The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-11-06
il Summary Of Pby$iec- -
=z========= HntbropoIo9icaI evolution.

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stretching of the imagination. how
ever, to suppose that the conditions
necessary to its conceivability in nature
were inherent within the constituents
OF earth-matter, and in accord with
the laws of causaiity. Sir William
Thomson has tried to avoid the neces-
sary hypothesis Of spontaneous genera
tion, by assuming that the organic
inhabitants Of our earth originally
descended from germs which proceeded
from the inhabitants Of other planets:
and which, with fragments of the lat
ter, together with meteorites, acciden-
tally fell on the earth. AS Nature in
varibly works along the lines of least
resistance, and spectrum analysis
proves an analogy of chemical change
and cosInic evolution between contipr1-
Gus planets and the earth, it is evident
that this proposition is entirely I'M
necessary for the above named reasons /:
and additionally superfuous in the
light Of the theory Of spontaneous
generation. 1t is one Of those stray
bits Of flotsam, often found floating ON
the sea Of science; and of which, as a
matter Of prudence, it is we'll to steer
clear of.
The hypothesis of spontaneous gen.
GRAFTON simplifed, implies the origin of
Monera, from inorganic carbon com
pounds. When animated bodies fret
appeared on our planet, previously
without life, there must Ia the first
place have been formed, By . process
purely chemical, from purely inorganic
carbon combination, chat very conapiex
nitrsgenized carbon compound, which
We call plasson or "primitivs slime" !"
and which is the oldest material sub
stance, In which all vital activities are
embodied. In the lowest depths OF
the sea, such nitrogenous protoplasm
still lives under the name of Bathybius.
Each living particle Of this mass is
called Moneron. =
The Monera originated in the sea BY
spontaneous generation, just as CRYSTALS
form in the rnatrix. The knowledge
gained in the last ten years solidifies
the opinion, that wherever a natural
BODY exhibits the active phenomena Of
life: nutrition = propagation = sensa.
tlon, a nitrogenous carbon compound
belonging to the chemical group of
aiouminous bodies, is always active;
ana represents the material substance
through which these vital activities
are erected. 1t is certain hitherto. no
living organism has been observed in
exercise of vital activities that was
not lnse parably connected with plas-
son body. In the Monera, the simplest
conceivable organism, the whole body
consists merely of plasson, correspond
ing to the primitive slime" of earlier
natural philosophy. The latter sub
stance is called @sprotoplasma,," and is
directly identified with the cell-sub-
stance Of ordinary animal and plant
life. The only difference in these
elementary organisms is that the cy-
tode, the older and lower stage is
formed of simple plasson; while the
second and next higher evolutionary
stage, the plasson has formed into two
dlHerent kinds of albuminous SUBJ
stances: the inner cell-kernel, or nucleus
and the outer cell-substance or proto.
plasma.
In Ontogeny, or the history of en-
bryonic life, this is the first change in
the ovarian egg, Immediately after
fertilization, and becomes the parent
cell of an embryonic human being.
The process and the substance are the
same in both, while the analogy is
suggestive and convincing. We must
either accustom ourselves to the idea
that species of animals and plants
man included-originated independ-
emily Of each other by the supernatural
process of divine creation" or, We
are compelled to accept the theory Of
evolution, or mans descent, together
with extant animate life, from an en-
tirely simple primeval parent form.
There is no third choice lit is either a