Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-03-26
LETTERS on NATURAL HISTORY.
Rudimentary Forms Of Life.
BY DIR. HIRAM A, CUTTING.


ourselves about the space of time between
the various creations. Geology by show
ing that the rocks of our globe were
formed at different periods. and that they
are still forming in various parts of the
ocean, shows that all is not yet finished,
and while this was once supposed to con-
hict with revelation, all now believe it
true, and rs truth in whatever form it ap-
pears can never be in contradiction to the
Christians God, no one at present supposes
it 10 conflict with him. That the world
thus is . planet of progress would ind-
cate that everything else might be. The
science of breeding animals, and of chang
ing plants by cultivation gave rise to the
Darwinian theory, SO called, that sup
posed that from the first created germ
came, by development and Improvement,
every animal of earth, sea and air, and
from the same development came all our
plants. This was considered rs directly
in contradiction to revelation, but that
theory does not account for the first created
germ of life; but some have attributed
that life to spontaneous generation. Thus
is life produced as they reason. by special
conditions of light, elementary substances
and electricity. Reasoning in this train it
would seem evident that if that theory
was ever correct it might be so to day !;
hence various experiments have been con,
Quoted to try and find out what that con-
dilion was, and if it could be modified or
changed by man. 1t is no new idea. As
far back in time as science becomes his
toric, we find it engaged the attention OF
the investigators. 1t may not be uninter-
esting to recall some of the wisdom OF
past ages and compare it with our present
enlightenment.
First, it was noticed that if section Of
country was cleared of its growth of tim
Der, that the succeeding growth was never
like the preceding. Thus if forest of
spruce and hemlock was cleared Off there
Immediately sprung up birch and maple
This thousand years ago was supposed
10 be new creation, but now known tC
come from seeds in the ground, that vege-
tate, and as it was then supposed that
animals were an offshoot or product oi
plants, it was also believed those new
created trees, now and then, ut least, bore
crop of birds or animals of new variety
or species. Thus the great historian O
science sketched with pen. for the contem.
plation of our credulous forefathers, trees
bearing fruit in different stages of develop
ment, for birds,a bill sticking ont, here and +
wing there, with fully fledged birds pick
ing themselves up after having ripenoc
and fallen from the tree. Aldrovanlus
followed and claimed to correct in hi
drawings some Of the drawings Of Nun
Stcr. hut still retained the dogma. Bu
this erroneous story becomes more prom.
incrt when we see the learned ornitholo
Gsts four hundred years later propaget,
these ridiculous fables in their works.
They then maintain that sea ducks ar,
thus produced, but rather dispute the theo
~ that land birds are, at least, at tha
time, though admit they might have beer
earlier.
Then the flesh maggot was grasped AS ;
spontaneous product of all flesh, and for
long time that was 3 standing example o
continuous creation, or spontaneous pro
duetion. At length Buf1om annihilate,
that theory by showing them the produc
Of various flies, and showing fully tn,
Transformation of many insects. Fol
many wears this then old theory slum
hrred, but with the invention and improve
mcnt of tho microscope came n vast tielc
f unexplored nature. and with it the re
vivcd theory Of spontaneous generation
1t would, of course, be tiresome 10 follow
these theories one after another rs the
came to the surface, were urged with ap
parent reason. and at length exploded b.
fact. The yeast plant will take for a
and most familiar objects with which W
are acquainted. First, we will notice tn
fact that this plant is universal. In othe
words is found very soon to infest ever
liqui ! containing sugar, which means al
juices of plants, fruits, and various ohe
fluids. No matter how pure and clear tn
iuid be at starting, if exposed at sum
mcr temperature the liquid soon become
turbid, and by and by little bubbles of ga
given off by the growing yeast plant ris
through it, scum forms on the top, an
the matured plant, called " lees" sink t
the bottom. This goes on until all III
sugar is used up, then it stops, the liqui
becomes again clear, but it has changed
The growing plant has impaired ne,
property that intoxcates or poisons, an
is known as alcohol. Nothing can b
more innocent than a solution of sugal
nothing more detrimental than alcoho
and yet all this change has been wrougl
10y a plant microscopically small. S
small, in fact, that floating in our atmo
phere everywhere are the germs, ready
pro- agate the plant under favorable eli
cumstances. When the fluid containin
sugar is reduced to freezing the plar
ceases to vegetate. 1t is through tn
provision that farmers are enabled to max
maple sugar, though us it gets war;
weather their sap sours, or in other word
this fungi vegetates, The bIoplas
spoken of in my last, here weave the IN
croscopic plant. 1t is here their nature
do so and no man can pewcst it, Th
for long lime was an undisputed exam
pie Of spontaneous generation. But b
and by the microscope revealed its spore
~ seeds. and showed they hoated in th
atmosphere, and the doctrine was the
buried to crop out again in our time
,ibrioncs and bactureas. These organ
i-m, arc some Of the most minute that tll
microscope reveals TO us, and is cons'