The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-02-11
Jelly.


The following passage from an elaborate
article on Professor Agassiz, in one Of our
leading morning papers, is fair example
latterly INDUCED in by the press: His
views of the development of animal spe-
Scies, opposed entirely to the gloomy theory
ofDarwin, which has fallen so oppressively
upon the world, while they neglect no fact
and break no link in the chain of progress,
are marked by recognition of distinct
humanity and high creative purpose in
the Divine origin of all things which ele-
vate and cheer and relieve US of the sick
ening consciousness that man, the paragon
of animals is merely growth from some
shapeless, loathsome jelly" ..3 n. =
We have here moral estimate Of 'sjelly,"
and vehement denial of its fitness to be
the material from which the paragon of
animals" originates the bare idea being
declared sufficient to shroud the universe
in gloom, and fairly to make one sick. But
perplexing questions here arise. Omaes
viU,tpa er Or0 and the substance of all eggs
is .jelley; bat, if this substance was not lit
to use a. the primal start of life, why is it
so extensively employed now?, If not fit
for the elaboration of the lowest creatures,
how came it to be employed in unfolding
the s'paragon ~ and, if not always used,
pray when and why was it introduced?
One would think, from the writer's horror
of sicily" that he regarded it as dia-
bolical invention Of Darwin threatening
kind of gelatinous "fall of man." from
which Prof. Agassiz has had the happiness
of rescuing the world, and restoring it to
cheerfulness. But really Mr.. Darwin is
responsible for neither the existence nor
the office nor the extent of 'Jelly" in
Nature and of all men Pro-
fessor Agassiz is the last to lead a
crusade against it. AS an eminent en-
bryologist, he might properly be called the
high-priest of "jelly." He was, never
weary Of explaining that all living things
each man, as well as every inferior animal
lis actually evolved from little mass of
..jelly;," and, while he, would probably
have agreed as to its rshapelessness, he
would certainly have protested against its
''loathsomeness.n He who said that ''our
philosophers and theologians" land he
might have added, our editors) require to
be taught that "a physical fact is as sacred
as a moral principal" would hardly have
sickened over the "loathsomeness" of that
plastic material which we know to be the
starting point of all organic development.
Agassiz held that Nature is to be re-
garded as the material embodiment OF
divine ideas, aud, after dwelling with de-
light upon the curious forms and constitu-
tions of creatures composed almost wholly
of "jelly, he would say, "These are the
thoughts of the Almighty" On his view,
Sicily" was the chosen and specially
honored material for the expression of the
Divine conceptions. Professor Agassi2
would certainly have considered the little
protoplasmie speck, which, in the course
of natural operations, can evolve in o few
years into Newton, Shakespeare, OF
even President cf the United States, as
an exceedingly interesting portion Of the
divine order. lie the germ contains poten-
tally the future being, and if a highly
developed race transmits its aptitudes and
capacities from generation to generation,
then is sicily 4" an institution of God tol
the conservation of perfected man, and the
civilization that he carries with him.
Prot. Younaans, an Popular Science MONTH
ly for February. nrsuHaas o.,
a little boy and girl had BEEF
cautioned never to take the nest-egg whei
they gathered the eggs but one eveninl
the girl reached the nest first, seized on tn
egg, and started for the house. Her disap
pointed brother followed, crying Mother
mother Susy, she's been and got tn