NEAR SIGHTEDNESS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. 593 



death-struggle in which only the victoi' survives." * * * "At 

 the end of an interval of accelerated change only the most plastic would 

 have deviated from their late forms and reached the point of successful 

 adaptation, which is survived in health." 



Prof Cope differs from King altogether, rejecting his theory that catas- 

 trophic disturbances produce great destruction and re-introduction of life, 

 and ascribes the sudden appearance of new species wholly to migration. 



1 have also been informed by a most reliable gentleman that one of the 

 most distinguished geologists of the west, who has been associated with Prof. 

 Marsh in most, if not all, of his explorations among the fossil remains of 

 Kansas and Colorado, not only refuses to accept the Evolution theoi'y, but 

 on the contrary claims to have found many facts that convince him that it 

 is untenable. Thus we find that the evolutionists themselves cannot har- 

 monize even in their theories, although necessarily based upon the same 

 facts, and that those who labor v/ith them sometimes fail to agi-ee with them ; 

 whence, we again conclude that the natural laws of progression offered us 

 as a substitute for creation are by no means so clear that one who runs may 

 read ; at least all may not read alike. 



I have now gone pretty much over the whole subject, and while I have 

 omitted much that might have been said, I feel that in view of the admis- 

 sions of the imperfections and the incompleteness of the theory of Evolution 

 by Huxley, Darwin, Marsh and others, and their hopeful reliance upon the 

 devleopmcnts of science in the future for its perfection, we may rest our case 

 here until the objections pointed out have been met, and also rely upon the 

 Providences of God, explained by the unquestionable proofs obtained by 

 impartial scientific research, for enlightenment as to his inscrutable acts in 

 the past, as well as his unchangeable purposes for the future. 



MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, 



NEAR SIGHTEDNESS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. 

 BY TROF. J. M. GREENWOOD, KANSAS CITY, MO. 



Of late years scientific research in the various departments of human 

 thought has set in motion a mode of mental activity that makes free to 

 question all phenomena whether physical or material. It was in this sjjirit 

 of inquiry that Prof. Donders, some thirteen years ago, made a statement 

 which has since attracted considerable attention in Europe and also in 

 America. He was of the opinion that if a definite number of students, 

 say, of a university, should have their eyes examined at regular intervals 

 during their course, the statistics thus obtained would indicate aston- 



