New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-29

Now. the eggs Of some of these animals-Phallnsa'
for example-give birth to young which are totally
unlike the parent. The young of Phalusla Is tad
pole closely resembling that of the common frog
and the similarity is not only in outward form but
in the internal organs; more than that the res m
blance reaches absolute identity when we examine
the way in which the various organs arise
from the primitive egg-cell. There are Tour
structures which are all possessed AT
some time of its life. by every AM
nal belonging to the Vertebrata-the great
branch of the pedigree to which fishes reptiles,
birds. beasts and men bclong-and the combination
of these structural pecuarities Is overwhelming
evidence of the descent of the creatures which pos
sess the combination from common ancestor. No
animals except the vertebrates have them all.
These four great structural features are. 1. the
primitive backbone, or nOtochord 2, the throat
perforated by gl-slis 3, the tubular ncrve-cente
or spinal cord and brain placed along the back and
4. the myelonc cerebral eve. Professor Lankes-
ter presents by means of diagrams striking demon
sration of the existence of all the four characters
tic features in the tadpole OF the frog and the
Ascldian, thus clearly establishing the cassitica-
ton of the latter animal among the vertebrates.
Before the Ascidian tadpole arrives at the adult
structure goes through process OF degeneration
Attaching itself to stone by the head 1t FIRST loses
its tail with the notochord and nerve-centre by
atrophy the body changes its shape while the
cloacal chamber forms the brain remains small
and undeycloped: the remarkable myelonc eye Tor
eve IN the brain) disappears the number OF gill
Sits increases and the outer skin becomes tough.
Thus the Ascdan Phallusa shows itself to be a de-
generate vetebrate by beginning life in "recapt-
ulative phase that is, one which repeats the
structure of its remote ancestor-and losing these
significant features il grows Older.
But very often the most important of the recaptu-
lative phases are absent from the developmental
history of the animal. In the process of time they
seem to have been skipped. The egg proceeds very
rapidly TO produce the adult form, and the wonder
full series OF changes showing the anlmais ancestry
are omitted. The vertebrate character OF the
Ascidians was not suspected until the Russian nat
uralist Kowaewsky discovered the history and
structure of their young doubtless ii never would
have been suspected if the Ascidian tadpoles
had ceased to appear at geological period
anterior to the present epoch. Is it not
possible therefore that other groups of animals
besides Parasites, Barnacles and Ascldans are de-
generator Whenever we can note that a group OF
organisms is characterized by habits likely to lead
to degeneraton-snch as parasism, immobIty,
specially simple modes OF nutrition, or minute size
we NAV be justified in supposng degeneration,
from embryolcgy. Animals which may be thus
explained are the sponges. all the Polyps and Coras
and the Starfshes Rotifers. or wheel anlmalcules.
are probably descendants of far larger
and more fully organized animals t)ro-
vded with locomotive APPENDICES or limbs !;
and oysters, clans, ETC., can be accounted for as
degenerate descendants of higher type of head
bearing active creatures Ike the cutlefsh.
The traditional history of mankind furnishes
notable examples of degeneration; and Professor
Lancaster thinks ii worth while to consider the
possibility of degeneration among the present white
races of Europe. As compared with the immedi-
ate forefathers of our cvllization-the ancient
GIeeks-we do not appear to have improved
so far as our bodily structure is concerned.
Tor assuredly so far some of our mental capaci-
ties are concerned. Our powers of cOaceiving and
expressing beauty of form have certainly not in
creased since the days of the Parthenon and Aphro-
dte of Melos In matters of the reason, in the de-
velOpment of intellect. we may seriously inquire
how the case stands. Does the reason of the aver
age man of civilized Europe stand out clearly as an
evidence of progress when compared with that of
the men of bygone ages 7 Are all the inventions
and Pigments of human superstition and folly, the
sef-In1iced toruring of mind. the reiterated sub
stitution of wrong for right, and Of falsehOod for
truth which dIstigure our modern civilizatlon-are
these evidences of progress In such respects we
have at least reason to fear that we may be degen
crate. Possibly we are all drifting, tending to the
condition of intellectual Barnacles or Ascdians.
1t is possible for us-just as the Ascidian throws
away its tail and It's eye and sinks into Qniescent
state of inferortyto reject the good gift OF reason
with which every child IS born, and 10 degenerate
into contented life of material enjoyment accom-
panied by ignorance and superstition. The uuprej-
udiced. all questioning spirit of childhood may not
inapty be compared to the tadpole tail and eye OF
the young Ascdan have to fear lest the pre-
JUDGES, preoccupatons and dogmatsm of modern
civilization should in any way lead to the atrophy
and loss of the valuable mental qualities inherited
by our young forms from prmeval man."
Fortunately however, we have the power OF
knowing what will conduce to our higher develop
ment and we shall find our safeguard and or stIm
illus the full and earnest cultivation of Science
the knowledge of Causes" We shall eat CT the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil and then
our eyes shall be opened, and we shall not die