OF
ages Just those transition tyres have drop
ped out from the geological record which
| would have proved the Darwinian cOnclu-
|
that in the living animal the process OF
transition is too subtle for detection, thus
throwing off the responsibility of proof
with respect to embryonic growth and geo.
logical succesSion.'
Concerning the famous" discovery" made
by kowalesky, OF the presence in the Ascld
aus Of string of cells corresponding tC
the dorsal cord in FertebrateS, the article
SAWS that the existence Of this string Of cells
was previously known to nuturalists, anC
that he himself had intended to say some
thing of their nature and position had he mol
been anticipated by Won Baer, who has re-
Gently published pamphlet upon the de
yclopmcnt of the Ascidians as compared
with the Vcrtebrates, in which pamphlet be
shows that the string of cells runs along The
ventral side of the body of the Ascidians
and that their development has no true no
mology with that of the Nertebrates. "Tt
say that the first Nertcbrates or their pro-
genitors carried their backbones in this mar
ncr," said Professor Agassiz, els about a.
reasonable as TO say that they walked OF
their heads
The doctrine of HRckel that the starfshe:
are compound animals, made up, as it were
Of worm-liie beings united like rays in one
organism. q doctrine which, if true, woulc
establish transition from Radiates to Attic
ulatcs, is pronounced to be an assumption
without foundation in the structure OF the
startsh. The arms Of these animals being
| made up Of the same parts as the Vertlca
zones of all Radiates, and arranged around
vertical axis, cannot be compared to those
of any Artic,llate, in which class the part'
are arranged along longitudinal axis.
| Tue topics Of metamorphoSis, hereditary
and natural succession ire very briefly con
sidered, and the article closes with con
sideraton Of the geological side OF the queS
ton, in which ground is taken against tht
theory of transmutation, since the whole
history of geological succession shows tha
lowest in structure is by no means earliest II
time, and since, therefore, it may be said tha
a great diversity of types has existed IRON
the beginning.
In the closing paragraph Professor Agas
siZ mapped out the course which he intend
ed to pursue in future articles, saying: "
hope TO show, first, that however broken the
geological, record may be, there is complete
sequence IN many parts of it, from which the
character of the succession may be ascertain
ed; secondly, that since the most eXqulsltely
delicate structure rs well rs embryonic
phases of growth Of the most perishable ma
ture have been preserved from very early
| deposits, VIC have no right to infer the dis
appearance of types because their absence
di.proves some tuyorite theory; and, lastly,
That there is no evidence of direct descent
of later from earlier species N the geological
succession of animals