443 



LECTURE XVI. 



Origin of Organic Nature. — Differences between the Organic Kingdoms and 

 their sub-Divisions. — Origin of Organic Cells. — Theory of Darwin. — My 

 change of Opinion. — Creation of Species. — Mutability of Type. — Con- 

 sequences of this Theory. — Adaptation and Fixation of Types. — Prac- 

 tical Conception of Species. — Variation in Adaptation and Slowness of 

 Transformation. — Present and Former Transition Types. — Cebus. — 

 Bears. — The Greek Monkey of the Tertiary Period. — Exclusive Views of 

 Cuvier and Agassiz. — Earity of Transition Forms. — Progression and 

 Retrogression. — Fundamental Plan in the Structure of Animals. — No 

 siagle Original Organic Form. — Derivation of the Human from the Ape- 

 Type. — Derivation of the three Anthropoid Apes from three different 

 Families. — The various original Human Eaces must be derived from 

 different Ape Families. — Lamentations of Moralists. 



Gentlemen, — The desire of man to inquire into tiie origin of 

 all things produces daily fresh attempts of ascending the scale 

 leading in that direction. Faith has in this respect an easy 

 task ; it builds upon some old myth a system which points to 

 an unknown beyond. The path of science is more rugged, as 

 it must steadily keep to the principle, not to depart from the 

 facts and the limits fixed by observation and experiment. The 

 further back science proceeds, the more necessary is it to use 

 caution in drawing inferences from the facts, and the greater 

 should be the candour in confessing the gaps which are every 

 where met with ; not for the reason that no created being can 

 penetrate into the sanctuary of Nature, but simply because the 

 facts and observations are so numerous that they cannot be 

 mastered by one individual. 



The origin of organic nature has always attracted the atten- 

 tion both of the professional naturalist and the general student. 

 Observation teaches that every organic being owes its origin to 

 parents, which are again the product of other parents ; no 

 where is there an interruption in the series, so that notwith- 

 standing all assertions to the contrary, the production of organic 

 beings from original elements has hitherto failed. However 



