New-York tribune., 1877-06-27
NEwYoRk TRIBUNE PIEMENr

]
the lite of infinite generations We arc waat e are
because this brain and tins body form the most elective
! fighting machine tie dice-bcx 0f AGES has thrown.
From their conclusions ana phhosopt ic, u ,i eni
but with revolt of prejudice. no rebound OF haPl'er
defend The stronghold Of Natural selection impres
na1c assaults % feeling. They are dslodgcd only
mould of they count II no disIoDOr 10 surrender
II. have said lbe evolution aud power ~ enFiroh-
have allowed t.e spendOr OF their achievements "imn
the province Of fc blind them 20 the working OF mat
other aud less important side Of the problem "hat
then IA the general relation IN time and space of the III
organic environment 20 hiei
later part OF the Quatcrnary period are Unit"rtaila
and mat the changes golng 2h IN ofaie ne @ nov , 40
the UDiOrmtarans were true In making OF the past
mere infinite projection of the present then the hol0
eiss would have based their theories solid founda
ton, and protest would have no weight. Let US 20
furfher and cordially admit that m all periods Of
uniformity the progress life would adjust itself 70 IT'S
surroundings. and the Of competitive determination
become thS dominlnt engine OF change and develop
Thi1 is giving full credit to the greatness OF the
achieved re sound as far az the analogy OF present
m soImtty may be permitted 20 GO. But uniformity
has not been the sole law IL has as we have seen been
rate of change. Rapid physical change has been. 1t
seems 10 me- the more important Of the two conditions
Of The past the whose influence VIII at last prove 10
have been the dominant one M lfIc-chanSe.
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENT.
Has environment, with all she catastrophe changes,
been merely passive regards fel II has either had
eject restrained the progress Of evolution or
",
hisorY-now 10y the development OF fayOrmg condi-
tions acceleratiag vital progress suddenly exter
mnatng a vast scale, again urging evolution forward,
leaving lapses OF calm in which species took the
matter into their hands ard worked out their own
destiny II only through rapid movements Of the crss
and sudden climatic changes due either terrestrial
c0smical calses that environment can have seriously
interered with the evolution Of life. These effects
would, / conceive be first. determination secondly,
destruction OF the biological equilibrium thus violating
natural selection; and thirdly, rapid morphologica
catastrophe change burst in upon the OF uni
formity, and sounded In the ear Of every living thng
the words change die" Elasticity became the
sole principle of salvation Plasicity, then, IL that
quality when ia suddenly enforced physca clahec II
O the plastic that il OF the rapidly and hcalthy mOdi-
Die during periods when terrestrial revolution offers 70
spcces the rigorous demd Oi prollEou' chihg OF Cer
tain dca;A.Is widely different principle from the sur
y!yal OF the hiteSt ~ z neral bolOgca paue duri-
terrestrial uniformity. In cgse u l. an accgmnoda-
ton between the individual organism and inorganic en-
In the other it Malthusian death struggle, In which
only tAc victor survives At tue end Of a period of
Uuit0mitar1an conditions, the Malthusian cunqucror,
being hitcst, would have tie prize OF survival
ana ascendcucy. suppose now an interval o. aecel,
have deyiated their late forms and reached the
pour OF successful adaptation, when IS survival ~
nealth Whatever change takes place by natural
selection IN Cniiomitirldn ages, according 10 Darwin
advances b. spontaneous an,ess sporting, ami tue sur
yival Of those varieties best adapted to surrounding
conditions, and of these conditions the biological rrE-
uons are b. far the most important OF all by tat
means, aud by thab aOue 10 is asserted species came
into existence, aud lugreurally all the 0tuer forms
fror, first t1 h,t This is the gospel Of chance
II the outdoor iac OF American geology shall be ad
mittd To- Desf Out in my assertiOh Ol caa~rophes
and n tine eaoehs OF maximum vital change do, as
hold coincide with the cpOch- li cats;rDuhs, tleu tt
coincidence should ho directly dctermnaDc ID me Held
confidently assert that 10 American geOu-st viii he
able disproye ihc Law that ia the past every one %
breaks in the column or life coincide with
datum points of catastrophe. II remains 90 be deerm-
now Tar this coincidence Is the expression o. en-
yi-oumcual cause, responded To- i'm terms 0f Vtl ELECT
From COMPARISON OF the LIST and character OF grotos.-
cal cIdug, America win those mysterious lines across
wucn no species march, feel warranted in hArboring
cause; CHANGED life. the effect Biology is saccustomed 20
explain the cause " great gap like th whcn divides
the Pa,eOhoic and A' sozoc e Dy am ddai'an al the
P,irJz1c creased To live, but that ne succeeding
changed forms at the beginning OF the Aesuz7e Were
not The nct progeny, greatly moHnea Dy ca,"str'p-c
change. bat merely Immigrants from some oih'r con
venenuy assumed country. Iney succeed Id rendering
But they estOpped from always advancing TINS nj
grtiloh H.oi5. 1ItrH .lI m ~ 'a tVi % ri, AN ', ~ tie
horse Time. ge around the new temple 0i eYOu-
the rruudc>t oriimrht Is tnat strange 'son oi
fo~- morse shcir'"A7' hnoh- N'o'o ''',. f'.lN .
bones and neral anatomy ma! 5e ce',lied me p.gn'
/ ~ huxley and Marsh. Those two authorities, whose
knowledge We may not dispute assert mat 'ie 'iAet
cau ueucilogr the horse TIE most perfect d uou-
srulye proof Of dcrvayc genesis ever prgsrE'ed De
scent tney consider proved, bat the FOSSIL jaws are u
lrry -ucut u 20 what the cause oI the e'ol"ou may
hare studied The country from which these bones
came, and 1u Ip-e tO MAKE tliS suggestive Sr"i'-l
commentary. bei ed"h Two successive I'rHH oi
the horse there catastrophe which seriously altered
the ciiittc and c0lt-uratlJu ot ths Whole ?, !"A ia
!
that the bones prove dcscUt Ny own VorA proves tdt
each new Modification succeeded cltdSuopIe. Ana
the almost uutycrty OF such condolences L. 10 NY
rnlnd wariuu jhc ante ptt"n tat Not veJ iar IN
the future 10 De seen ti1t the et"uiIoh I'd f4FYh
meme ls tc major cause or thc evolution ~ llie
that mere MiiluusiaI s:rg-e not sue author ana
-nrr OF esoutlou; bu that H. Who prou4h' 10 pear
taf y -terOs energy call bie upou JrlmeFai mat
Ter. bestowed tie time power or development
by change. arranging tuat the inierrton ot energy anu
niltsr whIcu make mp environment should irum uihr
to time burst i'm upon ae current O Ike dnd sweep TX
ouy., and onward nIgueT and better maulrsIt-
rou~ Moments OF great catastrophe, thus u1neittcd
iaro the Language 0f lfe become mnmeut, oi crduoh
when out ui plastic organisms something newer aud
uyDler Is called into Dc-nE.