WHAT IS EVOLUTION? 



From the very moment that mankind began to re- 

 flect, the desire was born to know how all those diffe- 

 rent objects which man sees around him, came into 

 being and many are the opinions, vague and detailed 

 ones, which he has held and still holds on this momen- 

 tous question. 



To the unexperienced, nature has the aspect of sta- 

 bility, of being the same to day as yesterday and this 

 conviction underlies all legends of deities, creating the 

 earth in a few days, so as to have it ready for the crow- 

 ning appearance of mankind. 



A little experience and a little reflection however, 

 teaches us that the apparent stability of nature is de- 

 ceptive, and that this impression is caused exclusively 

 by the short time of observation, allowed to each single 

 individual. 



A human life lasts but a moment of eternity and 

 even the lives of many successive individuals are in- 

 sufficient to observe slow changes in the aspect of 

 nature. 



Even if a man could return to the earth every few 

 centuries, he would yet be unable to see much change. 



A Luther, coming back to the Wartburg to day, 

 could easily revisit all spots once familiar to Junker 

 Jorg and believe that but a few days had passed since 

 he last saw them. 



