400 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. VI, No. 1, 
MEETING OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLUB. 
Ortox Hall, May 1, 1905. 
The club was called to order by the President, Prof. Hine. 
The minutes of the ])revious meeting were read and approved. 
The program for the evening consisted of an address on “The 
Present Status of Darwinism,” by Prof. Edward L. Rice of the 
Ohio Wesleyan University. Prof. Rice gave a brief review of 
Darwin’s work and the conditions under which “The Origin of 
Species” was ])ublished. Darwin really gave us nothing new in 
his theory but he gave the actual data for evolution, and it was 
for this reason that his work attracted so much attention. For- 
merly the struggle was between science and religion, but now it 
is between scientists as to the method of evolution. Ultra"^ 
Darwinians go far beyond Darwin with the theory of natural 
selection and many, as Weisman and Haeckel, deny Lamark’s 
theorv entirely. Whether it is inheritance or environment that 
makes the arm of the blacksmith’s son strong and that of the 
preacher’s boy weak is the important question. A recent article 
m the American Field Journal by Redfield of Chicago, on the 
evolution of the setter may possibly have some bearing on this 
subject. In tracing the history of the offspring of two male dogs 
it was found that the offspring of the one which had been used 
constantly in the held appeared seven times in champion trials. 
f)ffspring of the brother of this dog, which had been kept for 
stud purposes only, did not occur among the champion dogs. It 
is the general verdict of breeders that horses and dogs give 
better offspring if not kej)t for stud purposes only. 
Prof. Rice mentioned several of the objection's which had 
been raised against the theory of natural selection and attempted 
to show that these might not all be entirely valid. 
In a summary. Prof. Rice stated that he believed that many 
laws were o])erative in juoducing the results of evolution. In 
regard to their effectiveness he believed that they would stand 
in about the following order: Darwin’s and DeVries’ theories 
first, Romanes second, and sexual selection and environmental 
influences of less importance. 
Mr. Henriksen, Prof. Landacre, Miss Wilson, and Prof, 
bchaffner took part in the discussion which followed. 
J. H. Gourley and Miss Caroline Carmack were elected to 
membership. The club then adjourned. 
Frank M. Surface, Sec'y. ' 
Date of Publication of November Number, November 3, lOOS. 
