Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-22
THE DEATH OF DARWIN.
His Life and Works.


nounced yesterday. was born in Shrewsbury Eng
land, February 18th, 1909, where he received the
elem its Of his education at the local grammar
school. Mr.. Darwin went ia 1895 to the Univer-
sity Of Edinburgh, whence, after two years Of
study. he went to Christs College. Cambridge
At the latter place he took his degree In 1881,
and the same year volunteered as naturalist
aboard the Beagle in its exploring expedition
around the world. The publication in
1889 Of an account of his discoveries
in natural history and geology while On this
voyage was the beginning OF a career
OF authorship extending through forty-three
years. large number Of books and papers
from his pen on scientific subjects had appeared
Species by Means of Natural Selection" was
published. In it Mr. Darwin attempted to
account for the diverse forms of life on the
globe on a theory of continuous development
from simpler structures. without the Intervention
Of special creative flats at the origin of each
species. Large deductions were drawn by
others frem the principles laid down, and
" Dar Sinism" became the subject of hot
debate. catalogue of the literature of
Dafwinism contains Sc octave pages Of the
titles of books and 312 names of authors In
1871 appeared 1.-The Descent of Man. and
Selection in Relation to Sex'' work compile
mentary to that on the origin of species. In
this work it was sought to prove that man is
descended from lower order of animal-''from
a hairy quadruped. furnished with tail and
pointed ears, probably arboreal in its habits. !"
Mr. Darwin is not, however authority for the
doctrine that man is descended from the mon
Key, SO often credited to him. Nor can he be
considered the father Of the doctrine of evolu-
tiOn though he was one of its principal sup
pOrters. In this, as in other fields, the Greeks
had anticipated modern thought. The first to
form distinct hypothesis of evolution in med
ern times was Lamarck, a Frenchman, who in
1909 published his views, and Mr.. Herbert
Spencer was the first to systematic it into
philosophy Of general application. Mr.. Darwin
was famous for his habit of patient and careful
ton, confined himself to his studies in natural
history and zoology.
WHAT DARwINISM IS
Reducing the conception to the greatest pos
sble precision, Herbert Spencer defines evolu-
ton as change from the homogeneous to the
heterogenel US, from the general to the special
from the indefinite and simple to the definite
and complex. On this hypothesis. the universe
as it now exist is the result OF an almost infinite
series OF changes, ''related to and deTendent
upon each other, as successive steps, or rather
growths. constituting progress analogous to
the unfolding or evolving of the parts of a
growing organism" This process of develop
ment is considered to be 'traceable in the for
nation vi the worlds in space. in the multplica-
ton of the types and species Of plants and ami
mails on the globe, in the origination and di-
verify OF LANGUAGES, literature, arts and scien-
ces, and in all the changes of human institu-
tons and society" In biology. as at present
employed, evolution is a general name for 1.-The
history of the steps by which any living being
has acquired the mOrphOlogcal and the phys.-
illogical characters which distinguish it.
No exception is, at this time. known to the
general law. established upon an immense mul-
titude OF direct observations, that every living
thing Is evolved from q particle of matter in
which no trace of the distinctive characters of
the adult form of that living thing is discerna-
bie." The doctrine of evolution. however. ia
not identical with Darwinism. a term which
came luto current use with the publication Of
Mr. Darwin's 1.-The Origin of Species and
THE Descent of Man"
Darwinism is one of the attempts to explain
the law or manner Of evolution. finding the
cause OF the differentiation of species to lie in
the struggle OF the organism to adapt itself to
the constantly altering conditions OF it's envir-
onment. These conditions Of external life act
on plants and animals in their natural state
with an effect analogous to that by which arti-
ncial cultivation or breeding by man can change
and improve the characteristics of the different
domestic plants and animals. This process of
the operation of natural circumstances. BY
which those varieties or individuals best adapted
to their surroundings Of climate, station. char
acter OF soil, fOod-supply and the number and
kind of living being competing in the struggle
Tor existence" are preserved The longest in life
was called by Mr.. Darwin natural selection"
But he not only saw that the constant battle for
life going on among living creatures must be a
'winnowing and improving process, those least
adapted to the situation giving way before
those better adapted; it was his merit to
discover that natural selection is capable of pro-
pitctn3 fitness between organisms and their cir
cumstanccs and Of discerning the Importance
of the consequences that follow" From the al
nj lictS hat
tural selection was potent in the production of
varieties in species, Mr.. Darwin went further.
aud held that one species sprang from another
by al ong continued process Of slow variation
and natural selection"
nARwIN's THEORY OF EVOLUTION.
The article on Evolution" in the Encyclopedia
Britannica, written by Professor Huxley and
James snlly, has the following regarding Mr.
Darwin:
The honor of working out this theory of evolu-
ton on substantial basis of fact belongs to
England Of the writer's who have achieved this
result Mr.. Darwin deserves the first notice.
Though modestly combining himself to the prob
lem of accounting for the evolution of the higher
organic forms out of the lower. Mr. Darwin has
done much to further the idea of gradual evOu-
ton of the physical world. The philosophical
significance of the hypothesis Of natural selec-
ton, especially associated with Mr.. Darwin is
due. as Professor HelmhOltZ points out, to the
TACT CnaC IL introduces strictly mechanical con-
ceptiOn in order to account for those init icate
arrangements known as organic adaptations
which had before been conceived only in teleu-
logical manner. By viewing adaptations as con-
ditons of self-praservation Mr.. Darwin is able to
explain how it is that the seemingly purposeful
abOunds in organic nature. In SO doing he has
done much to eliminate the theological method
from biology. 1t is true that in his conception
of seemingly spontaneous variations and of COR
relations of growth he leaves room for the old
manner of viewing organic developments as con-
trolled by some internal organizing principle.
Yet his theory, as a whole. is clearly heavy
blow to the theological method.
Again, Mr.. Darwin has greatly extended the
scope Of mechanical Interpretation by making
Ineligible, apart from the cooperation of in
telligent purpose, the genesis of the organic
world as harmonious system of distinct
groups, unity in variety, having certain we'll
marked typical afinities. How greatly this ar
rangement has helped to support the idea OF an
ideal plan, we have had occasion to observe
Mr.. Darwin, i'm his doctrine of the organic world
as survival refers this appearance Of syste-
matte plan to perfectly natural causes, and in so
doing he gives new meaning to the ancient
theory that the harmony of the world arises out
Of discOrd. Once more, Mr. Darwin's hypothesis
is of wide philOs0phic interest, since it helps to
support the idea of perfect graduation in the
progress Of things. The variations which he
postulates are slight, if not infinitesimal, and
only effect n SansihIa al Ar r,ornLoIo.,;