Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-08-17
OLD VIEW OF VARIATIONS IN FORMS
or LIFE MIGHT BE TURNED ABOUT
IN AN INTENSELY INTERESTING ADDRESS BEFORE BRITISH Ass0cIA-
TioH FOB ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE PROFESSOR DECLARES OLD
VIEW or VARIATION FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX MIGHT BE TURnEB
ABOUT AND TRUE PROCESS MIGHT BE FROM COMPLEX TO SIMPLE.

1c-t that we should come - 4 Judgment
a. NJ what I'm or III not probable IN these
RESPECTS.
"a l have said already. TIL. H. 40 time
Tor dcrisins Theories III evolution. and
PROFOUND no. But a. Ne aavc rot 10
recognize that there has been m evolution.
that somehow or other th- forms Of life
have arisen from fewer forms. wc may AL
we'll ~cc whether we are limited IL the old
vicw that evolutionary PROGRESS j. from the
simple % the complex. ana whether after
an il is conceivable that the PROGRESS was
the other way abont. | ak you simply to
open Your minds 10 this possibility. II in
wolves a certain clfor.. We have 10 re-
verse our habitual modes of thought. ~
iirst IL may seem rank ah~arditv 10 sup-
pose that the prfmordial form or forms of
protopia~m could have contained complex
ity enough 10 produce the divers types Of
hic. But j. il easier TO imagine that these
power could have been conveyed by ex-
%trin~ic additions! OF what natur could
these additions be! Additi.as Of material
can not surely b. in one. ton.
"fhat priinordial life may have been DC
small dimensions need not disturb a..
Quantity j. ~ No account III these con~id-
eration~. shakespeare o.sce existed A. a
-pcck "a prutopla~m not "a big n 4 small
PIN head. ~ ihi- nothing was added that
would mot equally well have -errrd ~ build
up i hahoon or 4 rat.
"Lct a. consider how fai We can get by
The PROCESS ~ removal OF what We call
'cpi~tatic' factors, ii othtr words those
that control. mask. or suppress underlying
power and faculties. | lave spoken of
the vast raneeAof colors exhibited by the
modern sweet peas. There j. no question
that these have been derived from the one
Wild bi-color form by a process OF success
-ivc removals. When the vast range of
form. size aud flavor found among the cul-
tivatcd apples i consider, II seems diff
cult 10 suppose that an this variety j. hid
der in the wild crab apple. | can not posi-
lively assert that this Is -, but | think an
familiar with The Mrndclian analysis would
sgrce with me that IL j. probable, and that
the wild crab contains presumably inhibit-
ing elements which the cultivated kinds
have lo~s.
n have confidence that the artistics gifts
ot mankind viii prove IL ~ due not IL
-omctliin= added u The makeup of m Or
binary man, bui 70 the ab~.rfe Of factors
which in the normal persons ihhibit the de-
velopneat 81 these gifts. They are almo9:
beyond doubt 70 ~ looked upon n releases
"a power normally suppressed. The instru-
iatnt iS there. but il j. stopped down.
Somewhat reluctantly, and rather from
a sense ol duty, | have devoted most of
this address 10 the evolutionary aspects Of
research. We can not keep these
out OF our heads. thaugh sometimes
we wish We could. The outcome. a. you
viii have seen, j. negative. destroying much
till lately passed nor gospel. DE
may be useful. Int 1t j. a low kind
ot work. We are Just about where BOYLE
was IA the seventeenth century. We can
"a alchemy. but n. can not make
more than 4 qua>i-chemi~trv. We are
awaiting our Pric~tly and our Mrndclcff.
in truth Il II not these wider aspects III
-@cnciic~ that are ~ present our chief con
ccrn. They will come III their time. The
great advances ~ science are made like
those ~ evolution. not by impcrceptilc
Improvement. Tut IN the sporadic
birth ~ penctrativc genius. The journey
nicn follow after him. widening and clear
Ing NJ. as We arc doing along the track that
Mendcl found"
Professor Bate~on viii rontinuc his adj
dress next Thursday ~ - sney. to which
city the association adiourn~ after its
initial meeting here.