The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-06-30

~ .r~-r or~anss-r,- and which he consit-
cred to the physical basis OF life ms
doctrine, advanced IN his trerchanf sryie
and with fAs felicity OF Illustration ana
vfror of argument, attracted very wide
spread attention. It WIS followed py q
yet moro startling doctrine, advocated
before the British association at Belfast
IN 1874. and based on the phenomena OF
certain cases OF brain injury. to the enect
that the seeming voluntary movement OK
animals and even those or man. are
really automatic and independent OF VIII
and TO some extent consciousness It
embraced the definite declaration that an
animal IL . machine. q sort or highly
complex clock. wound UP to run Tor q
certain period, and that such conscious
ness a. exists IL but a side-product or it
activities, and has no actual controlling
influence over these activities Apart
from these side issues OF a wildly active
mind, and from a strong tendency to gem
erallzation, Prof. Huxley was one OF the
most exact and interchangeable Of scde1t-
lists. and pursued his studies with an in
tensity Injurious TO his health His re-
searches covered the various fields or
comparative anatomy. nlorphology, phys
iology, embryoiogy. paleontology, etc,
and in addition to much exact knowledge
have led TO many valuable generaliza-
tons IN the affinfties and classification OF
animals. He was the first TO remove the
echinoderms from the radiates. and 10
prove their affinity TO the vermes; he
made important advances IN our knowl-
edge Of the morphology OF the molusca
and arthropoda, and offered vany yaIua-
BILE suggestions in classifcations. His
Manual Of the Anatomy Of the Verre-
brate Animals favorabiy compares with
the splendid works Of Gegenbaur on this
subject while it's brilliant handling OF the
problems Of comparative anatomy was
completed In 1877 by his Anatomy OF In
vertebrate Animals" In his dealing with
the yertebrates he has been as suggestive
and as happy in his handling of the low
er orders Of life, and has displayed
marked power of scientific foresight in
his almost prophetic conceptions OF the
character of the early birds and Of the
progenitors of the horse, conceptions
which have been strikingly verified by
the discovery Of toothed birds by Prof.
Marsh, and OF the tertiary ancestors Of
the horse.
OF his services an classification may be
mentioned his discovery OF the close affin-
tiles of birds and reptiles, his grouping
OF them In one class under the same
Sauropsida, and his like combination of
batrachians and fishes into The single
class of Ichthyopsida. He had. In fact,
an unusually broad and clear discernment
of the laws OF the afhnitieS of organic
nature, and can be credited with the
honor OF scarcely ever making q mistake
in scientific deduction. despite the volum-
inous character of his work. Prof. Hux-
ley by no means confined Mis- attention
strictly to biological science. He strayed
to the fields Of physical geography In HE
"Physiography, an Introduction TO the
Study of Nature while he kept him
self well acquainted with the poetry, flo
ton and other literary work of the day.
One example OF his interest in general top
les We possess in his biography of Hume In
which are displayed all the vigorous COM
mand of language and literary richness
of style which have done so much to
give POPULARITY 20 his works on abstruse
scientific subjects. Other illustrations
OF the same ability may be found in his
Lay Sermons" his "CritiQues and Ad-
dresses" his Lectures to Workmen,'
etc. AS a public speaker he was quiet.
deiiberative. fluent, almost colloQuial in
manner. BY his numerous lectures and his
many popular works he has done much
towards spreading the modern concep-
lions OF biological science among the gen
eral public. And he has accomplished
the difficult task of rendering Ineligible
to educated people generally some Of the
most difficult of scientific problems. He
was corresponding member OF numerous
ton medal of the Geological Society, the
honorary title of LII. d. from the Uni
versities of Edinburgh. Dublin and Cam
bridge. and other marks of high appre-
citation both from foreign and home
sources. Recently his health had been so
affected by his arduous labors that he
had been obliged 10 resign the several
positions which he held. those Of natural
list OF the geological survey. inspector OF