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Iggfi.] 1. ifJ [Brinton— Bailey. 



another direction — gives us tlie stability of species, the potent tendency 

 of the individual to transmit the specific characteristics, the maintenance 

 of traits by tiie aierminal protoplasm, as brought out by the second 

 speaker. It is the conaius in se perseverare of Spinoza. 



The second law of motion is the basis of all change and variation It 

 is, as doubtless you remember, that change of motion is proportional to 

 force and takes place in the line of the force. Infinite forces infinitely 

 different in power are forever acting on every atom, and its changes are 

 the resultants of them all. 



These ceaseless changes are purely mechanical, and mechanical laws 

 produce their results absolutely without regard to future aims, absolutely 

 indifferent to the quality of results, whether towards evolution or degen- 

 eration. For that reason. I repeat that any dogmatic assumption of evo- 

 lution as a law of nature is unscientific. Of a million changes, a few may 

 act in so strengthening the energy of the primary and permanent char- 

 acters that they will resist the deterrent or subversive action of other 

 forces So far as we know, this is mere chance. Purely mechanical 

 forces decide the progress of a species or its extinction. Beyond such 

 mechanical, raathematical laws, natural science has no right to go. 



In conclusion, I would say a few words in reference to "sports," a 

 topic introduced by the last speaker. These sudden and exteoeive 

 changes received the careful attention of Darwin, who in his work on the 

 Domestication of Animals and Plants, refers to it by the term "spontane- 

 ous variation . . . ." He pointed out that in some cases it is extraordi- 

 narily great and also permanent, as in the instance of the niata cattle in 

 La Plata. In the vegetable world, Mr. Meehan has illustrated this form 

 of change by numerous and striking examples. The last speaker men- 

 tioned that the lines of species had not been traced through sports. I 

 would call attention to the obvious fact that the origin of what are called 

 specific peculiarities from a sport would be likely to cause the scientific 

 investigator to lose the trail at that point. Darwin says that nothing but 

 the record would reconcile us to believing that such sports as some he 

 describes issued from the species to which they belong. 



How unconsidered then is the remark of the last speaker in reference 

 to those who have suggested that man himself may have owed his specific 

 peculiarity to such an origin ! There is nothing impossible in this, noth- 

 ing incredible, nothing absurd. When our ancestors ascended from the 

 plane of the beast to that of reasoning intelligence, a part of the path 

 may have been won by one of those bounds which have been called salta- 

 tory evolution. There is nothing in this contrary to either theory or 

 observation. It is supported by both ; and having once gained that 

 higher plane, they would not willingly have forfeited its advantages. 



Farther remarks by Prof. L. H. Bailey: 



Dr. Brinton has quoted me as saying, " From beginning to finish of 

 creation, evolution is true." He quoted me correctly. That fs my own 



