The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-12-23
How Science Confirms Gods Existence.

II is beginning to be more and more ap.
parent that science instePd OF being an,ag-
onistic to re ig,on is rather its strongest
ally. Even skeptcal scientists find thcm.
seves reaching conc visions which they had
not foreseen. Mr. Me!chrikolf. author Of
"The Nature OF Man is perhaps the most
recent OF this skeptical school to stnrt'e
himself with his own conclusions. lie be.
,orQs 10 that group oi scientists who ieel
It incumbent to mace themselves in antaS.
onism with religion. But here is. an o%'
ampe showing how this great scholar is
ed to acknowledge the existence of
tiighe" Mird. Concerning fcssoria wasps
he writes:
"Fossorial wasps never see their yolnr.
They lay their eggs in burrows sunk in the
soil. and hermeticai.y sealed. The larvae
are hatched under ground, and are never
seen by their mother. Provision sufficient
ior ther Geve' 'oNmcnt, however. is made in
advance. Bef-.c Gc~ositing eggs the f..
males sink the burrow.. and III them with
the spoi,s OF the cha.e. which consist
sometimes of spiders AL sometimes OF
Crickets aud other insects.
"The captured insects are 10. dead. but
Cnv para wed The continuance
OF the function of certain organs demon.
strlted that the Buprestes. the weevi's
and other small creatures collected in thl
burrows OF fossoral wasus. were alive.
The mechanism OF this para ysis.
so lar as could be ascertained bv Fabre, is
one OF the most remarkable phenomena in
nature The f1ssoria wasps. guided by
their instinct immediately after having
seized an insect OF spider. bury their sting
j. the nervous centre which controls the
movement OF the legs.
when anma.s with soft bodies. such %
spiders and young crickets, are attacked,
the operation does not present any ditticu.-
ties. But Co e1ptcra in general and the
Buprestes and weevi's in. particular, are
furnished with very hard covering which
cannot be perforated by the small aud slen.
der sting of fossoral wasp. To gain their
object the wasps probe exactly between
the first and second pair of legs in the
median line of the under surface of the
thorax. The skin is thinner at this spot.
and they introduce their sting into the
eanglia from which arise the nerves OF the
legs. In the case with the Buprestes these
Gang,ia are set c'ose to one another, and
single prick suffices to a'fecc the nervous
centres of three pairs Of legs. Once the
sting has been inserted in this way the
Buprestes becomes paralyzed, but lives for
many DAYS. q IL is impossible to
see in their proceedings the result of happy
chance. More than chance is required to
explain adaptations SO precise.
"after having filed the burrow with n
sufficient quantity OF insects o. spiders
foasorial wasrs Jay their eggs and carefully
cIose up the entrance. In dire course the
it finds close at hand. u the gathered in.
sects were not pnra,yzed they could easily
escape from their prison: ii they were dead
putrefaction or desiccation (acrording 10
circumstances) would render them unfit
for the larvae. 1t is, therefore. sheer ne.
cessity that is the factor in tie develop.
Inent of this marve.ous instinct that in.
duces the fossorial wasps to attack the
nervous centres OF their prev. When one
insect has been devorred, the iarva pro.
,eeds to another. and so on, until it is
fully grown. waereupon it deve'ons itso'f
in case thai protects il during the wiz
ter and following spring. ~ summer IL
changes az frs into a chrvsais and 'ater
into a perfect insect. 1t frees Itself from
the cocoon takes to fight. and cnters uron
life like tbot OF its mother, winch II has
nev6" seen.
We coud FL page after paac and hook
| aftef book with lust such wonderful daily
| occurrences. We could go outside the
realm o, anirral life, we could 70 10 D ant
lie. aud DO the same thing. We could 90
to the armament, with its wonderful ar
raneement. There are certain tiinos
which we cannot grasp, but we refuse to
| believe such wonders are the resu.I
| chance Rams Horn.