The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-07-10
MARKHAM Club Socialists
Editorial COMMITTEES
KATE S. HIllIARO.
E. A. BATTElC.
ROY E. SOUTAWlCk.

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Unfortunately, 1t meets with two very
strong objections First. 1t does not
explain anything. It merely states the
problem. We arc not any more adNanc-
ed after being told tnat when In the
history of the earth water receded and
animals were Obliged TO live partly on
land they developed lungs to meet the
new demand. than before, for we
would like TO know exactly by what
physical laws the new conditions act
ed on the organism, and exactly how
the organism reacted. The adaptation
theory does not tell us anything about
that Secondly experiments after eX-
periments have concluSively proven
that acquired characteristics cannot
be transmitted TO the offspring.
The New Theory
The science OF evolution would have
remained forever pitted against this
barrier. If recently a new theory had
not been advanced. This new theory,
the mutation theory, has been cham
pioned by Hugo de Vries. the Dutch
botanisl According to him, evolution
proceeds In a very different way. Hor-
ticulturistS and others have long
known the existence OF freaks, or
sports: new plants essentially diff
feTent from the parents, which spring
up suddenly in the geneaology of a
species. They are differentiated from
hybridS and Tecurrent varieties In that
the latter differ from the parents in
secondary or ''yarietaI' character.
while sports" differ in some primary
or specific" character. Therefore, a
sport may be clessed as a new. legiti-
mate, independent species. AS such.
It breeds true that Is. without re.
version to type
These are. therefore, the important
points of the mutation theory, from a
heretofore constant species, sport Is
suddenly produced. which is the proto-
type of a new species Please notice
that all these are proved facts Now
the hypothesis. and ii seems to me a
very legitimate one, is that evolution
has proceeded thus by leaps. by
bounds, at long intervals of time.
To return TO our example When, at
a remote period of the history of the
earth, water began 10 recede and
leave dry land and swamps, a new con-
dition was evidently imposed on the
animals, which. up TO that time. had
lived In the water. and were equipped
Tor water life. Nevertheless. they did
not forthwith proceed to develop
lungs; they just kept on living as best
they could with their antiauated sys-
tenn of gills. Suddenly. owing to some
ephemeral disturbance of the sur
roundings. a sport was born possessor.
IKE his parents. of the old-faShloned
gills. but. unlike them. armed with
lungs, He bred true. of course. and
very soon there was a new species of
lunged animals living side by side
with the original lungless stock. Nat.
uraliy they soon overcrowded the land
and in the struggle for life the better
equipped, the lunged ones, survived
OfecourSe there must have been lots
OF other sports produced besides
these lunSed amphibians, whose new
characteristic consisted, not in lungs.
but in something else: only this some.
thing else did not happen 20 be of
special profit, and In the struggle for
ne, they were survived by the orig
inal stock
The foregoing Illustration is more of
a "fantaisie" by wa of showing how
evolution may have proceeded accord.
ing to the mutation tbeory by a series
of successive bounds. at intervals of
time
That is why. in my opinion. social
revolution, far from being in opposi-
ton TO scientific evolution. would. OF
the contrary, be the only scientific
way OF evolving. With the new con-
ditions OF production machinery pro-
ductlon, cooperative labor. lungs are
needed in this case an adequate SOC
ial system. Sports are constantly
coming TO light, sports without the
much demanded lungs. parliamentary
Socialists, opportunlsts. yote-catchine
parties craft unions. etc, in the
struggle for life they are condemned
to be outliyed by the original bour-
geois stock. better equipped When
the true sport with lungs the uncom-
promising Socialist will have bred
sufficient progeny. nc will survive the
others by social revolution. and evo-
luton will have advanced another step.
Prof. de Nries gave a few years ago
a series of lectures In the University
Of California. They have been pub
lished under the title "Species and
Varieties, Mutations and Adaptations"
! cannot enter here in a discussion
of these two sorts OF characters. Suf-
fee IT to say that tdey are very diff
ferent, and make 1t possible to say
whether new specimen is u species
or variety.
This Is the hitch In the hypothesis
We do not know in response TO exact
" what disturbance n sport owes its
appearance. However that IL does ap-
pear, is a fact