The San Francisco call., 1895-10-08
DR.. JORDAN.

changes in animal forms, due to the dif-
ferent environments with which the
creatures had to contend.
Referring to his favorite subiect-evolu-
tion-Professor Jordan said that he is in
favor Of d distinctive name for the science
of evolution, and he indorsed the word
Economies" that has beer suggested to
distinguish the evolutionary science from
the theory.
Continuing, DR.. Jordan said:
All words undergo changes. Every word has
had long history before entering England.
Take, for example, our word star. In
Greece IL was astar. Travelling to Italy it be-
came stella; in Spain, estrella; in France,
eto1le; in Germany, sterne; in Denmark,
stierne; in Scotland, starn; and in England,
star.
Words were not native to England; they
were brought over; they were imported from
generation to generation. The aggregation of
these words and their various sounds consti-
tute the language. New words are constantly
appearing. New dictionaries boast that they
have rs 900 or so 900 new words. And in the
newspapers we find new words. We lind that
these words come from all sorts of sources.
We follow word back by its stem to find
whence 1t came and py its forms to learn where
it has been. If it end in ella" we know it has
been in Spain; if the final syllable or the $50
has been dropped from the original we know it
has been in France; if it has been cut down 10
one syllable we know it has been through Ger
many.
two
Spanish words la RATA later united and now
riata. The effects of this environment and the
effects OF ancestry are forces with which words
struggling Where three words mean the
same thing the struggle is to see which shall
survive, and it is generally the clearest one.
In the last century there was too much
theory and not enough fact. Besides the talk
ers OF the last century there were also men
who compiled information at second hand;
sometimes they did it wisely and sometimes
not wisely. Between the philosophers and the
compilers the body of the writing of the last
century was done. But the advancement of
science was accomplished by few men who
devoted their lives to independent scientific
research.
Lately Professor Patrick Geddes of England
has proposed the word Economics" as q name
for the science of evolution. The word eyolu-
tion is well enough as applied to the theory
itself, but when applied TO the science it begs
the question. The science of evolution is not
an unrolling.
The early writer's in zoology had no stand
ard, no discriminating sense as to slight diff
ferences in form due to geographical differ
ences OF location of fauna.
A man who has not 'been there has not the
valuable information of the man who actually
collected the specimens. There is a valuable
realty ABOUT what the actual witness records
The theory OF evolution had its rise in the
observation OF differences in animal FORMS
Darwin noticed that certain birds of the Gala
pago Islands were distinct in themselves and
yet that IN some respects they resembled birds
OF the nelghboring mainland of South
Ame[ica; amer -. In the same way Wallace
differ in proportion to the distances that
separate the Islands. Professor Agassiz never
studied the subject of evolution; he had not
yet come to 1t. He thought that the fishes of
the Alabama River, 10 which his attention was
attracted originated in that locality Investi-
gators are apt to forget the existence of barriers
shutting OFF species from their kind.
II you would study the animals Of a particu,
lar locality you should visit that locality Yon
can always notice defects in the work OF man
who does his scientific work at long range.
The very best results come from those who
have actually been on exploring expeditions
they saw. ~ "-"'
The study of the Indian languages could be
worked out in this way. NC
An institution like the Academy of Sciences,
think, ought to devote good deal of its time
to the proper collection of such Information
Work once well done does not have to be done
over again.
!. After DR.. Jordan's lecture was over the
Academy took up the new amendm mente
proposed by the board of trustees.
Mr.. Hittell characterized their intention
as revolutionary and calculated to chance
the whole tenor of the society. He moved
that their consideration be indefinitely
postponed.
Several speeches followed. Colonel Fred
Crocker, one of the trustees, spoke in ia.
Vor of the amendments. Ex-Governor
Perkins made vigorous speech on behalf
of the amendments or at least their discus.
sion by the members, and during his re-
marks he said that he used to consider
Mr.. Hittell an honest man when he was in
the Legislature with him. Hittell got the
floor and wanted TO know why his honesty
was impugned on the present occasion.
The purport of the amendments was the
introduction of regulation whereby all
the members OF the academy might have a
voice in the nomination of officers.
The first vote by voice was evidently
against shelving the amendments, but Mr..