Bisbee daily review., 1908-10-15

Charles Darwin nearly half a century ago published his epoch-making book on Natural Selection" his theory was violently opposed.
 Yet, many scientific men rallied to it's support, and after two or three decades of discussion, public opinion settled down into resigned acceptance of the new views. Though a few cautious experts, like Huxley, with held their complete assent, the con troversy over the Darwinian theory seemed at an end. In all problems of natural history, ''Darwinism" became the word to conjure with. Natural selection" had completely superseded the necessity for anything like de- sign in nature" It looked as if the origin of species" by the survival Of the Attest had triumphed all along the line. Some went so far in their enthusiasm as to regard the famous English naturalist as the founder of the doctrine of evolution.
 But this attitude has undergone a startling change. No sooner, 1t has been said. does theory obtain com plete possession of the human mind than the successor Is already tread ing close upon it's heels. This has been well shown in the case of the pebular hypothesis. and now Darwinism in it's turn is sustaining, as best it nsey, the assaults of keen-witted men of science. who re-examine it's facts only to dis pute its conclusions. Nor is it prema- ture to say that while some form of it will remain, the theory cannot survive
 How has the change been brought about? IL came as the result of two decades of fruitful work in the field of natural history, and especially through resuscitation of the views of naturalist whom the world had al most forgotten.
 Twenty years ago, students of bot any remembered that a Frelchman, born at Bazentin in Picardy, had con. tributed some questionable opinions on the origin of species; to-day Jean Lamarck is the great rival of Darwin. with reputation and fame at least equal to those of his distinguished successor.
 As most American naturalists side with Lamarck, 1t is interesting to re- call the fact that some precious exam pies of the French naturalist's writing and sketches are now in the posses sion of Harvard university They were presented to that institution by Prof. A. Agassiz. who obtained them at Paris in 1908
 What did Lamarck teach regarding the origin of species?" The problem was to account for the multiplicity of forms which make up the realms of plant and animal life. The influence of surroundings, the close adaptation of each species to its particular environ ment, had already been recognized. Lamarek took a step in advance. He conceived the idea of explaining diff ferences of species by referring them to the different conditions under which species have to exist.
 A given environment compels the animal living in if to be active in a particular way, and this special appli- cation of it's body and of it's organs to the environment causes them to be specially adapted to the work they have to do.
 Tt is not says Lamarck. the form either of the body or of its parts which has given rise to the habits and to the mode of life of animals but. on the contrary, it is the habits, the mode of life, and all the other influential circumstances which have with time produced the form of the bodies and organs of animals"
 Here is the principle of natural SC ! lection. But the selection in the one case is for the purpose of man; in the other it is for the conditions of life. Tn artificial breeding the selector is an i intelligent being; in the Darwinian theory the selector Is nn nDinteliigeni procesA