Evening star., 1902-03-01
QUESTION OF IMMORTALITY.
The Twelve Genealogical Theorems
Ennunciated by Haeckel.
he New Orleans Times-Democrat.

From the New Orleans TimeS-Democrat.
..The recent pronouncement of DR.. Park
hurst on the subject of the soul and It's
capability of dying" said budding phll-
osopher yesterday, brings up the other
side Of the question involved in this great
issue of immortality. Probably the most
concise and direct statement OF the phl-
osophy which is opposed to the idea OF per-
sonal continuance is contained in Hacker
twelve genealogical theorems, for they
form the basis of all the theories which
have been advanced against the souls I'M
mortality. They are in The Riddle of the
Universe and are as follows:
"'The universe, or cosmos. is eternal, in
finite and illimitable 2. Its substance, with
its two attributes matter and energy, fills
infinite space, and is in eternal motion.
g. This motion runs on through infinite time
as an unbroken development, with periodic
change from life to death. from evolution
to devolution i. The innumerable bodies
which are scattered about the space-fll ng
ether all obey the same law or substance
while the rotating masses slowly move TO-
ward their destruction and dissolution in
one part of space, others are springlng into
new life and development IN other quarters
Of the universe. 5. Our sun is one or these
unnumbered perishable bodies, and our
earth is one of the countless transltory
planets that encircle them q. Our earth
has gone through a long process of cooling
before water in liquid form (the first condi-
ton of organic life) could settle thereon.
Z The ensuing biogenetic process, the slow
development and transformation of count
less organic forms. must nave taken many
millions Of years-consderably over hun
dred g. Among the different kinds OF ami
mails which arose in the later stages or the
biogenetic process on earth the Vertebrates
have far outstripped all other competitors
in the evolutionary race. y. Inc most I'M
portant branch of the VertebrateS. the mann
mails. were developed during the tr.astlc
period) from the lower amphibia and rep
tilja TO- The most perfect and most highly
developed branch of the class mammalia Is
the order of primateS, which first put In an
appearance by development from the low
est prochoriata, at the beginning of the
tertiary perod-at least 100000 years ago.
IL. The youngest and most perfect thing of
the branch primates is man. who sprang
from a series of manlike apes toward the
end Of the tertiary period. II Consequent
ly. the so-called history of the world-that
is the brief period of few thousand years
which measures the duration of civil "a
tion-is an evanescently short episode in
the long cause of organic evolution, just as
this in turn is merely small portion Of
the history Of our planetary system; and as
our mother earth is a mere Speck III the
sunbeam in the illimitable universe. SO man
himself Is but tiny grain of protoplasm In
the perishabie framework of organic ma
ture.'
an these theorems Is contained all that
evolution claims, and they put man and all
his attributes in common category with
fabric of organic life. In such a system Of
philosophy of course. Immortality Is out of
the question except it mean simply the In
destructibility of matter.