The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-05-16

EVOLUTION AND THE ARGU.
MENT FROM CLASSIFICAs
sia fsGTION, ll'.

mon Origin. "
Ninth Article Showing tho Analogy between
iho elASSldoation Of Organisms aud tho elRssl
acAll0n of ilAnguaReB, and the light thu
thrown on lEToluti0h0 ia M gi.f r..
Editors OF the IntellisenteFI 4i.i'ps' z9a e.
Among those who, Ate ignorant Of th(
theory Of descent by modification, O
plants and animals, the Impression gener
ally prevails that tho advocates Of the
theory claim the evolution Of higher types
Of organization 10 have occurred from
lower forms simultaneously existing,
Now, not only 10 this untrue, but 1t Ia
found 70 be impossible 10 90 frame asys-
tenn OF classification as 10 show the Inca
descent Of any given organism. The only
possible way 10 comprehensivcly classify
them 50 as TO display their Rftiniiies or
observed resemblancGs, has been to ar
range them I'd groups subordinate to
groups, like tho qualifications Of a tree.
THE WAY IN WHICH .oRGANlsMs ARE
'T7i CLASSIFIED ;iat 1IEsf+ 1aI
Plants and animals. have been formed
into groups or classes by naturalists 10
facilitate research and, for convenience Of
reference. > To etfectI the desired object
they cannot. DO ARBITRARILY grouped like
stars in Reconsideration, but they inustbe
classified with regard 10 their structural
resemblanoes, and this can be done only
by arranging them Is though they were
oil descended from 81 common Source.
This Is o fact 90, familiar 20 all who have
examined the subject that its Significance
is frequently overlooked, To, illustrate
this form ol classification, ! will quote
the words Oh AN eminent English bIolo-
gist: "The ailnities Of oil beings Of the
same class have sometimes been repre-
sented by a'greGt tres i believe this
smile largely speaks tho truth. The
green and budding .twigs mRyrepresent
existing species; and those produced dur
ing former years may represent the long
succession Of d extinct SPECIES. Al
each period Of growth all thegrow-
ing twigs have tried 10 branch
out on all sides, aud To overtop and kin
the surrounding twigs and branches, in
the same manner as speCies and groups OF
species have at, all times ovsrmastored
other species IN, the great battle. for life.
The limbs. divided into great branches,
and these into lesser and lesser branches,
were themselves once, when the tree was
young, budding tWigs; and this connec.
ton oil the former and present buds by
ramilying, branches may well represent
the classification OF oil extinct and living
species in groups subordinate to groups.
OF the many lwigs which flourished when
the tree was mere bush only two or
three, now grown into great branches, yet
survive and bear the other branches; so
with the species which lived during long
past geological periods, very few have left
living and modified descendants. From
the first growth oil the tree many limb
and branch has decayed and dropped of,
and these fallen branches Of various sizes
may represent those whole orders, tani-
lies, and genera which have now no liv-
ing representatives, and which are known
to US only in q fossil state. As we here
and there see thin struggling branch
springing from fork low down In tree,
aud which by some chance has been ia
vOrcd and Is still alive on its summit, so
we occasionally see an animal like the
0rnithorhynchus or Lepldosiren, which
in some small degree connects by Its Rf-
tinities two large branches Of life, and
which has apparently been saved from
fatal competition by having inhabi.
ted q protected station. As buds
give rise by growth TO fresh buds, and
these, If vigorous, branch out and overtop
on all sides many feebler branch, so by
generation believe 1t has been with The
great Tree Of Life, which fills with Its
dead and broken branches the crust Of
the earth, and covers tho surface with Its
ever'branching and beautiful ramihca-
tions"
THE PARALLEL AFFORDED Nv THE sCI-
ENCR OF LANGUAGE.
The curious aftlnities in some respects,
between animals widely separated and
wholly unlike in other respects, which
systematic classification has brought to
light, while utterly meaningless and in
Comprehensive on any other hypothesis,
are readily explained by, and arc the nat.
ural outcome OF the theory Of descent
from common ancestor, .7-'!l
This can be more iorcibly shown by ex-
hiblting the analogy presented by the
facts OF phtlology. The derivation Of all
the Indo. European languages from Q sim
gle ancestor by gradual modification, has
been fully proved, yet their arrangement
in q linear series, or in any other method
save that Of the genealogical tree, has
been found to be, as In the case OF organic
species, entirely imptaoLlcable. In some
respects theSapscrit tongue seems to bear
the closest linguistic resemblance TO the
ancestral Aryan, while In other ways the
Lithuanian appears more nearly allied.
Viewed In another direction 0 stronger
kinship between the Arysn and Latin
may be traced, and yet in other respects
the Greek may claim TO have made the
least departure from the parent type. All
these have Ia their turn given rise to de
scendants which by q gradual divergence
have become wholly unlike each other and
totally different from the original Ian
guage. Oithe European descendants OF
the primitive Aryan, those which went
North differ less among themselves than
they differ from the Southern branch Of
the family with which they parted com.
plny earlier; while, conversely, the
Southern. group are less unlike
each other as members than as
whole they arc dissimilar TO-
the Northern branch. There arc so many
points Of resemblance between Spanish
and Portuguese, that native Of either
country can frequently understand whole
pages Of q book printed in the neighbor
tongue, and in like manner the differences
between the dialects Of Northern Ger
many are not 80 great as to produce
mutual unlntelligibllity. Portuguese and
German, however, arc distinct languages;
yet, If we trace them far enough back, we
shall fl1d no greater differences than now
exist between the varieties oil either. The
ancient Aryan divided into Northern
and a Southern branch, each Of which
again divided and subdlvided into numer.
Gus branchlets, many Of which have long
since died and become extinct. ALL pro.