The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-10-12

1t was Of little moment whether Milton was
or was not the author Of the hypoth esis; IN
any case the objections to. il remained the
same historical evidence completely dis
proved it. The doctrine ef evolution is
that man is the last result Of series of
natural processes in whioA there has been
no Interruption or break Of any sort. This
doctrine he would now test and see how
far evidence bearing upon. it was indiffer-
ent-that is, made neither for nor against
it; how far evidence rendered it probable,
and lastly, how firmly it established it IS a
truth. The most forcibls argument ever
urged against evolution was that which
CuEier first advanced in. opposition to the
views of Lamarck. The expedition to
Egypt had brought back to France num-
mifsed animals which had oaee been wor-
shipped, and which. as. has since been
shown, must have existed 1900 or 5000
years ago. Culver examined these for the
purpose Of seeing what foundation there
was for the belief in gradual change and
progressive development In animals, and
found by comparison Of their skeletons
with those of similar animals yet living in
Egypt that no change had taken place.
Hence he too hastily concluded that, in so
far, evidence was against evolution. But
advancing research soon furnished even
stronger cases than this. Near the whirl-
pool at Niagara, and upon Goat Island,
is superficial deposit. in which are the
perfectly preserved remains of animals
whose shells are precisely the same as
those now found in Lake Erie. The for
nation of the country shows that these
shells were deposited when the lake COW
cred the whole Of that region, and, there
fore, before the Fails had cut their way
tance of six miles. It is within bounds to
say that the greatest rate at which that
cutting was done, was enc foot q year, and,
We conclude that the shel-fsh, whose re-,
mains are found there, must have lived
10000 years ago.. yet they are precisely
like those now ia the lake, showing NO
change in that long period. Yet even this
is not the strongest case offered in evidences.
The fauna and fora Of the Cretaceous
epoch are like ours the globigerinm Of
which chalk is composed were animals such
as those whose remains are now forming
chalk deposits at the bottom Of the ocean,
so that it must be admitted that certain
species have not changed since the Crsta-
ceous epoch. II, then, we look at types
and genera, vastly greater time must be
allowed to these persistent forms. The
beroe found in the English chalk is new
represented by closely allied species in
the Atlantic and Pacific; and still further
back the coal formations contain scorpions
hardly distinguishable from those OF our
own day, and when we consider the enorm-
Gus time that has elapsed since the Carbo-
niferous era ended, the objection assumes
astounding proportions if it alone is to be
considered. At the bottom of the Slurian,
in the Cambrian formation where fossils are
rare, there are yet remains of molluses
hardly distinguishable from those Of the
present, and were once classed with them,
as is the ancient lingula similar to that Of
modern Australia Objections like these
seem fatal to the doctrine Of evolution for
which the modification Of animal forms is a
necessary postulate. But at this point the
researches of Darwin lend to their aid, in
that they have shown the existence Of the
two great factors in the process Of evolu-
tion-frst, the tendency to variation which
is proved by the observation Of all living
forms. and, secondly. the influence of sur
rounding conditions upon parent forms and
their descendants. The tendency to vary
being granted. the survival Of the parent
forms or their derivations depends on cir
cumstances; if the conditions favor the
derived forms, the parents disappear; If
they favor the parent form it survives. In
the latter case there is no advance Of type,
and in the former there will be modification
and change of form. This puts us in >
position to say that the persistence Of
types, so far from making agaiDat evoau-
ten, favors it. The scorpions which Asur-
ished in the Carboniferous period persisted
better than any derived forms, nor is there
reason to believe that, in favorable circum-
stances. they might not endure forever.
This objection is; then, no objection. 1t is
Indifferent; it tells neither on one side or
the other. Another order Of facts calls
for the same Interpretation The great
group Of lizards which run back to the
Permian, Just above the coal formation,
differs but little from our present group.
and, if the enormous length Of time they
have endured be taken into consideration,
the sliehtness Of the change 10 remarkable.
As We 20 further back, and there find no
trace of lizards or reptiles, it is clear that
the doctrine Of evolution would be over
thrown If the formations we examine rep
resent the whole series Of facts in regard
to the life or absence Of life at the time
when they were laid But here, with Lyell
and Darwin. We must consider how very
imperfect is that record Of the rocks. Its
incompleteness can be demonstrated irrefra-
eably obliteration Of traces has been
wrought by the action Of water, and the
metamorphosis Of rock under great heat.
Metamorphic rocks are found tn Ill ages.
and where We know they must 1t one time
have held remains. To show the made
quacy Of the objection to evolutionists, that
where their evidence fails, they make shift
to say that it has been destroyed, the Bron-
tczoum (bird) tracks 70 abundantly found
Ia the rocks in the Connecticut Valley-the
tracks are there, and Of . biped with
stride Of six feet nine inches, yet never has