The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-05-10

8 late the ideas of other men and to pass
+ them on in way which was inteI1igi-
bic and even interesting to the lay pub
lie, with happy knack of being funny
about the most unlikely objects, SO
that the procession of the equinox or
determination of vertebrate became
q highly humorous process as treated
by him.
It was d birdseye view OF creation,
as interpreted by science which, in
language always c1ears and sometimes
picturesque, he unfoIded before us.
He told us of the globe, q huge mass
OF flaming gas fariIg through the
heavens. Then he pictured the soYfdif1-
cation, the cooling, the wrinkling
which formed the mountains, the
steam which turned to water, the slow
preparation of the stage upon which
was to be played the inexplicable.
drama of life. On the origin Of life
itself he was discreetiy| vague That
the germs OF 1t could hardly have sur
vived the original roasting was. he de-
clared, fairly certain Therefore 1t had
come later Had it built itself out Of
the cooling, inorganic eiemSnts of the
globe2 Very likely. Had the germs.
Of it arrived from outside upon a me-
Eteor? 1t was hardly conceivable. On
che whole, the wfsest man was the
least dogmatfc upon the point. We
could not, or at least we had not sue
ceded up to date In making organic
life in our laboratories out Of inorganic
materials The gulf between thedead
and the living was something which
our chemistry could not as yet bridge.
But there was higher and subt1er
chemistry of nature, which, working
with great forces over long epochs,
might well produce results which were
Impossible for us. There the matter
must be left.
sQaestions'' doomed voice from the
platform.
Mr.. Waldron was a strict discip1inari
an with a gift of~acid humor, as had
been exeu1plified on many and varied
occasions, which made it perilous to
interrupt him. But this interjection
appeared to him so absurd that he was
at loss how TO deal with it. o1ooks
the Shakespearean who is confronted
by rancid Baconian or the astrono-
mer who is assailed by a fat earth
fanatic. He paused for a moment and
then, raising his voice, repeated slow
" the last words Of his speech
Question:" doomed the voice once
more.
Waldron looked with anazement
along the line OF professors upon the
platform until his eyes fell upon the
figure Of Challenger, who leaned back
In his chair with closed eyes and an
amused expression. as If he were srn1l-
Ing IN his sleep.
IT see, said Waldron, with q shrug
1T is my friend Professor Challenger
ture as if this was a final explanation
andeno more need be said.
But the incident was far from being
closed. Whatever path the lecturer
took amid thes wilds of the past seem
sertion as to extinct or prehistoric life
bulls below. from the professor. The
audience began to anticipate it and to
Roar with delight when it came. The
packed benches OF students Joined i'm,
and every time Ghallenger's beard
opened, before any sound could come
forth, there was yell of ssQuestionrs
from a hundred voices and an answer
ing counter cry Of sOrderss and
"Shamer from as many more Wal
dron, though hardened lecturer and
a strong man, became ratified. He
hesitated, stammered, repeated him
self, got snarled in a long sentence and
finally turned furiously upon the cause
OF his troubles.
'"This is really intolerabler' he cried,
gIaring across the platform. IT must
ask you, Professor Challenger, to cease
these ignorant and unmannerly inter
ruptions.
There was hush over the hall, the
students rigid with delight at seeing
the high gods on Olympus quarrelfng
among themselves. Challenger levered
his bulky figure slowly out of his chair
s.I must in turn ask you, Mr. Wal
dron, he said, ito cease to make as
sertfons which are not In strict ac-
cordance with scientific fact
The words Embossed a tempest.
ssShamel shame!x Give him hear
mgr, s.Put him out.' ssShove him off
the PLATFORM .sFair play?' emerged
from a general roar of amusement or
execratfon The chairman was on his
feet Mapping both his hands and b1eat-
ing excitedly Professor Challenge
personal later" were the solid
peaks above his clouds Of inaudible
mutter The fnterrupter bowed, smiled,
stroked. his beard and relapsed into his
chair Waldron, very flushed and war
like continued his observations. Now
and then as he made an assertion he