Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-03-15

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Professor .. .. Newhevy, Of c. -
bia College, lately delivsfsd ; l11ets
before the New Yosk Aeadem4 ot
Science On me subject 81 - volusi
TIE hectares took sBe opPesfmss of
presenting 10 bis audience card -.
suns % fhs various sha3ss 90 splAi IS
those who ere afrayed in antsg0mis -
this mueh dssemNsed qaesli0a. AANas
were arranged asdes font kFosf8.
The ErsR, that fepfesemtea W Hzr.
Dsrwin, who essims thal alI che Coz Ben
aad symmetrical forms ofthe isuna I'D
sora, the asimal end plant life q zks
present dsy. afe derived lrom i -
initial 0fgunie points. With tlls doSlssne
of The sufvivsl Of The iittest.
Secondly, those who follsw the lead
ership of DR.. Charles Bastian, who 90
q step farther back, and claim that the
Initial point Of life developed aecosding
to the DsrwinssH hypothesis 10 . lie
germ produced from snorganic substan-
ces. OF ti.is class are the maiesialssts
or Abiogenesists; while Haxiey, DaF.
win, and the most distinguished Of mo-
dern biologists are Biogenssists; THAI %,
they disclsim any knowledge or corr
prehension Of life, except as the pro-
geny Of pre-existent life.
Thirdly, the group Of thinkers Of
which Professor Asa Gray - Q type.
who accept the theory Of evolution rs
IN explanasion Of the Enethod by which
IN inscrutable power has produced all
ihe phenOmena ot creation. Ets ad-
herents see In the theory nothing incOn-
sistent with the e4isteaes ofa supreme
Deity or With revelations. -
And lastly, The class oG Which Pro-
fessor Dawson, OF Monsresl, Is the
champion, who reject ell forms of evO-
lution g Inconsistent with revelation
and true science.
Professor NewbeFry next expressea
his intention Of stating some OF the facts
which geology olefs t0the sincere inquiF-
er after light on this subject, rstheTthan
70 advocate either one theory or anoth-
er. In commencing this breach of the
subject be observed that ID past ages
series ofrock formations have been.made
which lnclose relics Of animals and
plants that lived In iosmeF times. u
Tkese series Tot rocks eonsasn . more
OF less history Of the changes which took
place on the earth's surface through
millions Of years anterior to the advent
Of man. 4 Ct
- The fossils Of the PslsozoiE end Mes.
ozoie ages are sboat all eEtinct. II To-
oaly whea we come 90 the Tertiary o.
Neozoic age that We meet with . re.
mains of living terms. sa go
what We call our terra Grma is2e4lly
q type OF instability, for under the con.
stantiy acting process Of contraction,
the crust or The earth 10 constantly be-
ing moved and folded, end that some-
what irregularly, 80 that In all ages
some portions of the land have been
gong up. other portions down. and
wherever the surface passed below the
sea level the water would dow in and
deposit upon IL one or snotker Of the
kinds Of sediment which we find i'm the
series OF rocks. Sediments ere still
forming from the shells and skeletons
Of animals which inhahit the eea and
which in death sInk % the bottOa.
in each age there hss been subsi.
denee of the iand, wAieh shzs bsEtnittesi
the see 10 Gov oser ard deposit over
the Submerged surface sediments which
conta;n 10 greater OF less numbers the
remains of the animals and plants then
living. This rock history 10 iheempletes
becaase not ell the fofms of lie Whieh
existed would be preserved, partly be-
rause many we're persshahle, and chie6y
those that inhabit the seas or dFiIted
INTO them would not Iesse any relics
behind them. This history, though
more complete than would be at FIRST
supposed possible, is confessedly de-.
iective, and has been but partially read.
Great areas OF the earth's surface have
yet been unstudsed BY geOlogists.
While the subject il to be greatly IL
Illuminated BY failure discovery. there
is very little probability that The geneF-
al conclusions Of paieontoIgy win ex-
perienee any important modification.
In tracing the sppeaFsnce oe the va
rions lorms Of life upon the earth. Pro-
fessor Newberry commenced with the
mammals, W hick began their existence, 50
iar Is We know, IN the TFias. bot through
cut the Afesozoic ages held IN altogeth-
CT subo.diaate and insigni6cant posisioa.
The reptiles occupied the sea. the,
land. and the asr, tor they we're SWIM
mers, walkers. and Elefs, The sea rep
tiles resembling the whalss as we know
them. and the sea serpemts ~ we ima-
CINE them TO exist at present. ali
The Professor next referred to the
.fsst bird 80 lar as j. known. The s4rcbe-
epsevsx, and described its GOrm aad
those Of the Tying drsgoas O. pierodac-
tyls of thu JnFsssie end esfsaeeOus Pc
RODS. 49,, 1900 =,
In the Tertiary. TIE Vegetables was
apparently more Iuxuriant and eeauti-
fuf than that 'of che present day. Cor che
grmndest and smost interesting of ouE
hsing forest trees, The great SeqnOiaa
Of California, the redwood and the Enam-
moth trees, our tulip trees. maguOlias.
sycamores, and Expresses. sfe the In
gering rsmusnts Of the msgn:6cens tbs'
ests which e0vefed s0ur conainene even
% the Arctic sea. = ili
The Tertiary las bees wei nalset
The age 81 manssnals. Brute force thss
ruled Tie world; foF msn, Us psessnl
master. hsa nos yet spPeasea % %
stage.
Dussnx Tie zee perica she elimsis y
Greeniaad was bFosght ss fss seaih y
New York, and bro&en sheets q -