The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-02-07

In his reply TO Professor virchow's
charge that the evolution theory is a.
yet matter Of opinion, not demon
strated position in science, Professor
Haeckel takes occasion to state very
forcibly the nature and scope OF the
theory Of descent and the broad ground
of fact on which it rests.
However complex in its details, the
great problem of organic derivation Is es-
sentially simple. Species must have come
into existence in one Of two ways-Dy
natural development or by supernatural
creation. There is no third way. On
the one side is the old theory that or
ganisms were created specifically dis
tinct, as they are, as they were, as they
ever must be, independent in origin and
permanent in form and character. On
the other hand stands the theory that
the different species Of organisms are
intimately related, have developed
naturally from earlier forms. have de-
scended from common ancestral types.
On which side lies the weight of evil
dence? At starting, Professor Haeckel
concisely defines the relation of the
three great theories Of modern biology:
/. Monism, the universal theory OF evo-
luton, or the monistic progencsis theo-
ry, is the only scientific theory,
which nationally explains the uni
verse and satisfies the desire for causal.
ity in the human mind, since it brings
all natural phenomena into mechani-
cal causal connection as parts Of great
and uniform (etnheul,ch) process OF de-
velopment; ?. Transformism, or the
theory Of descent, is an essential and in
dispensable part of the monistic evolution
theory, because il is the only scientific
theory which explains the origin Of or
ganic species in a rational manner,
namely, by transformation, and reduces
this transformation to mechanical
causes; 3. The theory Of selection, or
Darwinism, is up 70 the present the
most important one among the different
theories, which try 10 explain the trans
formation Of species by mechanical
causes; but 1t is by no means the only
one Even If we suppose that most
species have originated through natural
selection, yet we know, on the other
hand, that many forms called species
are merely hybrids from two different
species and are propagated as such; at
the same time we can easily conceive
that other causes may be acting in the
formation Of species, causes of which we
have no idea at present. To decide
what importance natural selection has
in the origin of species is left TO the
judgment of the various naturalists, and
in this question the authorities differ
materially even to-day. Some ascribe
a greater, others smaller importance
to it.. But the different estimation of the
value Of Darwinism is quite independent
OF the absolute validity of the theory Of
present the only theory which explains,
in rational way, the origin Of species.
The theory Of creation explains moth
ing, and is inconsistent with vast null
titude Of demonstrated facts and laws.
The scientific certainty of the theory of
descent, on the contrary is based upon
the totality Of biological phenomena.
Professor Haeckel shows that all phe-
nomena of morphology and physiology,
OF Chronology and 1cology, Of ontogeny
and pal:eonlology, can only be explain
ell BY the theory of descent, and re-
duced TO mechanical causes. The guar
antee Of the truth Of the theory lies par
ticularly in the fact that the last simple
causes are the same for all these COM
plicated phenomena, and that other me-
chanicai causes can not be imagined If
further proofs are demanded, where are
they to be looked for? In Professor
Haeckel's words, "where in the world
are we TO find facts which speak loud
er than the facts of comparative NOR
rho1nov md rahvoinlarv the facts ~ r,s