CHAPTEE III. 



EVOLUTION IN ASTRONOMY AND PHILOLOGY. 



" Die Sonne tont nach alter Weise, 

 In Bruderspharen Wettgesang, 

 Und ihre vorgeschriebne Reise 

 Vollcndet sie mit Donnergang." 



GOETHE'S Faust. 



BEFORE discussing the bearings of the Theory of 

 Evolution on Biology, it may be well to ex- 

 amine its connection with other sciences, in 

 order to ascertain whether they present any 

 traces of its operation, or any analogies which 

 will justify us in reasoning from them to 

 Biology. We will therefore consider Astronomy 

 and Philology, two sciences as little connected 

 with each other as possible, and consequently 

 very well suited for our present purpose. Geo- 

 logy is more immediately connected with 

 Biology, and will therefore require to be dealt 

 with subsequently. 



Astronomy reveals to us the existence of 

 matter in all stages of development, from the 

 vast masses of pure hydrogen, of which some 



