The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-06-12
THE AoE or THE woRLo.
Il q. Much creator Thas Has nsen
Supposed.


One Of the questions considered by
Prof z. b. Poulion In his presidential
address before the geological section
or the British association rcla'sd to
the length OF time required for the
development Of animal life on the earth
TO ITS present condition. says Popular
science Monthly: whether the pres
'ht state Of archaeological and zoolog-
.cAl knowledge dimlnlshes or increases
me weight Of the opinion Of Darwin.
huxley and Spencer. that the time
! during which the gpolog'st concluded
J that the f1gsilIferous rocks had been
/ formed was utterly insufficient for or
| gauic evolution" Tho arguments OF
the physicists derived from the sup
posed effect Of tidal action upon the
length ~ tho day. and frcm the esti-
mated length of tme occupied by the
. earth in cooling from au assumed tenn
| peraturc TO l's present condition. are
. shown tu have been proved Invalid an
bases Tor calculating The probable age
. Of the earth as % lfc-hcariug BODY
The arrumcnt derived from the sup
I posed lie of tho sun has not YET be'h
y ruled ont and that gives a maximum Oh
i 100000 900 years. The computation OF
b. the time required Tor dopositing the
"a geological strata gives a minimum OF
ID 73.Ooo.ooO and mlzimum Of oSlN'O'-
"A 600 years possibly iOOOOo0uo years
"a The authors inquiry as 90 how mu'h
At of the whole ichcmc Of organic eNolu-
N ton has been worked ont iu the time
b. during which the fuHs.Nierous rocks
BY were formed does not deal with the
be- time required for the origin OF NE or
e. Tor the development OF the lowest De-
o. inrs with which We are acquainlri
b. from the nrst formed beings Of which
~ we know nothing but only with va
of much OF the process Of evolution AZ
in we can infer from the structure Of liy'
90 Ing and fossil forms
o- The comparison Is made from
he study Of the evolution Of the phyln. Al
he available evidence points 20 the eX
~ trcmc slowness OF progressive cyolu
he iIonary changes IN the c1clcnterau
"a phyla. although the pro;czoa are evei
90 more conservative. when we conside
u further on the ave coclenterate phyl
% that occur fossil We shall End that IN
he progressive changes were slower an
el- indeed hardly approcIahlo Ia the echI
i'e nodcrms and rcphyrcl, as compare
or whit the mollusoa. uppcnd.culaia an
or vertebrate within these latter Thyl
.ph we have evidence flr the evolution
eA- higher groups presenting % more
ui- lcss markell advance boa organization.
ben Asa whole. the comparison Us cult
up enough tu uceresitltc q very large 70
'lh crease 90 the time estimated 10y %
h' ro0l1gIst We can hardly escape %
~ conclusion that. f1r thc dc,clopmel
s"l of the arthranud branches from con
'"" mon chrt0p0llIkc ancestor and Tor q
'' further development 90 the classes
.'' each brarch. o. period many times q
length Of the flssliforuus series o. 2
"'' ouIrad The evolution of che uncest
'' ~ each 90 the h.ehor animal ply
ID probably occupied as long period
that required Cor The evolution VIII
~ subsequently, occurred Within the ph
'r um. But thr consideration oi q
". higher phy'l which occur fossil. exec
49, Gre vertebrate, leads t1 tho .rcs.sul
y conclusion char 'ho whole period
'.. which the f0altaruuF rocks were ].
' down mu.. ho multiplied several. tiu
,.., ur th.. a'. history a'uu. The ped.
thus obtained require 'o Doc again
... creased auH perhaps doubled Cor
..... earlier history