EVOLUTION. 121 



were performed under influence of sensibility, as being induced by their wants, 

 which were more or less consciously felt by them. 



Then followed an interesting history of the succession of life, as displayed 

 by the fossils discovered in rocks in the United States, of which more have been 

 found in this country than in Europe. The variability of the different species of 

 domesticated animals was alluded to. While the pea-fowl, guinea fowl, and the 

 cat varied but little, the dog, pigeon, and domestic fowls were very different. 

 This variability gave ground to the assertion that like does not always produce 

 like. Some of the wild animals varied whereas others did not. The Professor 

 explained that this variability above spoken of proved the change from one species 

 to another. The variable wild species extend over a large range of country, and 

 and if a portion of that country is submerged beneath the sea level, you destroy 

 a certain number of variations and leave the others more distinct than they were 

 before. The proof from fossil remains shows lines or series of forms in the suc- 

 cessive geological periods which follow each other as though descended from one 

 another. In that way the lines of descent of the deer, camel, horse, rhinoceros, 

 cat, dog, beaver and other animals had been discovered in North America. The 

 lines of the elephant, the ox, bear and hog, have not been found in this country 

 as yet. 



The question of the law of evolution is stated by Darwin to be the law of 

 natural selection or by Spencer the "survival of the fittest," which means that of 

 a number of varieties the one best adapted for the mode of life of the animal re- 

 mained, while the less perfect ones disappeared. But this answers only part of 

 the question, as it remains to show what was the origin of the most perfect variety, 

 or in other words, what is the "origin of the fittest." The nearest answer that 

 has been obtained by a study of the succession of vertebrated animals in North 

 America, is that the best structures have been produced by the movements of the 

 animals themselves, which cause strains, impacts and friction of the various parts 

 of the organism which have produced changes in structure. The cause of the 

 movements of animals is the next question for consideration. Everybody knows 

 that animals move under the influence of conscious states, and the effect of the 

 environment is transmitted throught the medium of consciousness or simple sen- 

 sibility. It is well known, however, that the majority of the functions of animals 

 are carried on unconsciously to the animals themselves. This is an illustration 

 of the principle that, while all motions have to be learned in conscious states, as 

 soon as they are learned consciousness is no longer necessary for their performance. 

 The case is parallel to that of the human mind, which is compelled to learn les- 

 sons by conscious process, which, when learned, can be performed without con- 

 sciousness. Such process, no doubt, involves a change in the structure of the 

 brain, and is a process of evolution of the brain. This theory of evolution ac- 

 counts for the origin of physical structures as well as of the mind, and allows the 

 hypothesis of the existence of mind as a primitive attribute of some kind of mat- 

 ter, and as possibly existing in the universe wherever suitable physical basis exists 

 or can be found. 



