The herald., 1894-02-07

He first gave general introduction OF
evolution, including its meaning and the
progress made in it by science. 1t
would be just as easy now. he said, to go
back to the old idea OF separate creation
as it would for astronomers to give up
the belief in gravitation. No naturalist
could adopt the hypothesis of soperate
creation and then look an animal in the
face again. The law of derivation is as
much part of the laws of science as is
the law of gravitation to the astronomer.
1t is no more poss ible to tell where one
species stops and another begins, than it
is to tell where one passion in the
human being ends and another begins.
We do not know today of single
instance OF one species leaving off and
another taking its place. The law OF
derivation ie fact and it has come to
stay.
While Herbert Spencer's philosophy
will probably be rewritten within a few
years, as the knowledge of science ad-
vances, still it possesses q stability that
many others do not have. Spencer's
philosophy came over before Darwin
and mis- science.
Philosophy however, can never be
said to be true. 1t is the everlasting
perspective through which we look on
science. Man has but little chance to
note the changes in life. as his career on
earth is SO short as to be but an instan-
taneous point of time. Evolution is with
him as is thunderstorm. The flashes
of the lightning and the smaller
changes can be observed, but the more
material ones are not.
Science is Unconditional No question
OF right or wrong, moral or immoral,
governs it. The facts are worth little
until they are collected and people can
draw out the inferences. The methods
of science are observation and expert
ment. Science, however, has the right
to protect herself from premature de-
cisions and to reserve unanswered prob
lens. Science cannot recognize author
ity, intuition, speculation or logic. No
form of intuition gives the facts of the
outside world, nor is speculative
philosophy regarded as an aid by science.
Logic, also, is available only as a means
of presenting the facts in a better
shape.
The evolution Of organic species was
next treated.
Some of these factors in evolution
were regarded as gods by the people in
the early ages. Many writers also re-
B6rueu tucln as SUCH. Ii Iact Une66
tremendous forces, which act on living
things, have been at one time or an
other deified. Men have found perfect
freedom when the lines OF their lives
have been cast with those forces, but
when they go at variance with these
forces they suffer.
1t is a great advantage in the affairs OF
the world to have Inequality OF differen-
tiatlon. The laws of evolution lead TO
differentiation. There is, however, no
tendency towards progress. The move
ment of differentiation has been merely
progress in certain ways. II is mistake
to suppose that the laws OF evolution
tend to the constant or to progress. On
the contrary it is towards differentia-
ton. These forces do not work for any
thing but their own ends. They resem-
BILE the power of gravitation, which
works to bring about the cosmic order
it maintains.
The speaker then treated briefly of
the factors in organic evolution, hered-
ity, response to external stimulus. indi-
viduality. self-activity,. mutual help,
natural selection. or the survival OF the
tttest, will and effort, isolation and 9TH
ers. He was unable to make but few
remarks concerning each OF these factors,
but some will be treated in more ex-
tended style during the course.