, 1877-11-24
.ddrcs. orDr. >. w. Draper,

audience, and the nature ol your request
Iprecciyc that it is not an elaborate c&-
positon OF the evidence in favor Of the
theory of evolution that | must give, but
vnly reference to those facts connected
with it that are of chief interest to you.
Two explanations have been introduced
70 account for the aSsemblnge OF organic
beings, plant and animal, that surround
us. These are conveniently designate''
AS the hypothesis Of creation, and that OF
evolution.
The hypothesis of creation asserts that
Almighty God called into sudden exis-
tence, according to his good pleasure, the
different types of life that We see. This
hypothesis has nm ecclesiastical form;
that the world, with all its various ami
mails and plants, was created about six
thousand years ago. The work was
completed in six days, and was perfect,
needing no improvement. At the close
of each day the Almighty surveyed what
he had done, and pronounced it very
good. He brought all the animals thus
made before Adam, in the garden OF Eden,
to receive their names There was moth
ing more necessary, and on the seventh
day he rested. The hypothesis of evo-
luton asserts, that FROM one, or Il few or
iginal organisms, all those that we see
have been derived by process of evoIu'
tion or development. 1t will not admit
that there has been any intervention OF
the divine power The former OF these
hypothesis considers each species as in
dependent of the others. The second
considers them as inter related. Creation
reposes on the arbitrary act OF God, evo-
luton on the universal reign OF law.
The hypothesis OF evolution in its sci
entitic form presents three factors: (D
Heredi'y; Q) Environment; (3) Adap-
tation. BY heredity is meant the tenden-
cy of our organism to develop in the
likeness of its progenitor. By environ-
ment the sum total OF the physical con
ditions by which the developing organ
ism is surrounded--the ambient world.
BY adaptation, the disposition so to
modify us TO bring an organism and its
environment into harmony. This may
be accomplished either by progression OF
retrogression. We may remark here,
that whether the beginning Of lite on the
globe be heterogenetic, we need no more
concern ourselves than about the origin
of candle flame. Is every fame lighted
from another, Or may one fame spontane
ousiy arise9 Between flames and organ.
ism there is the closest analogy, rs re-
CARDS their origin, their life, their end.
HISTORY OF EVOLUTION.
After very long and exhaustive sur.
vey of the plants and animals of his own
locality, and of all that the power
and favor of Alexander the Great
enabled him to inspect, this is the result
to which Aristotle, the prince of ancient
Greek naturalists, came: In the eighth
book Of his History of Animals" when
speaking OF the chain ofliving things, he
says: . Nature passes so gradually from
inanimate to animate things that from
their continuity the boundary between is
lndistinci." The race of plants succeeds
Immediately that of inanmate objects /;
and these differ from each other in the
proportion OF life in which they partici.
pate; for, compared with minerals
plants appear TO possess life, though,
when compared with animals, they ap-
pear inanimate. The change from plants
to animals is gradual person might
question as to which of these classes
some marine olJects belong. Aristotle
referred the primitive organism to spon
taneous generation" In the museum Of
Alexandria the views of Aristotle we're
greatly expanded There it was discov-
cred that animated nature presents some.
thing more than mere connection that
each link of Aristotle's chain. il such n
phraseolOgy must be continued, was the
descendant oflts predecessor, the progen
itOr of its successor. The idea now lost
its mechanical aspect, and assumed IL
physiological one. We remark an i'm.
portant extension of this view after the
conquest of Alexandria by the Arablans.