Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-03-24
'.I'he Problem Of Euman Lille, &C.
BY A. MILFORD HALL,

how Dir. a. MILFORD Hsl in this remarkable
b>tk exposes the oouscnso Of Prof. TsndalpS
explanation of his experiment 10 which be pro.
f.ss;d 10 Jlo,v ont Q CANDID with sound, wo wish
in this paper to shCH Eo8 the author makes
similar exposure CT HUXLEY. Our extracts are
from Tho Problem Of Lille. &c." PIP. 1913
504, ths authors criticism on HuxIey's famous
NcE York lectures. CO the Fossil Horse
"The names gives TO these fossil animals in
their order. as claimed. from the resent horse
doT1Ward, ere the PiiohpDus, Pfotohippus.
Miobppus, Mesohippus. and Orohppus The
first 10 this list has o toot nearly like the hooi
Of cur borse the second has three fairly devel-
oped toes; tho third hes thrco toes moro dis
lino:ly differentiated; AID the fourth and fifth
still moro so,-.he last having four toes in front
ind three behind to each foot
Now Huxley claimed in his New York Il cute
thu! in these successive forms CT The horse,
'the history of the horse type is exactly and
precisely that which coull have been predicted
from knowledge Ct the principles Of evolu1
ticn." lilo then goes on to foretell that ether
forms will set be discovered. end the irks of the
chain being all thus supplied in his imagination,
ho sweopinsIY c!Dcludos, And tho doctrine
CT evolution ct tho present time rests upon
exactly as secure fouodation as the Coperni.
can theory Of the motions Of thu heavenly bo
dea,
Mr.. Hall says, in r,fereGca 10 this which
Huxley seize ed cs complete proof Of evolution.
Strange as it may seem to the reader, it fatty
eoq'radiots every known principle Of evolution,
as COW procsed to demonstrate" He refers
m tF ho Iruo nj lilo al dnE n;tiop
Of "evouIien" as given by Darwin, Huxley aud
Spencer" Tho latter distinctly and repeat
cdly declares that all evolution or development
signifies change from the homogeneous to the
heterogeneous. from the simple to the complcc
from tho fen parts to tho multiplication Of
parts. I1sead Of this 'demonstratiye evl.
denue furnished by Prof. Huxley in tho history
Ct the horse genus corresponding With these
principles Of evolution as laid down by Her.
bert Spencer, tho lecturer deliberately ignores
both tho Intelligence of bis auditors and the
accepted definitiou of words. ard assured his
hearers that 50 far from evolution meaning q
change from the homogeneous to tho heteroge'
Eecua II ccn:lsts ia change from the four tool
orohippuS to the unl ungulata, or to the homo.
geueous hoof Of the horse"
Thus the overwhelmingly 0cmonstratirc
tritlcncc of erolutt0n. which rests upon er.
dctly as secure q foundation as the Copernican
theory of tho movements Of tbe heavenly
bodies, turrs out to be just 90 evidence at all.
while. at the same time, it fatty coDtradics all
the ideas and "priuciples OF evolution" end
ignores its true dtfoiion ls Acknowledged BY
III. whole world! Was thcIo ever more sig
nal and piliabo Collapse Of an argument before
an Intelligent eudieuo,?" \ Y
"P, Of Huxley. = = took for his text
thu history Of the hose and fastened upon
tho Word evolution applying it to tho sup
pos;d transformation of the orohippus, with
t0uG peilec. toes, into horse, With 20 toes at
ell: and thus 10 tho amusement oil the rejecting
portion o! bis 2rrgatiop, be showed c,m>
plctc misunderstanding OF the leading word in
his text, making it teach the exact opposite OF
its tluo qualification ell The way through In.
stead Of sleclirg evolution be should have
chosen the word deterioration or 'rctropres'
sion. silco thoso words convey tho exact id 20
he was trying 10 develop. While aiming 10
prove TINT tho orotippus. with four distinctly
developed and highly differentiated toss, had
gradually degencratcd into tho horse, with
slusle Lou ogencous, undiferentiated, clumsy
hoof lie lnnCc2nly supposed, ami 50 did scms
OF his congregation who happeucd 10 be 90
better pcstt than tho Professor, that this poin.
backward was dtvsl2pment-this retroert s:icn
was sulvival ct tho 6!tcst-and this degeneracy
Wss lvoluiol! lie then Woupd up, IS haze
quoted, That is what mem, ladies and zen.
men, BY aemonstratire crttlcace Of erolutson'"
|. y X
"A moro ab5uldy parverss and reckless
statement than this OF Prof. Huxley, in ccma
pairing the &c e1I(c basis Of evolution, sg
shown b. tho history Of tho horse to tina. of
the Corcr0Ican system ef astronomy, wss never
made by scientist having tho least REPUTATION
ttr accuracy CT judgment. How au ioteIligeat
suGicDoo composed OF SC entiic aud learned ner
c}u't sit q7letIy by and hear such a mcnst.ous
sud transparent flllacy proclaimed to the world
Ei!hoa' feSuk'oe 1t m the 'plt, is moro than !
"As | vas cot pie7ou!, take The liberty of
colag SO ca this page, here and now; and With
ii, 0t tXpEts,!ps the deliberate orinion that
scientist os veil Informed as Prot. Hrx'oy must
&c. who c!c wlic cut and then read to Great
auGlacco auoh statement, 10 dc6auco of tho
laws OF logic GEd tho t.c's Of scic1ca Justly for
let's Tho c1uhdeIc, ct the world till such time
ss he shall publicly rapourca it, +
Tho advocate of tie Copernican theory cln
90 back tens Of thousands OF years, or even to
the time Of the orohippus, and tell to a single
minute when an eclipse Of the sun or moon com-
menced or endo1 and no can then figure for
ward. under the rules and principles lsid down
by Copornicus, Kepler and Newton, to the far
distant future. and record with mather atical
certainty the precise minute when Venus shall
begin Its ten.thousandth transit from the one 70.
Gently witnessed ~
What inscru!able Rsi ursnco. then, in soien.
list asserting in the face of such mathematical
facts as these that tho evolution of the horse, by
it's degenerscy from more highly orgsnizad
and differentiated animal, is as demonstraJLy es-
ta0tssked as the Copernican system of astrono-
ny ct these are the teachers who sneeringly
allude to the marvellous 1e1ibllity of Scriptula al
language, which msy possibly have a double
Specifications who vaunlingly bid US accept
cuch science D as eroluti0n, based on the 'histo-
~ Of The horse in place Of the religion Of thu
New Te:tsment.-Tho lesrnedy ignore Intelli
gent Causstion, laugh st the superstitious
idea of the Immortality of the scu',-aud cil,r
es substitute for all these this 'demonstrativo
evidence, that WeIars lineal descendants of pol
lyWogs and lzlrdsl" .
1T is simply matter of asionishment that
every argum ent adduced by these authors, on
bling brought 10 the Test Of even q casual ex.
animation, should not only have turned out |