The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-29
MANS EARLIEST ANCESTORS.
CHALLENGE THAT TIRED FEELING
WITH THEORIES OF DESCENT.
The Credit of Creating the
Human Race Is Divided Between
the Angfeworm and the Lobster.

II you were 20 ask an average man OF
your acquaintance whether he supposes
himself 10 be more c1cSe!y related 10 an
argIeworm or 10 a lobster he would doubt
less regard the question as either Joke OF
an insult Yet precisely this question :.
exercising the minds Of the most celebrated
naturallsts IN the world today. They can
not agree among themselves aba'a the
matter. and in consequence are arguing pro
and con with great vigor. M yei without
reaching a final decision. TIE point or Inc
matter. stated little more explicitly. IS
this: The animal Kingdom Is divided INTO
TWO great groups. called verfebFates or
hack-toned animals. and invertebrates n
distinct anatomical gap separates the TWO.
for the versebrates all have spines and
spinal cords. " bile the invertebrates acA
these convenient members Yet, according
TO the eyoluiionists way or thinking. TINS
gap has once been hridged-Tor the Nerse-
brates have evolved from some inVerte-
brate. The question In doubt is as To Just
which tribe Of invertebrates deserves the
honor OF being regarded as the parent OF
the vertebrateS and h nee as the Aneai an
cestor of man. Prof. Charles Sedgwick Mi
rot OF Harvard has been discussing fais
question lately with several OF the most
distinguished OF the foreign natural.sts
The real gfst OF the discussion hinged
about the question whether mans hneai
to the angleworm or to the lobster and
horsecrab and scorpion. But unfortunately
naturalis;s are given 10 pedantic and teen
meal r,hraseology. so OF course nothing so
plain as this was said outright. Yet the
naturalists took the most animated inter
est In what they were saving. and the sun
iect is certainly one worth interpreting for
the general reader. Fer VINO is not inter
esied in his distinguished ancestors? And
who does not think il worth while to know
whether a worm or lobster is his nearer
kin? The naturalists talked OF the APP
pendicuIaria theory. the Annel!d theory,
the Anthronod theory" etc. but t,Isil
meaning viii have to be interpreted In
terms less puzzling.
The anneIid theory. in plain English. is
the theory that the ancestor of the verte
brates was a worm. allied TO the form of
which the earthworm is the most familiar
example. 1t appears that creatures of this
type have many structural peculiaritie5
that ally them to the lower yertebrates.
But SO. for that matter. have various other
OF the tribes OF invertebrates. Indeed. 50
striking are the sinlilarties throughout
the animal kingdom. when viewed by the
trained eye. that. as DR. Gaskili has re-
marked, whenever naturalist gives him.
self up to the study OF any particular
group of the invertebrates he Is pretty
sure TO reach the conclusion that this par
ticular group repre sents the nearest kin OF
the vertebraies. But in case OF the higher
worms. Ii is not merely the special stu
dents but large number of general nat
uraiists who have become convinced of
close affinity. OF course the comparison is
made with the lowest yertebrates, that is
TO say. with the most primitive type OF
fishes. represented by amphloxus and the
humphreys.
In making this comparison. organ for or
gan. the anatomist has comparatively plain
sailing for line. All animals, high and
low. fulfill substantially the same -une-
tlons, and so possess corresponding or
gans TO a surprising degree. Thus. the
anatomlst is able to .homologise." as he
calls It, the muscular system and digestive
and breathing mechanism and heart Of tbs
lower creature with similar organs of the
higher one without much difficulty. not
withstanding details OF structure that
make them seem difficult to the unini-
tiated. But the great stumbling block is
reached when he comes 20 the most i'm
portant tissue OF all. the nervous system.
Not that the worm lacks this indispe~ sable
set of organs. On the contrary, he II sup
piled with nervous system thar serves his
needs admirably. But the difficulty about