Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-02-27
PROF. DANA ON EVOLUTION.
He Believes with Darwin that MAN
May Have Descended from Apes.

Prof. Danas sixth lecture on evolution at
Yale last Saturday treated on the fundamental
laws restricting and giving direction to varia-
ton. He said:
"Plants and animals have structural polarity.
plant sends a root down as well as a stem up
and this must have been involved in the plants
physiology and chemistry, sending the part
which needs the light above the ground. Ceph-
alization is the predominant head structure OF
the animal. When the tadpole natures IL
roses It's tail. legs grow, and there Is also a
headward and progressive movement OF the
force. When the caterpillar passes to "a but
terny IL loses a large part OF its body, and the
size and strength OF its head is increased and
the anterior roriop , n than anm hs,es os e
changes, as the caterpillar to the but
terfy and Others, they mature. Darwin
holds that man descended from species OF apes
now extinct, but other nafuralisis hold that the
different races OF men came from different spe-
cieS of apes We agree with Darwin that an
men must have descended from one species.
The lower races of man occupy the least inhabi-
table parts OF the earth. The likeness OF man 10
dent that both may have descended from the
same ancestors. Man has an erect structure,
when the ape has not, and the ape has muscles
| In the back of its neck to allow IL To hold its
head horizontal. The form Of the head of a
young ourang outang is nearly like that OF an
infant. In the ape the brain reaches its perfec.
ton long before that OF man. but the size of the
brain is the most marked difference. Ii man
has descended from apes, ii must have been
from a long series OF ancestors. The links in
this chain have been eagerly sought for, and
man has been traced back far beyond his
supposed existence.
Geology shows nothing sure in the progress
of species. The creation OF being with a soul
| must have required divine fat, although 10y
evolution man may have come from lower ami.
mails, but needed help from God to complet.
the work. Living beings have come forward
with some law which corresponds with the geo
logical changes and ii is shown by geology that
the genesis must have been for a very long
time distinctly appointed son OF progress. II
| IL can be shown that progress went forward by
| nature, II would be strong argument for TN,
| evolutionist. We plant seeds and expect Il
| gather the same kind of fruit. The difference
1 between varieties and species is only diiier
| ence of degree. Permanence OF species may
make the variation OF species by natural laws
| very doubtful, and some species are known e.
have lasted a great length OF time. How Ions
| would it take, then, TO evolve from the lower
animals TO man? Darwin says the geological
record is broken sometimes for millions OF years
| and here he is right.
''Of marine life the rocks give better account
but many of these rocks are now submerged
| and so give us no help. There are no true ma
rine rocks on the Atlantic coast, and therefor,
| We have 10 look for our marine record Ia Tn,
Rocky mountains: The geological record lis al
| against the degradation OF species. The mann
mails were early of great size, and appear In
| the same strata of rocks. We know nothing o
| their ancestors. Genera and species stand "A,
| tar apart in geology they do i'm nature. but q,
| not prove that through variation species have
been produced. The cases OF gradual Transition
| brought to our view by geology are few, and 20
| to prove the theory of evolution. Geology doe,
not give its support TO gradual variation, as i
ought on account of its broken record Darwin
| implies that creation by Divine intervention il
creation withouta any special order. The eNistenc,
of food eaters to correspond with the deyourerr
| of plants is very essential. Nature has il.
pessimistic side which troubles men. On,
| theologian said, God may have left his work
| to be- finished by apprentices How could M
| elephant, for instance, have been created? W.
might say we cannot measure Gods power bu
| it is better TO say that animals may not hay,
been created from dead vegetable matter, o
| evolved from lower species, but by a specia
Divine fiat. The fact that the general system
OF progress in nature was system of eyolu
| ton is shown by the change from the lower &,
the higher. The living forms OF the younge
world correspond with the young of the modern
| world. 70