COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



could be no more useful, from a zoological point 

 of view, than the power of appreciating the most 

 subtle harmonic effects in a symphony of Schu- 

 mann. For this extreme differentiation there 

 would seem to be no assignable cause save the 

 direct action of luminous waves upon the won- 

 derfully sensitive and responsive nerve tissue 

 of civilized men. 



Were it needful for the further illustration of 

 our position, I might show how Mr. Spencer 

 has proved that the structure of vertebral col- 

 umns is also primarily due to directly adap- 

 tive changes. Many peculiarities in the shapes 

 of plants and animals are probably thus to be 

 explained. And in regard to the hues of or- 

 ganisms — those phenomena which are so beau- 

 tifully explained by the Darwinian theory — 

 there are some exceptions to be cited. The 

 magnificent tints of many corals, of certain cat- 

 erpillars, and of the shells of sundry mollusks, 

 must undoubtedly be due to the direct work- 

 ing of such chemical affinities as produce our 

 wonderful aniline dyes, or the rich tints of our 

 American autumn woods. 



But passing over all these interesting points, 

 enough has been said to show that there are 

 many phenomena of organic evolution which 

 natural selection, when considered alone, will 

 not suffice to account for. But with the amend- 



92 



