The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-05-27

contrary, it was universally admitted
that the key to the past was to be founo
in the present. He believed there was
nothing which had 80 fixed the doctrine
of evolution in the minds Of sclenilnc
men as the realization of this fact. Mr.
Darwin's work was but the natural sup
plement to Sir Charles LyelPs 'Prlncl'
pies of Geology" The kernal of Mr.
Darwin's book lay in the assertion mat
the All al species and the organic DC,
ings with which the world was peopied
had all descended, each within ls own
class sprang from a common root ahu a
common parent, but they had all Deeh
modified in the course OF their descent,
and, further, when be said that all the
existing forms of life were the Ilneal de-
scendants of those which had lived be-
fore the Silurian epoch. If that propo-
sition was true, the book was the most
considerable contribution which had
been given to the world since the time
of Harvey; and if it was false, the rest
of the book was of no consequence. The
necessary Corollary to that proposition
was that all forms Of life had been con-
nected together, but this was the point
whitehead been most 6ercely attacked in
the discussions to which Mr.. Darwin's
book had given rise The Professor then
proceeded to deal at length with this
part of the subject. The absence OF any
material distinction between man and
the higher animals was a point which 1t
took some three or four years to get set
tied, but it was admitted now on all
hands the connection between the birds
and the other branches of the animal
kingdom was another point which had
been cleared up by subsequent discov'
cries, notably of the arCheoptay. Again,
the apparent gap between vegetable life
had been disposed of. Investigations
which had been mado since 1859 had
shown how utterly impossible 1t was to
attempt to draw any distinction between
the lower animals and the lower plants.
| Lastly, the influence which had power.
fully contributed to change the state OF
mind in which these matters were con-
sidered was the marvellous development
of the means of individual investigation.
We had now attained a position in these
matters of which our fathers had no con-
ception, and it was now possible to make
a complete and accurate examination OF
the ovary of any organism, and even to
reduce it the thousandth part of an inch.
But he had always felt that the real evil
denCe in favor of evolution must be with
the pal@ontl logist Mr.. Darwin has &C.
counted to some of his critics for the de-
fcienCies which he felt existed on this
branch by referring to the imperfeCtlon
of the geological records; but by a sim
gular fate these imperfeCtions had, sine
1919, been supplied by researches all
over the world, especially those in the
neighborhood of Athens, and by discov-
cries of the American biologists in the
Western Territories. The fact was that
the doctrine of evolution was nc longer
a matter of speculation, it was an ahso-
lutte fact. The fact was there was no
other supposition which could connect
the facts revealed by recent discoveries
except that which was called evolution,
He might be told that these various OBJ
jeCts might have been developed spon'
~taneously and created spontaneously
He had nothing to say to any n who
advanced hat theory any more than he
should have anything to say to the saw
age who said that the sun set in the
West at night and was created before its
rising the next day. IA laugh Thus
in the year 1880 the doctrine Of evolu.
ton was no longer a matter of speCula.
ton. 1t was simply the only way Of co.
herently and nationally explaining the
facts of paIaontology,- London Standard