The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-05-02


were supposed to be immutable,-it Of
course was called q variety. As ito timex.
orable limits" your reviewer differs some.
what with other scientific men. Says Mr..
Darwin, mo case Is on record Of a
variable organism ceasing to vary under
cultivation. Our oldest cultivated plants,
such as wheat, still yield new varieties
our Oldest domesticated animals are still
capable Of rapid improvement or modif-
cation" Again, as to whether man has
ever permanently varied o species or not,
would depend somewhat on your review.
ers definition Of permanent" We have
no reliable testimony on the subject as 10
prehistoric times, and can not prophecy
the future, but We do know that selected
varieties Of all kinds Of domestic animals
exist at present, and unless your review
er regards vague negative evidences % Of
equal value with direct positive evidence,
and In many parts Of his criticism he
seems regularly to do this,-l think It Is
not Of all doubtful about the permanence
Of selected varieties. Then again, as to
"the inherent disposition tn return" &c.
Not only is II impossible 10 show this In
more than one or two cases, but could Il
be demonstrated, 1t would prove entirely
too much for your reviewer. In the
first place It would indicate natural
The notifications in animals
or plants which man has produced by
continued selection, have always been OF
o character such as his needs or his
caprices have dictated. Vegetables have
been chosen with regard 10 their escu-
lent qualities, sheep have been picked out
with reference 10 the length Of wool or
some other peculiarly useful to man,
while other animals, such as pigeons,
have been selected with view 10 some
oddly Of shape or abnormal habit. But
these variations may not be Of use TO the
organism itself In the struggle Tor exist
ence that would ensue upon Its being left
10 nature, and II this was the case, apy
divergence that would tend toward the
original wild type, would be seized upon
by natural selection as advantageous,
since the primitive form had survived in
The first place from It's superior adapta-
ton 10 its environment. The most COM
monty cited instance Of an animal which
had become ieral, having required to Its
primitive type, Is the case oil the horse,
which Is asserted 10 assume the wild
parent form when turned loose in the
plains Of Asia and America. But II this
were so, then we should expect to see the
ieral horse Of America resemble Its Asiatic
contemporary, whereas there is as great
a difference between them as exists be-
tween either OF them and the domestica-
ted variety. Nor Is this all the wild
horse OF Asia Is almost uniformly Of a dun.
color, having alarge head, and also hay
Ing a dark stripe down Its back and oc-'
csstonal stripes on its legs. "Now,
Il we interpret tho theory o., re-
curence as applied 10 this case,
might 1t not be said that here
was an instance Of variation exhibiting
The characters and conditions al an ami
NAL occupying something like an inter-
mediate position between the Horse, the
Ass, the Quaggs, and the Zebra, and from
he which these had been developed? In
same way with regard even 10. Man. There
s nothing commoner In dissectiDg the hu,
nan body, than to meet with what are
called muscular deviStions, that Is, you
lissect two bodies very careIullyyou will
find that the modes Of attach
nent and insertion OF the muscles are
lot exactly the same In both, there being
great peculiarities In the mode In which
Lae muscles are arranged; and 1t is very
singular that In some dissections of the
human body you will come upon ar.
engagements Of the muscles very similar
indeed TO tho same parts in the Apes
Is the conclusion In that case 10 be. that
this is like the dark strspe in the case Of
The Horse, and that 1t indicates recur-
renee 10 the primitive type from which
the animals have been probably devel-
Oped 7" This Is an argument which the
opponents Of evolution had better ignore,
as 1t may open up too large field Of in
quiry.
CAUSES WHICH GIVE RISE TO NATURAL
SELECTION.
3 Natural selection, working with the
sternest Of methods, saves from the gen
eral slaughter only those individuals
which can best take care Of themselves,
and thus maintains each species in adap,
tation TO JUS environment. The wonderful
harmonies In the organic world, whicha
crude philosophy explained as the
achievement OF creative continuance, are
therefore due to the continued survival Of
the fttest and the continued slaughter OF
the less adapted plants and animals."'
Now II the geography and meteorology
Of the earth were ever constant, II the
nature Of the soil, the amount Of mois-
ture, the density Of the atmosphere, and
the intensity OF solar radiance were
everywhere forever unaltered, and If each
race oil plants end animals were always
to remain confined to one limited area,
the survival Of the fittest would simply
maintain unaltcred any given aspect OF
the beings constituting the organic world.
All variations on either side Of the well
adjusted mean would be necessarily cut
Of by natural selection, and species would
be- immutable. It Is needless 10 say that
no such state Of things has ever exist,
oil. Constant change has been the
order OIL things ever since our
planet first became flt 10 sup
port organic lie. No part of the earth's
surface IL now or ever has been at rest.
Continents are rising and sinking, seas are
growing deeper and shallower, soils are
constantly altering in chemical compost
lion, rivers are ever changing their beds,
solar radiance is ever gaining or losing In
according 10 the oarth's ever
varying position in space, the density and
Of the atmosphere are continu-
ally increasing and diminishing, and
every species OF plant and animal Is con-
tinuAlly pressing upon the limits o. the
area within which It Is confined. All
these changes are gong on today, and
have been going on during millions Of
ages. Though so slight as to be recog-
nized only by the most careful observa-
ton during the period covered by human,
history, these changes have during longer
periods suthced TO submetge every conli=
nent, and to make dry land Of every sea
and ocean on the lace ofthe globe. They
h