The sun., 1909-06-27

8 THE S
vesasation Of the question Of ell questions
the descent OF the human race
|
".
An essay which IL likely to have moro
readers than any other In this volume Il
that In which Darwin h considered 'as
an anthropologfst' by Ernst Haeckel,
professor Of zoology Ia the University
Of Jena. The veteran scientist begins
by testifying that the great advance
which anthropology has made In the sec
ond half Of the nineteenth century is duo
in the first place to Darwin's discovery
OF the origin Of man. No other problem
, In the whole field Of research 10 80 mo-
mentous as that Of sman's place In ma
ture, which was justly described by HuI-
Icy in 1888 as the most fundamental Of
all questions. Yet the scientific solution
Of this problem was impossible until the
theory Of descent had been established.
1T was the genius Of Darwin that first
brought together the scattered material
OF biology and shaped 1t into that SYM
metrical temple Of scientific knowledge
the theory Of descent. 1t was Darwin
who put the GROWN on the edifice by his
theory Of natural selection. Not until
this broad induotive law was firmly e.
tabllshed was 1t possible to vindicate the
special conclusion the descent Of man
from series Of other vertebrates.'
Haeckel points out that to appreciate
fully the merit Of Darwin in connection
with anthropology We must remember
that not only did his chief work, SThe
Origin Of Species which opened up q
new era In natural history in 1850, encoun-
ter the most virulent and widespread op-
position for long period but even thirty
years later, whom Its principles were gen.
orally recognised and adopted, the appli-
cation Of them to man was energetically
contested BY many high scientific authori-
ties. Even Alfred Russell Wallace, who
discovered tho principle Of natural 30
lection independently In 1858, did not
o0noode that it was applicable to the
higher mental and moral qualities Of man.
DR.. Wallace indeed still holds spiritualist
and dualist Wow Of the nature Of man,
contending that he il composed Of
material frame descended from the apes
and an immortal, immaterial soul In
fused by q higher power. This dual
conception. moreover, 70 still predomi-
nant in tho wide orioles Of theology and
metaphysics and has the general and in
fiuential adherence Of the moro oonserv-
ative GLASSES Of society. In striot oon-
tradiction to this mystical dualism, which
In generally connected with theology and
vitalism, Darwin always maintained the
complete unity Of human nature and
sho~ed oonvinoihsiy that the psychologi-
cal side Of man was developed In the same
way as the body, from the less advanced
soul Of the anthropoid ape, and the latter
in turn at . still moro remote period from
the cerebral functions Of the older verte-
brates.
In his final paragraph Haeckel says that
to understand the historical development
Of Darwin's anthropology you must read
his life and the introduction to .The De-
scent Of Man" From the moment that
be was convinced Of the truth OF the prin-
oiple Of desoent-that ID to say from
his thirtieth year. In lsss-Darwin rec
ognised clearly that man could not be ex-
oluded from its range. He recognised a.
q logical necessity the important conofu-
sion that man L the oodesoendant with
other species Of some ancient, lower and
extinct FORM For many years ho gath
cred notes and srguments in support Of
this thesis and for the purpose Of allowing
the probable line Of mans ancestry. We
are reminded, however, that Ia the first
edition Of Tho Origin Of Species (lsss)
tho author restricted himself to . single
line expressing tho hope that by this work
light would be thrown ON the origin Of
man and his history Prof. Haeckel
bears witness that sin the fifty years
that have elapsed since that time
the science Of the origin and history Of
man has made astounding progress. and
We arc now fairly agreed in q monistio
conception Of nature that regards the
whole universe, including man, a. won-
derful unity, governed by unaltersble and
eternal laws In his last sentence
Hseckel adds: we should never have
reached this supreme general conception
II Charles Darwin. monistio philosopher
In the true sense Of the wore, had not pro-
pared the way with his theory Of descent
BY natural selection and crowned the
great work OF his life by tho association
Of this theory with naturalistio anthro-
pology.'
vi.
We are indebted to Mr.. W. B. Scott,
professor Of geology in Princeton Uni.
versity, for the essay which sets forth
the testimony borne by tho .Paleon-
tological Record Of Animals to the
soundness OF Darwin's theory. To no
branch Of science did the publication OF
Tho Origin Of Species prove to Be moro
vivifying and transforming influence than
to paleontology. From the nature Of the
case Darwin had been compelled to give
careful confederation to the paleontologi-
cal evidence; indeed, It was the paleon-
tology and modern distribution Of ami
mails In South America which first led him
to reflect upon the great problem. In the
tenth and eleventh chapters Of -The
Origin" the archaeological evidence ID
examined at length and the lmperfection
Of the geological record as then consti-
tuted IL strongly emphasized. The con-
cIusion is reached that In view OF this
extreme inperfeotion palgontology could
not reasonably be expected as yet to yield
complete and convincing proof Of the evo-
lutionary theory. The purpose of Prof.