Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-23

/
! long period Of time. Many Of the higher
monkeys have no more tail than we pos
sess. But this is all there Is to this ques-
| ton"
"Do you attribute the physical develop
ment to an evolution OF ideas?"
81 don't know anything about that. That
! question belongs to metaphysics and with
! that l have nothing to do"
I Then you rather attribute it to environ
ment and the survival OF the fttest?"
"Yes, that is the secret OF the matter
! the nteractions between the animal and his
surroundings and the persistent destruction
| Of such as were not adapted to life In the
| particular environment are the principal ele-
ments in growth Simply stated, the SUR
vival of the fttest was the main element Of
evolution"
DO you recognize any parallel between
the simple record of the successive stages
of creation given in the first chapter of
| Genesis and the evolutionary philosophy of
successive stages Of cosmic and animal de-
velopment?"
| Genesis is ancient poetry, not scientific
observations. When you interpret poetry
literally you make nonsense of it. Such
| things are not literally true-they are
broadly and POLITICALLY true"
do you accept the nebular hypothesis as
the explanation of cosmic origln?"
well, the nebular hypothesis is accepted
by astronomers and l take their word for
| it,. 1t is outside my own study. There
seem very strong reasons for accepting II.
l can see how thing may not be absolutely
! proven and yet no reason exist for doubt
ing It,"
| "Your speciality in scientific research has
been biology and that covers pretty wide
| neld?"
Yes; it embraces sociology as we'll as
| physiology. For our purposes the laws of
| life begin at cell life and we follow them up
TO the political and social phases OF life.
The cellular theory is the basis of all ami
mated life. So far as life itself is concerned
we have to treat the cell as a unit, al
though the cell itself, as a single cell, is
| just as complex as a nation is; but so far as
The processes of life are concerned We have
| to treat the cell as unit, because every
| cell counts one."
| Explaining the Cellular Theory.
Prof. Jordan is having a new book pub
| lished by Appleton, covering the whole scope
of the cellular theory, which will be out in
November. Its title will be Foot Notes to
Evolution" Explaining the cellular theory,
| he continued
1--WE begin at the single cell and learn its
qualities Then we come to consider the
animals, in which the cells, instead of sep
| arating themselves from the parent cell,
| cling together and form colonies. Then we
nave the natural division of labor, some cells
performing certain functions and being re-
lieved from certain other work. The animal
| or plant or man is a colony of cells in which
the cells are gathered in groups some of the
groups having certain functions to perform
and being relieved from others, wholly or
partly. The same laws in general that gov
ern cells govern nations. l wouldn't say
that the same laws govern life itself, for
the principle of life transcends our knowl-
edge OF chemistry and physics and has to
be treated as partly separate from physical
and chemical forces. A live cell differs from
a dead CELL although its chemistry remains
tho same for all We know"
Then the mystery Of the 'prometheau
spark is as great mystery as ever? May
there not be an oxygenic or aerial cause fol
animation, live cells being inflated and
therefore buoyant and dead cells being inert
as in a state of collapse? May it be thai
life is due to the combustion resulting from
the action of oxygen or some other element
on matter?"
we do not know the principle of life IL.
self. 1t Is true that live cells are compara.
lively buoyant and dead cells inert AS tc
combustion caused by the action of oxygen
or some other element on matter, we may
have 1re and still not have life. But
physically and chemically considered there
seems no difference between life and dead
cells; physlologically there is a great diff
ference"
Some International Questions.
AS science was getting into unfathomable
depths the conversation turned upon inter
national affairs, Prof Jordan having beer
member of the commission to settle the
question of the Bering sea seal patrol. IL
this connection he explained:
I'VE have a treaty with Russia and japan
that whatever England does they will do
and Russia's interests are identical with
ours. l signed that treaty myself along with
the representatives of the other powers
Japan is trying hard to live up to what Is
expected of a civilized nation. / have great
respect for her efforts In this direction.
"ln the sealing matter 1t all depends
upon what England does. We have offered
to buy out the Canadian fleet and it's rights
and prospects. England consents to this, but
Canada has held back to get the best pos
sible bargain, particularly bargain which
will be popular in Canada and, so, good
stuff for political campaign use. We want
to leave the value of the fleet to arbitration
and pay in cash. They in Canada want tc
be paid in free coal and tariff reductions.
believe the whole matter will be honorably
settled, but the right basis is a cash basis
l don't believe in trying to mix things thai
don't mix-we can't pay in trade by reduc-
tions of the tariff, for such would be mixing
the general interests of the people with
something that is special and local. The
Canadians have wanted US to trade things
which we couldn't deliver.
THE present commission not only has
charge of the seal interests but Of every
other great interest between the two coun-
tries 1t Is composed mostly of senator:
now, appointed by President Mckinley las
spring, our commission having then lapsed
Our work was settled, Great Britain ant
this country having agreed upon all the
facts. The other commission is to settle the
financial phase"
"What do you think of the principle o.
arbitration in general and the proposition
of the czar of Russia in favor Of peace
congress and a general disarmament"
Gear is a Sensible Man.
81 think the czar is a sensible man and
Is quite in earnest. The large nations OF