The sun., 1900-12-23
THE SUN. SUNDAY. DECEMBER 2s. 1900.
have had c,nerlencr during N. hi.,nr,csI

period. What 'hoy maintain IL that forces
~ tho anne r0iats aud of tho same orde'
~ magnitude err adequate 20 have btough.
about tho evolution ~ tho crust ~ the
earth Ne W. now nnd II
oRoiNic rvottrfov. irs laws .Nr csrsrs.
We now como 20 that branch ~ tho sub.
lcct which Il tho moat important and de
tinciivc ~ Onr are. and IN popular
estimation, alone constitutes evolution
the mode NJ origin ~ m" innumerable
sprctcs of animal and plant ne which now
cNia' or have ever existed upon the earth.
Tho origin ~ tho different forms ~ Mo
has tlll quite recent times been looked
upon ns an Amos, insolubl" problem. al
though n few advanced thinkers. oven In
tho eighteenth century. perceived that 1t
was probably 'hc result ~ some natural
process Of modification or evolution; but
no forNc or law had been set forth and es-
tahishcd In any way adequate to produce
II until tho publication Of Darwin's Origin
Of Species in 1850 In the later editions
Of that work Darwin has given historical
sketch of the progress OF opinion on tho
subject. shall therefore now only notico
a few great writers whom he has not re-
ferred TO.
We have seen what an impossible and
even ludicrous explanation had 70 be given
by Lucretius: and from his day down Ia
the middle ~ the eighteenth century no
I advance had been made Either tho prob
, lem was not referred TO at all, or the theo-
, lo-ical doctrine " a special creation was
/ held To be the only possible one. But in
the middle Of the eighteenth century tho
great French naturalist Button published
his very important work. Histoire Nat
urella." In fifteen volumes n74a-1707). in
I which. besides describing the characters
and habits OF all the animals then known,
he introduced much philosophical and
speculative thought which weuld probably
have been carried much further had ne
not felt obliged TO conform to the religious
prejudices OF the age. We are indebted
to Mr.. Samuel Butler for having brought
| together ell the important passages OF
/ Bufions volun.inous and now little-road
/ works bearing upon the question Of evolu-
! ton. and 1t is from his volume that quote.
Button lays stress on the great resem-
/ blance OF all mammalia in internal struc-
| ture. showing that the most unlike crea-
| lures may be really alike structurally. He
says: The horse, for example: what can
at first sight seem more unlike mankind.
Yet when we compare man and horse point
by point and detail by detail our wonder
Is excited rather by the resemblances than
by the differences between them- He
then shows that all the parts Of the skeleton
agree. and that IL Is only in proportions.
the increase Of some bones and the sup
preston of others, that they differ. adding
III We regard the matter thus, not only
The ass and the horse. but even man him
self, the apes, DC. might be regarded az
forming members Of one and the same
family Then. after few more illus
trations. he remarks: If we once admit
that there are families Of plants and animals,
80 that the ass may be Of the family Of the
horse, AMI that the one may only differ
from tho other by degeneration from a
common ancestor. We might be driven
TO admit that tie ape Is Of the family OF
man. that he Is but a degenerate man, and
That he and man have had a common an
cestor If IL were once shown
that we had right grounds for establishing
these families. If the point were once gained
that among plants and animals there have
been even a single species which had been
produced in the course Of direct descent
from another species, then there ia no
further limit 10 be set TO the power OF nature.
and we should not be wrong in supposing
that with sufficient time she could have
evolved all other organized forms from
one primorlial type"
Tlls in iicatcs clearly enough liz own
opinion, but TO save himself from the GO.
clesiastical authorities he at once adds
this saving clause: But no. II IL certpin.
from revelation, that all animals have alike
been favored with the grace of an act Of
direct creation, and that the first pair of
every species issued full formed from the
hands of the Creator"
Such examples Of disarrning religious
preludice are frequent. but he continually
recurs 10 statements rs TO mutability which
neutralIze them. Hero. for example. Is a
broad claim for nature as opposed "a crea-
ton. He has been showing how variable are
many animals and how changes OF food.
climate. and general surroundings influence
both their forms and their habits; and then
he exclaims:
What cannot nature effect with such
means at her disposal? She can do all eycept
either create matter or destroy It. These
two extremes Of power the Deity has re-
served for himself only; creation and
destruction are the action OF his onnipo-
tence. To alter and undo TO develop
and renew--these are powers which he has
handed over TO the charge Of nature
Here We have claim for the power OF
nature in the modification Of species which
fully comes up to the requirements Of the
most advanced evolutionist. 1t Is remark
able. too. how clearly he perceived the
great factors so important for the evolutiAn
Of organisms, rapid multiplication, great
variability, and the struggle for existence.
Thus he remarks; 1t may be said that the
movement Of nature turns upon two i'm !
movable pivots-one. the illimitatle fe !
cundity which she has given TO all species.
the other. the innumerable difficulties |
which reduce the results Of that fecundity |