The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-11-30
Nj. L. A. LECTURE COURSE.
Lecture by Prof. Edward .. Morse.


closest attention of the large audience to the
end of the lecture. Below We present an alb
stract:
There are two views respecting the origin Of
man, one that he came into being with all parts
complete, the other that he came to his present
state from pre-existing forms of life. The first
view makes him perfect creature at the out
set the latter view makes him rude and re-
pnlsive savage or worse. The first view has
Tor its sole support the book of Genesis; the
other has the accumulation of thousands of
facts gathered by the most devoted students in
all parts of the world.
Man is but one of hundreds of animals. and
whatever may be deduced regarding the life
history of even the tiniest shell applies equally
to man if we are to believe in the uniformity
of law
So great is the diversity of understanding
with regard to the views pertaining to natural
selection, that some statement Shoull be made
respecting the views of ev0lutionists, as TO what
Is meant by that progression of life whose cul-
mination in one direction results in man, and
this statement in concise terms is difficult be-
cause the public generally are not informed in
those branches of natural science upon which
the proofs they seek to establish, rest
l. All animals vary in their general charac-
teristics, as in color, size, thickness or thin
ness OF their covering, habits, ways of doing
things.
2. Peculiarties are inherited. This factor
cannot be moderated. And 1T is impossible
for one who has not studied with the aid of the
microscope, to understand in what minute de-
tails these peculiarities are handed down from
generation to generation
5. Creatures die as fast as they come into
this world; that is, tine numerical proportion of
animal life remains about the same. Some
species die out, as the moose, the elephant.
&c, but iies, mosquitoes, fish, barnacles, &C.,
remain about the same. and were it not that
by wise provision the more vigorous forms
are destroyed. the product would be enormous
and the world would be overstocked with
them.
This brings US to the fact that the forms best
lifted to sustain life are perpetuated, and those
least able to maintain the struggle for exist.
ence perish.
The common Brine Shrimp illustrates the
structural changes which occur under changed
external conditions. This little animal lives
only in a saturated saline solution, such as
salt watts. They are found aoundantly in the
tubs placed on bridges, where by constant
evaporation. the water becomes more and
more salt. Under favorable conditions in July
and August the water becomes discolored by
them. A German professor has experimental
upon these Artemisia, and by increasing and
diminishing the strength of the solution, he
caused an entire change in the external char
acteristics of the animals, until by gradually
freshening it, he caused an entire change of
species, the change being by slow growths
through eighteen months. Certain shells found
in the lime charged lakes in New Brunswick,
and in the upheaved Loeb of Steinin and
Sluices OF Ostend, show distortions, not de.
formties. which show more or less prominent
as the conditions are changed by Eruption of
water from the ocean. In the Mammalfirous
orag yon will find a large number of these
shells, which were SO distinct that for long
time they were supposed to be Of distinct spe-
cies,. but now by comparison with precisely
similar forms found in the New Brunswick
lakes, they are found to be of the same species,
changed in the glacial epoch by dIssolving ice
forming brackish water, thus bringing about
the same conditions under which we are able to
stady these forms to-day.
The shells varying from simple forms to
turreted spirals and whirls entirely separated,
you may unravel in the undisturbed deposition
OF beds found in the Jurassic formation in
France. Few will understand the immense
Importance of an undisturbed formation where
all the groups of rocks are found, but when we
find IN the far West vast foundations or wash.
lngs. exceeding In depth one mile, and even in
the Connecticut valley the removal of more
than five hundred feet OF rock as at the hang
ing hills of Meriden, we begin to understand
how imperfect in some parts at least, the
geological record may be- Where are the deli
cate shells and all the remains of past ages?
In the Connecticut sandstone we find tracks of
animals, their footsteps accurately imprinted
on the stone, even the marks made by their
tails as they dragged them through the hlud of
that ancient time. These by the earlier geolo-
gists were long considered the tracks of birds,
but now by more recent discoveries and COM
parison are known to be the tracks of an ami
NAL partaking of the nature of bird and rep
tile, but although their tracks are perfect, not
a bone is found such is the imperfection of the
record. On the other hand in GERMANY. in
the cream colored sandstone are found perfect
impressions of the most delicate jelly fish, and
the minute feathers of tiny birds, and the
faintest feather markings
In your own Natural History Rooms you will
find in the loose friable rock from Munjoy
Hill only few mains but in the fine ciay
back of Danforth street are found the more
delicate forms preserved.
Prof. Hyatt basing his views upon fossil
ammonites from the Jurassic beds of Europe,
advances the theory of acceleration and re-
idly new characters, while corresponding
groups acquire them more slowly, and in humid
reds of specimens shows that ali distinction of
species genus, class and branch is lost and
simply uses forms to express the variations
found.
Evolutionists attempt to trace the origin of
forms on the globe. They believe in
spontaneous generation, and the reason that il
is not proclaimed is because it is thought that
the necessary conditions under which this must
occur have not yet been sufficiently establish
ed.
If you examine our own birds and mammals
comparing those of the South and the North,
You will lind in the same species of birds at
the South longer bill, longer tail, toes and
wings, in general greater peripheral extern
sion and lighter color. These were long de-
scribed as different Species but large collection
and patient research shows that the variety is
due exclusively to changed external conditions
1t you seek for the cause of these changes
you will find by comparing a chart of the
United States, tabuated to show the rain fall
with map showing the place of various birds
ana mammals, that there is an exact CORES
pondence between them. In other words it is
a ueston of greater OF less UaSh. Air ready
the number of species on record in the DAYS Of
Audubon has been reduced fully one-half in
birds and One-fourth in mammals in our time
The twenty-four varieties of squirrels then
enumerated has been reduced by Prof Baird TO
ten, and now Prof. Allen reduces the ten to
five, and with the results of host of wo rkers
spread before you it would be impossible to tell
where one variety leaves off and another be-
gins.
In the case OF man. No evolutionist saws
that he was descended from the monkey, but
Tar back in the ages there was representative
form having the general characteristics of mas.
a plantigrade small Drained animal with stom-
ach capable OF digesting flesh and vegetables,
teeth carniverous or herbiverous, above which
in the scale of time, but in totally different d.
rectons we find the ape and the man. But
for monkey to become man he must first
undo ages of progression before he can ad-
vance over the road which man has already
travelled