The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-19
THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION.
Its Deductions Strongly Denied by the Lon
don Philosophical Institute.

Its Deductions Strongly Denied by the Lon
don Philosophical Institute.
correspondence Of the indianapolis Journal
LONDON, June 25.-Sir Henry Barkly, c.
MIG, FRS, took the chair at the annual
meeting of the Victoria (PhilosophicaD In
stitute, at Adelphi Terrace, London, in the
last week in June. The honorary secretary,
Captain F. Petrie, FRS. L., read the report
by which it appeared that the Institute
founded to investigate all questions of phi
losophy and science, and more especially any
alleged to initiate against the truth of reye-
lation-had now risen to 1,020 members, of
whom about one-third were foreign, colonial
and American, and new applications to join
were constantly coming in. An increasing
number of leading men of science had
Joined It's ranks, and men of science, whether
in its ranks or not, co-operated in its work.
During the session a careful analysis had
been undertaken by Professor Stokes, f. R
s. Sir J. r. Bennett vice-pres. r. S., Pro-
lessor Beale, F. r. S., and others, of the va
rious theories of evolution, and it was re-
been met with giving countenance to the
theory that man had been evolved from a
lower order in animals; and Professor Vir-
chow had declared that there was a complete
absence of any fossil type of a lower stage in
the development of man; and that any posi-
tive advance in the province of prehistoric
anthropology has actually removed us fur
Their from proofs of such connection, name
", with the rest of the animal kingdom In
Rar ba
tologist, had concurred, declaring that in
none of his Investigations had he found any
one fossil species develop into another. In
fact, it would seem that no scientific man
had yet discovered link between man and
the ape, between fish and frog, or
between the vertebrate and the invertebrate
animals; further there was no evidence of
any one species, fossil or other, losing its pc
culiar characteristics to acquire new ones be-
longing to other species; for instance, how
ever similar the dog TO the wolf there was
no connecting link, and among extinct
species the same was the case; there was no
gradual passage from one to the other. More
over, the first animals that existed on the
earth were by no means to be considered as
inferior or degraded. Among other investi-
cations, one into the truth of the argument
from design in nature had been carried on,
and had hitherto tended to fully confirm
that doctrine. The question of the Assyrian
searches had been nnder the leader
ship of Mr.. Hornuzd Rassam, who,
on his arrival from Nineveh, had given a
full report of the extent of his new
excavations, which were of the highest inter
est His discovery OF Sepharvaim. one OF
the first cities mentioned in holy writ, was
most important. Professor Delitsch and
others aided in the consideration of the dis
coveries and the inscriptions found. Two
meetings had been held to consider the ques-
tons raised in Mr. Herbert Spencer's phi
losophy and Lord O'Neill and Others bad
shown, by careful analysis of his argu-
ments that a greater attention to accuracy
in statement would have kept Mr.. Spencer
from arriving at those hasty conclusions
which had made his philosophy remarkable.
1t was announced that the results of ex-
plorations now being carried on in Egypt
would be laid before the Institute early in
the winter. The discoveries were very i'm
portant, especially that of the site of Succoth,