New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-16
PROF. WSON'S ADDRESS.

Agasig. W. t. w.
PROF. WSONS ADDRESS.
Of tho IesFors in natural s,sence, tho guides
and tea hers OF us Who are now becoming gray
who have in the past Yoar ecu STRICKEN by doah from
the roll of wOrltrs here and have entered mo tho I'M
saen world two rise before ne with SPECIAL Nfilnc- on
the present occasion: lSc, our greatest groiosi1n
thinker the cias,er ~ the tertiary rocks the summer
IN of tho evidence Of the antiquity OF man but above all
Tho founder oi than scoolof geology which explains the
mast changes "a or oe ~ at present in progress;
and Logan tie c.gefh and acute straitSraphst, Tue
explorer and o5tab,lcT % the kiurent1hn SYSTEM
aud the FIRST TO announce the presence Oh ioNSh t.
mains in those most ancent rocks WHAT these men ud'
and w,at DYING ihcy lett udonc. mike invite VS. /" ne
consideration OF the present standpoint OF geological
,ricIa the results Il haa achieved and the Objects yet TO
be attanod; andf prcc5c accordingly to Sosct Sin"H
uorf!on OF t,iis vas! field aud u ohcr 20 yen ic"
thoughts in relation 20 1t. rathor dehuit"y au S"s-
Cextiye. however, than ~ ANY respect tha. ahail
therefore ak your attention Ton short time 10 th' que'
ton What 10 W know o. tho Origin AMI History Of
LIE on OR Planet :"
His gleat question confessedly accompanied with
,ucr, dfs and still waiting for It's full solution. haa
,is OF lurn,e forest both iOr the gco0Gst and the
biologist III treating OF il bore it Will he we'll hoWeyr'
meAgerhe result ts diYcs il OF many speculative views
and 70 present - possible c actual facts iii our
posse aud te Conclusions TO when tLeY seem 10
point.
ID" says that greatest ~ unfo;niiai-an geologiSts
who has ny passed away. the rast duration N
the caith DC finite. thon the aggregate Of geological
clochs however nuIIcy0us. must constitute nero
moment of the first. mere nhnitassiaa portion OF o'e
nity" Yet TO n1r limited vsoa, te origin lifo rates
away in the almost miiaie rcpths Of past time. ana
we are ready despair Of ever reacn ~ any process
OF discovery its past steps % progress Al what time
did life onl In what torn did a. al matnr frs. AS
sumo o. roOciyc those mysterious functions OF growth re-
prodsot and seIsition' Only when we icuf" 10 our
,rIvos MI ii eess world destitute OF any germ
os iio or Organization We realize the magnitude N
these quest on- AMI percye how necessary 1t n to limit
tier sco, # Nuud hope for any sad'fictoiy a!Nwor
sha mere dismiss altogether fiat form ~ which these
questions prcsen! tcmsoiye. 10 tn biologist whom he
expcimauts =, 70 the evolution NJ livG forms from
dead liquids sDid5sn unsOlyef problem OF spon'ahe-
os generation Whic!, might alone ocean! the Whole tino
Of this Sectim Noy shall enter on thc vast Held dis
c,sio,s ~ 10 modern animals and Ilat opened ~ by
Darwin and others. shall o0H.a myself altogether 10
thai historical archaeological aspect in wion ifa
IRA, Itself when study the fossil remains oniTnDci
in The s-ue.ts Of the earhs crust aud which viii eu-
able at least ~ show why some students ~ fossils
hesitate to give m their adhos,as 70 any OF tho
notions t.e os1sin OF species may also explain
that shall avoid =, lar ~ possible the of the term
evolution a. fb. has recently hcor employed in many
senses ~ TO have bo.me nearly Useless ior any scientific
pupo.cs and that when speak OF erosion OF species,
ia. term !, % DO ulo stood not in Tia arbitrary
forced 10y modern w1tors, but ~ indicating
the cSnfinIous introduction OF forms OF o un6rr
definite lava. bat ~ rowcr not cHanat'lg from within
themselves. from tho nanmate nature surrounding
TWO GREAT LAWS OF LIFE.
II wee 30 follow tho guidance u thpos curious
snalogies which pres mt themselves when consider
the growth OF the individual plant or animal from the
sporc tho 0vu and the development Of vegetable and
animal life geological timeanaogcs which, however
il nust DO in mind have scientific value
whatever inaslu,a ~ that similarity OF conditions
which alone give force 10 isonng from analogy in
matters of science Is wholly wanting. We should expect
TO ind in tie Oldest recks embryonic fns alone but Of
course embryonic s,ned to exist aud reproduce
t.lcm.tlvos independently.
need not say 10 rale0io.oss that this il what
We actually find Ia rf,o Primori,a ROCKS need but 80
rtsnis rion II te early and lkc development
N such forms the Trlohes. need only refer a.
Lingude and tie PerOpOds, all of them highly ooispiex
and specialized typei and remote from The embryonic
ages the groups 10 which they sevr;Gy belong. H
90 the Tr0s. the beautiful syMmory ~ their
parts, both ransyorsoly aud longtuiinIy. their diva
ION into distinct and Differentiated regions the cosapcN
ty their muscular and nervous sy."ms their highly
complex visual organs, tho superficial Ornaaentation
and microscopic OF their crsss, their advanced
position asnons Csisaccns Indicated by tcr .strcng
xiRies Win i.a l,OiOus. All tac-b ClalaefcFS give
then an aspect far from embryonic While. BaI,ando
has pointed out. tsis advanced position a. tho
grp has ns Significance s.oaty strengthened w iiio
fact that in early prnordal times hayo 10 d, moi
with one specie, bat with vast and highly diffcrcn
tia.d group, embracing forms OF many and varied sub
ordinate ty,es. As shall see. tlooe and Other esiy
animals may regarded OF cnersized typos Ht
A. embryonic Here then meets Va at the outset the fact
that ia as Zoe the great groups Of anntlose aud mol
luscious animals are concerned can trace those bao
no further than period in which they appear already
hjghly advanced much specialized and represented by
many diverse ft1Nis. Hthcr therefore these great
gtouys came In on tts high initial plsae. wc have
scarcely reached half way back tho life history
planet
We have here. however. by this one consideration at
tanned at once great and dominant laws re'in,
ing the history OF lifo FIRST, the law u coNtnuity,
whereby new forms IA sucees5ireiy, Throughout
eeio,.csi time though snail w1th periodr VI
greater and less frequency. Secondly The Inv special
izntion Of types whereby sentGzcd forms succeeded
sI"csai. ana this probably connected with
the growing eciazatou of the inng sDic world. IL s
This second Law which causes the paIaCitm between
the history OF successive species and that OF the embryo.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASPECTS or LIFE.
But there great masses 81 strata Known Lower
fssirian. Huronian. Laurcntan, wh,h have made as