New-York tribune., 1875-11-29
THE ORIGIN or LIFE.

PROF. PROCTOR on THE THEORY OF SPONTANEOUS
GENERAnoN-IIFE FROM OTHER woRLDs-iN-
FLUENCE OF HEAT.
| TO the Edifor OF The Tribune.
| SIR: Prof. PrOctor's determination to take
the same side with men like Tyndal, Darwin and Hux
lev in their Interpretation Of nature has been fully and
satisfactorily explained by Mr. Proctor himself In bis let
ter TO THE TRIBUNE. You very rightly remarked whie
commenting II in editorial that II IA clear that
the opposition aroused against the views of Prof
Tynda especially after his Belfast address had much 10
do with awakening Prof Proctors sympathies Science
has gained strong champion through the persistent
study Of logical mind. II has this effect on almost all
men who get familiar with nature by unring efforts to
reach the truth about phenomena One OF your CORE
spondents Gn Thursdays TRIBUSE has already stated
that almost all the eminent teachers and cxpermeDters In
the science of nature supporting the theory OF eyou
ton AS first advanced by Lanarck Geofey st. Hilaire
and Goethe and lately so clearly expCunded ana 80
nobly defended by Darwin, Huxley and Hae,k KEEL The
chief point I'm regard TO which there some diversity o
opinion ia the question of the origin of liie Prof Proc
tor has his first lecture declared that he Is Wiling 10
believe In spontaneous generation while in his second
lecture he makes mention OF this interesting point Of
human inquiry This belief in spontaneous generation Is
shared by great many scientists for although Pas
,eurs experiments and especially those OF Max Schuitzo
have apparently dsproyed spontaneous generation oy
Bastans processes in times, 1t Is thought necessary
to postulae this supposed form OF generation Id orr 'o
explain tho first OrialD Of life.
The supposton generally accepted ia that the condi-
tons necessary for spontaneous generation existed just
t the Of that period OF chemical and COM
motion so often referred to as deducted from MANI
Lapaces theories, VIZ, tho fluid state of this planet
Now. this theory although admirable monument OF
human thought is not yet established hey ohd douo'
on the contrary excellent chemists-such IA geoogSs
rarely arc-have brought ncontrovcrtble proof that GER
tain bodies earth have never heen Ill moHen
condition, and that the composition Of many minerals
does not support the theory OF their having been pro
duced by pluonie processes The merits of Laplaces
theory will not now discuss only take the liberty TO
point TO fact that there is minoty-in numbers AT
lcast-of scientsts who do not admit the possibility OF
living matter having ever originated from dead matter
and therefore do not believe in spontaneous generation
at any time however remote. Their views VIII prieiR
state: All living matter IN the universe hasdeecehdeu
from other living matter existing before, 40 that life
exists since the universe exists, e., both forms Oi
matter living and dead organized and inorganic are in
finite in time as they In space. This hypothesis has
mad the support OF many eminent men, such as AraSo'
Humboldt Quinet and among living inen II Is supported
by Helmholtz Ehrenbcrg Richter. and sir william
Thompson. A most remarkable fact in connection Win
this theory Il that been the result of deep Thought
ou thc subject with many of those eminent men inde-
pendently Of each other Richter was the first to pub
lish this view, doing while reviewing Dar"lhS
Origin OF Species in German medical monthly III
1850 SIR William Thompson without having read OF
heard OF IT, declared before the British Association III
Edinburgh ia 1871, his conviction that this theory
which was the result OF his own reirc0hs was nod h
al M opposition to accepted principles OF science Inc
hypothesis referred 10 inyudate5 tEc od question
Iinnt the beginning. and does - great service 10
Scicnce by dispensing with such idle question
One Of ngsg S GSerSsr SSndnE t6e mcroeo scope
that the great ascending equatoflai aiifui
rom south America aud Africa and deposits them in
Central Europe. The curious PhenQin non OF req
now NOT unfrequenty observed on the Alps Is caused
bv billions of such nflsora being deposited on the snow
THESE minute germs aud spores the existence OF wheh
microscope has revealed are carried upward anu may
float far with the different ascending currents tt
they enter the uppermOst strata OF our atmosphere anu
hy coming gradually In contact WIN the cosic athn
pher may be spped as on a. Ya w'G snnrc S ' Tbe a
then come within the zone OF attraction OF anothcf
heavenly body planet, comet. aerce. II this
body is habtabe, the germs both animal and vegetable
will become active again, and develop according to the
laws OF evolution. 49,, IL.
one is not able to prove with absolute certainty
that our earth has been populated ia TINS manner
with living beings. Great probability u, however gwen
Ia this view by peculiar property OF the mceoriles and
aerolies that al OF our earth rms pscy lunar " wSs h
present in many other inataneos IhSse mfole % SHOW
T1ere are hcosed in their masses similar to
mold Thus it was with the mcteorte that fell near
% same traces of organic matter are found in
Orucl in France and another from bokkehut at the
Cape of Good Hope. The most eXtraGrdnary cdSe on
record however that Of meteoric shower which Ie
in sweden 1870; the black pieces consisting almost
hey happened to descend on snow-feld We know
that mold always the result OF some organic procs
ton The proof is thus established for tue Tact that or
panic masses exist in cOsinc space. The late Edgar
Quinct SAYS
Lie il of co.mic IL waders about through the
uu verse; peaetraes everywhere II il old as matter
itself existed before earth had taken shape ana VIII
ouiliye took the germs OF al ftue beings
from the equally, In distant space tno
@ns f ogapic ben are about gId will develop
soon a. they lind ground from the lowest type up
| IL reasoLablc beings.
Prof Proctor sated in his second lecture his belief that
life infinite In aud time; III his first lecture he
npuiiest the theory OF spontaneous genera
lion bot vegetable aud animal life, though c admitted
tnat as yet the scientific evidence for the spontaneous
generation life II imperfect and unsatisfactory Does
not sir William Thcmpson's theory supply the missing
link In the endless chain of e making the hypothesis vi
spontaneous generation supcrtuOu-i
Neir- York. Nov. 20. 1879. GEO. ". RACHEL, NJ D.