The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-25

strated than by the use of the two met n
| DDS which the hypothesis assumes ~ "
necessary. And il infinite goodness. vas ~ q
be demonstrated, them NOT onsy y 3.L sne
provisions OF organic sIru u II icy
are especially devised, fall 10 oemoI r.L!'
1t; but there is an enormous na .s VI t !i'aL
which imply maie'olenU0 An
benevolence.
mThue the hypothesis OF special crea-
.:ons turns out 10 be rthless-worth-
~. bv its deriVation; worthless in its in
trinsic incoherence; worthless as abso-
intelv without evidence; worthless as not
supplying an intellectual need; worthless
as not satisfying moral want. We must
therefore consider it as counting for moth
ing, in opposition to any other hypothe-
sis respecting the origin OF organic be-
ings."
GENERAL ASPECT OF EVOLUTION NY
81, PoTHEsIs.
If now, we turn from the doctrine of
special creations, which scientific men
have consigned to that cemetery of ex-
pred HYPOTHESIS where repose the re-
mains of the old notions of witchcraft, of
perpetual motion, of the elixir of life, and
of the geoCentric theory of Ptolemy, we
find that the theory of evolution presents
none of the objections that attach them
selves to the other hypothesis. Not only
are the facts which have been shown to
to be incongruous with the hypothesis OF
special creations perfectly congruous with
the hypothesis of evolution, but many Of
them yield direct support to that hypothe-
sis. Instead of having had its origin in
unenlightened times, among Ignorant
men who were wholly unfamiliar with
Nature, it has arisen in comparatively en-
lightened times, among educated men
whose pursuits render them relatively
quite familiar with Nature. 1t has not
been framed by men who regarded every
effect as produced by a breach of the laws
of Nature, but it has been conceived by
men who firmly believe in the uniformity
of.Nature's phenomena. 1t is not only q
perfectly conceivable method OF action,
but its nlofus dgendi has been shown to
exist, and is supported by 80 many analo-
gous processes throughout Nature that it
IS entirely comprehensive. 1t is not only
unopposed by single fact, but it Is its
harmony with observed facts, which has
suggested the hypothesis. Having thus
compared in their general aspects the ny
potheses of special creation OF species and
of evolution of species, let US now exam
inc the facts which sustain the latter by
pothesis, the former hypothesis having
nothing to do with facts.
20 WHAT Is DARwINIsM?
Although many naturalists during the
last century have entertained tho belief
that species have been derived by a grad.
ual process of modification, from different
antecedent forms, (such belief having
been forced upon them by the facts OF
classification yet none OF them having
discovered Gny process competent to pro.
duce such q change, their theories had
but little weight attached to them, and
they consequently enjoyed but an ephem.
eral existence. Thus, Lamarck imagined
that strong desires on the part of an an
1mal to modify its structure, coupled with
an increased use of the necessary organs
in the direction OF the desired change,
would in time tend towards alteration
of form. For instance, he supposed that
in the case ofgrallatory or wading birds,
such as cranes, the endeavor to wade al
ter prey into deeper water, would oc-
casion a stretching of their legs, which
from the correlation of use and growth,
would finally develop longer legged
race of birds So, too, DR.. Erasmus OAR
win, grandfather of the present naturalist,
that species gradually changed
to their surroundings, and
that this modification arose from some in
itial inherent capacity, or from some
originally implanted by the
Creator, in few primordial types. This,
however, was as incomprehensible as
special creation, and so neither his
hypothesis, nor that of Lamarck, which
alleged insufficient causes, ever met with
much favor at the hands of scientific men.
It was lett for Mr.. Chas. Darwin to dis
cover a cause, which not only is COM
petent 10 produce the required change,
but which has also been shown 10 be a
rerG cGusG, one that is constantly oper-
ating in nature.
NATURAL SELECTION, OR THE SURVIVAL
OF THE FITTEsT."
Every one is familiar with the fact that
all organisms tend to produce their kind.
Corn grows from corn, oaks arise from
acorns, chickens produce chickens, and
horses propagate their kind. But with
this tendency OF organisms to 0tGOtsne
las it is called), or the reproduction of
similar forms, there also exists an occa-
sionsl tendency to vary, and among the
varieties thus produced the tendency IS
to- reproduce their own kind, and not 10
revert to the parental appearance. The
General certainty of this result is recog-
3ized by every horticulturIst, by alt
and by each stock raiser.
From the seeds of choice flowers, choice
flowers are expected to grow, Blooded
stock is expected to produce blooded
stock. But, among plants, flowers, and
among truit trees, there occa-
arises strongly marked variety,
which will reproduce its kind, and this
is a tendency which gardeners have
termed sporting" Similarly, from or
binary breeds OF horses, a race-horse will
sometimes spring. Now, it is obvious
that with the rate of multiple ton which
exists among some plants and animals,
they would soon overrun the globe, were
there not at work some cause which pre-
vents their too rapid spread. Prof. lux.
lev has calculated that if a single seed.
bearing plant were the sole occupant of
The globe, and it annually bore fifty seeds,
"a small number for most 'plants,-that,
if each seed could be properly scattered,
and would require square foot OF terri
tory in which to flourish, in less than
nine years every available spot on the
earth's surface would bear plant DR..
CARPENTER has shown that certain
species OF louise multiplies 30 rapidly
that in ten generations, (Which
would occur in short time)i the aggre-
gate weight of its descendants, il all sur
3;-o5 ,1C,IId ont1o1 that IF the entire T0r-