Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-09-24
Origin OF Life.

iOicscOi Da"SOui Va -Aoutiedi, Is WlUel
known on both sides Of the water as one
the most learned geologists and PaleoI
tologists of our day. lie is also, sine
the death OF Agassiz, perhaps the mo.
able and profound opponent of the Darwin
ians and evolutionis.s. In recent addres
on the origin of life, on this planet, be al
firms the following conclusions. as es,at
li,'"d BY the science Of paleontology
The existence of life and Organization,
on he earth is not eternal. or even coeys
with the beginning Of the physical universe
but may possibly date from Laurentian Of
Immediately pre-L.urentian times.
?. The introduction of new species oil
animals and plant has been continuous
process, not necessarily in the sense of der.
lvatIon OF one species from another, but in
the higher sense of the continued operation
of the cause or causes which introduced life
at first This. as already stated, take ia
/ be Re true theological or scriptural, as well
as --lsntlfc. idea ot what We ordinarily and
SO 7owhat loosely term creation.
). Though thus continuous, the process
ha> not been uniform but periods O. rapid
production of species have alternated with
Otutio III NlodPpNdTtu anu lew
were introduced. This may have been an
effect of physical cycles reacting on the
progress OF lille.
Species, like individuals, have greater
energy and vitality in their younger stages,
and rapidly assume all their varietal forms
and extend themselves as widely as external
circumstances will permit. Like indiyid-
uals, also. they have their periods of old
age and decay, though the life of some spe-
cIes has been of enormous duration in COM
parisOn with that of others the differences
appearing TO be connected with degrees of
adaptation to different conditions OF life
s. Many allied species. constituting
groups Of animals and plants, have made
their appearance at once in various parts of
the earth, and these groups have obeyed
the same laws with the indIvld1a! and the
species n eliminating rapidly, and then
slowly diminishing, though large group
once introduced has rarely disappeared
together.
e. Groups OF species. as genera and orders,
do not usually begin with their highest or
lowest forms. bat with intermediate and
generalized types. and they show capacity
Tor both elevation aud degradation in their
subsequent history
:. The history of life presents progress
from the lower 10 the big her, and from the
simpler 10 the more complex, and from the
more generallz-d TO the more specialized
In this progress new types were introduced
and take the place of the older ones, which
sink 70 relatively subordinate place. and
become thus degraded. But the PHYSICAL
and organic changes have become 50 corre-
lated and adjusted that lite has not only
always maintained It's existence. but has
d epuf.fpf . -
forms, AID thar older forms have been made
to prepare the way Tor newer. - that
there has teen, on the whole. steady ele-
vation eliminating in man him Eleva-
ton and specialzltion have. however,
been secured at thu expense Of vital energy
and range Of adaptation, until the new ele-
ment Of q rational and inventive nature
was introduced III the case VI man.
: la regard to the larger and more dis /,
tine; types. We can not fad evidence that
they have, IN their Introduction. been pre- /
cedet by similar forms connecting them |
with previous groups bat ;here i reason /
t. believe talt many supposed representa- [
tive species n successive formation are real :
ly only races Or varieties.
9 ln 80 tar as Te can trace their history. /
specific types are permanent iu their char |
acterS from their introduction 10 their ex-
tiuclIon. and their earlier yarietal terms |
are similar to their latter ones.
10. PaieOniOlOgy furnishes no direct e7i- I
ience. perhaps never c@a furnish any. a. to /
The actual transformation Of one species /
INTO another, or "a 10 the actual c!reum- /
-iauces OF creation Of species. but the drift; |
u lis testimony ! to show that species |
some in per sGifuE7 rather than by any slow
and gradual process.
IL. The gin and history g; life cannot,
any more than the origin aud determina-
non oi matter and force. be explained on /
surely material grounds, but involves tie /
Of power reerabie to the un-
cen and spiritual world.
Elsewhere, in his address. Or. Dawson
presents strong argument to justify his
dissent from the the0rie, OF the evolution
IS. lie regards them a. fundamentally
Elective in their tendency to refer numer-
Jus and complex phenomena IL one cause,
IT to few causes, when all analogy would
'uggss; thar their origin must be sought in
the concurrence Of many The theorists
.lsO make an unwarranted use of analogy,
:, Tor example, between the development
,l the individual embryo and the succession
If animals in geologic periods. which DR..
Dawson shows to be utterly untenablc lie
'laims finally that the theories of evolution
ire partial, ''inasmuch as they fail to ac-
,nunt for the vastly varied aud correlated
undergraduates of natural things and
orces, and for the unity of plan which per-
'ade- the whole. These can be explained
MY By taking into the account another
clement from without"