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appearance of the human race upon the scene ; the animals and 

 plants then created were the progenitors of those which now^ 

 possibly with others since created, tenant the earth/' 



The novelty of Mr. Darwin^s views has had something to do 

 with the ready reception of them by the rising generation, who 

 in this age of electric telegraphy and underground railroads, are 

 always seeking the sensational and the marvellous, the ten- 

 dency of whose mind is to consider those who differ from 

 them as standing upon a lower intellectual platform than 

 themselves. 



My intention is not to attempt to enter into a general criticism 

 of the value of the arguments for or against the Darwinian 

 theory ; this would lead me far beyond the limits within which 

 I propose to confine this paper ; moreover, this has been done 

 over and over again by far abler hands than mine. Nor do I 

 intend to trespass upon your time, beyond a mere allusion to 

 the controversy which has for some years been going on in 

 respect to the structural differences between man and animals ; 

 and I shall consider it equally foreign to my purpose to inquire 

 into man's zoological position, considering it, as I do, of com- 

 paratively little importance whether he be considered as belong- 

 ing to a species, order, class, or sub-class of the animal kingdom. 

 I propose to test Darwinism solely and simply in reference to 

 its bearings upon the faculty of Articulate Language. 



Those who have read the "Descent of Man,'^ will remember 

 that the author begins by saying that he who wishes to decide 

 whether man is the modified descendant of some pre-existing 

 form, would probably first inquire whether man varies, however 

 slightly, in bodily structure, and in mental faculties ; and if so, 

 whether the variations are transmitted to his offspring in accord- 

 ance with the laws which prevail with the lower animals. He 

 then proceeds to compare the bodily structure of man and that 

 of the lower animals, remarking that all the bones in his skeleton 

 can be compared with the corresponding bones in the monkey, 

 bat, or seal ; that it is the same with his muscles, nerves, blood- 

 vessels, and viscera, — in fact, he shows that there is a remark- 

 able correspondence between man and the higher mammals, 

 especially the ape, in the structure of the brain and other parts 

 of the body. He then calls attention to the fact that man is 

 liable to receive from the lower animals, and to communicate to 

 them, certain diseases, as hydrophobia, small-pox, the glanders, 

 &c., a fact which he says proves the close similarity of their 

 tissues and blood, both in minute structure and composition, far 

 more plainly than does their comparison under the best micro- 

 scope, or by the aid of the best chemical analysis. 



