The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-01
WHAT EVOLUTION Is.
President Jordan Explains the
Scientific Principle.
MAN NO DEVELOPED MONKEY.
He Tells In Iucfd style How Natural
Laws Work Gut-Some Develop
ment Is Downward.

President Jordan, OF Stanford university.
was greeted b. large and cultured audi
ence at Ranke hall Friday evening. where
he delivered a lecture on Evolution
What II Is and What II Is Not" under
the auspices Of the Young Naturalists' So
eiety of this city. Or. Jordan Is disciple
OF Huxley. and has devoted a great deal
OF time 10 the slnplifseation and populari-
cation of scientific subjects His style Is
char rling simple, clear. easy and unaf-
fected. and although he is a rapid and eie-
CANT talkcr il is easv for the unseientific
auditor TO follow his thought. He said
that evolution is the science which treats
OF the facts and laws Of change and
charges essentially stting the surround
ings He showed that there was such
thing as change in nature. Changes In life
are in the direction of better fitting Great
urss to their surroundings. lie also showed
that the laws OF change were uncnangings
that things are always done In their own
way; that the laws Of nature admitted
OF no amendment. The forces that bring
about change. or the factors in evolu;iers
were dweit upon in detail. and they were
enumerated as follows: Heredity. individ-
ualitv. environment natural selection. self
activity, alsruisni, isolation. the action of
each Of these factors being clearly Illus
trated.
How to Study Evolution.
The lecturer next treated of the scien-
tiac method of evolution. IL you want TO
study the meaning or nature OF thing
you must study its origin: that Is the his
torical method. Again. the name of evolu-
ton Is associated with a theory OF life.
the theory that all life sprang from a few
stocks, or, more probably, from a single
Perm. and that the resemblances called
homoiogy are the stamp of blood relation
shin This has been called a working n.y.
.1~gz fRsv L. 10 xf az
because all contrary suppositions have
long ceased 10 work, and biological study
on any other supposition would now be
impossible.
Man Not Developed Monkey
The doctor mentioned few things
which evolution was not. 1t was not the
idea that man is a developed monkey.
Men and monkeys sprang from q common
stock. Men were nomadic. and became
fitted to varied life in diverse conditions.
The monkey people of all the various
kinds have become adapted 70 life in the
Jungle and the tree-top and have become
steadily more and more monkeyied and
less like man. Man has become more and
more human. All types are steadily d.
verging from the common stock.
Evolution Not All One Way.
Evolution does not carry the idea that
all forms are advancing, degradation exist
a necessary part of evolution. In fact,
progress and degeneration GO together.
What is gained in one quarter is lost in
some degree in some other.
Evolution does not mean spontaneous
generation. Spontaneous generation Is n
scientific myth, never having had any evil
dence behind II. How life began we have
thus far not even the slightest means OF
guessing.
The laws of evolution in every way
showed the greatness. the soundness of
the force that lies behind what we call
nature In every way our conception of
the greatness OF the Creator has risen
with our knowledge OF the laws of the
universe. We know Gods purposes by
what he permits, his greatness by the
order I'm which his forces marshal
Or. Jordan was introduced TO the audi
ence by President Mark Harrington. OF
the University of Washington. and Pres
ident H. III. Hindshaw. of the Young Nat
uralists' Society. also occupied seat on
the platform.
DR.. Jordan leaves this morning for
Olympia, where he will deliver this even
ing a free lecture on the same subject.
Among those attending the meeting of the
State Tea chers' Association was Superin-
tendent W. B. Hazard, OF Olympia, who
was a graduate OF Stanford university
last year. and who induced DR.. Jordan TO
so with him TO Olympia and lecture.