The Portland daily press., 1896-04-09
AN ELOQUENT LECTURE.
Professor Tyler Addressed a Highly
Interested Audience.

A Brilliant Presentation of the fheofy VI
Evolution, Not as Opposed to Chris
tianity But as the Enemy of Agnositi
cism.
The last of the series of lectures on evo-
luton, delivered by Professor Tyler
was listened TO last evening at
the Second Advent church by the largest
audience of the season. HAS Subject was
Geological Periods and Its Effect on
Producing Species.
He said that in many instances there is
variation enough to warrant the classl1l-
cation of members of some great group
as a new specie, If only some slight con-
Meeting points could be wiped out. Ii
should be remembered that species start
on a narrow area ana spread slowly 1t
is admitted that most Of the connecting
links existed in early times, and 1t is
therefore very hard to find them even In
fossils. For example, specie might
have originated in Oasco bay. 1t would
in the course of time perhaps have spread
from New York to Labrador. No trace
of its home would be found at one ex-
treme or the other. The connecting link
must be sought for in the narrow area
where it originated.
| He then took up the changes that took
place during the great geological periods,
dwelling on the silurian period especially.
| He gave graphic picture Of the build
| ing of this continent from the time when
as he strikingly stated the Rocky noun
tain range had possibly some elevation
Then the continent grew slowly but
surely. Then the coast line was far back
from the line of today. All New Eng
land was under water, the Mississippi,
a small river. all the lower section of the
country through which it flows today be-
ing apart of the great gulf extending far
back, the Pacific coast was two hundred
miles inland, the water coming back to
! the base Of what was then hills of some
elevation, but today the majestic Rocky
mountain range, while there was a water
| course extending through the continent.
The term, THE eternal hills" is wrongly
applied. the vast mountains like the
Alps, and the Himalaya are not old, and
in their present form are much less than
when they were first formed, and life is
vastly older than the mountains He de-
scribed the rising up of the Alps, but
in the sea there was life, older far than
| the mountains.
| He then passed to consideration neo-
essarily brief, but very interesting of the
| migration of plants and animals as the
result of geological changes 1t is not
possible to state with exactness what led
to the extinction of the gigantic animals
once here. "The race is not always tc
| the swift or the battle to the strong y
and when the rank vegetation gave out,
and conditions changed, they were
forced to find food elsewhere, and
changed conditions might have brought
| about their extinction. 1t is possible,
but not probable that this was the re-
suit of some sudden climatic change.
He took up the migration OF plants
and trees. Most of the New England
plants are found in Japan. Some of the
trees found in the polar coal formation,
exist today ana are widely scattered.
Plants and insects are found on the top
|
again in Labrador. AS with plants SO
| with animals. The horse originated in
America, but became extinct here, and
was brought back to ths early home OF
the specie by the Spaniards. He spoke Of
the reverse effect of heat on plants that
cold. How in search of a more congen-
ial climate they turned back to the north,
or else clim bed mountain heights.
| In conclusion he said that evolutionists
believe in evolution because their daily
studies have compelled belief. If he
should ask why do you believe that the
Bible is pretty good book TO say the
least" no one would reply because it
was divinely inspired That is result
of belief in the book itself. So the stu
dents constantly comes across something
| of which he ia compelled to say "this
was the result of evolution. Nearly all
the working biologists are evolutionists
also. II you want to find the objections
to evolution stated, read Darwin's
"Origin of Species'' for he stated the OBJ
jections to his own theory more strongly
than anyone else but discoveries made
since his death have oyerthrown some of
the most important. The trouble with
the theory Of special creation is that it
leaves room for progression only between
the periods of creation. 1t makes the
whole earth a graveyard. 1t is no wonder
that those who hold to that theory be-
lieve that the Lord must come SEQ ond
time to straighten out his own work.
We take long look backward and a
long look forward and seeing what man
was and what he is we take comfort an
believe that all things do work together
for righteousness. This world has fought
a grand and heroic battle up from the
slime and we find that the main army to
which We belong has never given way.
We have come mp from million battles
and we have the fruits OF million VIC
tories and this grand study draws us
nearer to God who is after all not far
from anyone of us. Through it we pass
from glory to glory and are permeated