THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. CONDUCTED BY E. L. AND W. J. YOUMANS. CONTENTS. I. Bathybius and the Moners. By Prof. ERNST HAECKEL. II. Molecular Magnitudes. By L. R. CURTISS.. PAGE 641 653 III. Simple Experiments in Optics. By ELIZA A. YOUMANS. (Illustrated.)... 658 668 672 682 VII. The Modern Piano-forte. By S. AUSTEN PEARCE, Mus. Doc., Oxon... . . 691 704 706 X. Huxley's American Lectures. By Prof. E. RAY LANKESTER. 709 721 XI. Specimens of Educational Literature. By F. W. CLARKE. (Illustrated.). 713 XII. The Psycho-Physiological Sciences. By JOSEPH RODES BUCHANAN, M. D. XIII. The Decline of Party Government. By Prof. GOLDWIN SMITH.. XIV. Sketch of Prof. Jevons. (With Portrait.).... 734 745 XV. CORRESPONDENCE. 748 XVI. EDITOR'S TABLE: Carpenter on Spiritualism-Indications of Progress-The Decline 750 of Parties-Further Astronomical Discoveries.... LITERARY NOTICES: MAYER and BARNARD's Experimental Science Series for Begin- 757 POPULAR MISCELLANY: The American Association for the Advancement of Science- During its thirty-two years of business, the Company has Surplus, 6,000,000 Dollars. Income, nearly 8,000,000 Dollars Yearly. There is nothing desirable and practicable in Life Insurance which this Company does not furnish, whether that be perfect security, equity of management, or adaptability of plans to the public need; there is nothing undesirable and avoidable which it does not avoid. It originated, in 1860, the celebrated "Non-forfeiture" plan, which has since been adopted by every other company. Its "Tontine Investment policy" has won the unqualified commendation of the ablest actuaries and of the ablest business men. Men of good reputation, able to devote the whole or even a part of their time in procuring business for this Company, will be liberally compensated for the work accomplished. For terms and conditions, apply to the Home Office of the Company, or any of its General Agencies. WILLIAM H. BEERS, President. MORRIS FRANKLIN, Vice-Pres. and Actuary. THEODORE M. BANTA, Cashier. D. O'DELL, Superintendent of Agencies. CORNELIUS R. BOGERT, M. D., Medical Examiners. GEORGE WILKES, M. D., CHARLES WRIGHT, M. D., Assis't Medical Examiner. THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. OCTOBER, 1877. 66 BATHYBIUS AND THE MONERS.' BY PROFESSOR ERNST HAECKEL. ATHYBIUS, about which so much has been said, has no existence; the assumption of its existing rested on illusions. It will be the same with the rest of the Moneres; these supposed primordial organisms, too, will prove to be the product of erroneous observation. So has one of the main supports of the modern development doctrine fallen, and it will yet be found that all its other supports rest upon illusions and on error. The whole fabric of Darwinism is simply an air-castle, the theory of natural selection is a soapbubble, and the doctrine of descent is not true." Such is the gist of many an article published during the past year in all sorts of periodicals. Simply and solely from the supposed nonexistence of Bathybius it is rashly inferred that there is no such thing at all as Moneres, and that the doctrine of evolution is badly hit. This assertion is of course made with most gusto by the opponents of the development theory. The clergy is already rejoicing over the utter downfall of the theory of descent. But even among the adherents of the theory of evolution, the non-existence of Bathybius is held to be proved, and from this fact a series of conclusions is drawn which suggests more or less weighty objections against some of the main principles of Darwinism. These circumstances, as also the confusion of the public mind as to the actual state of the case, have induced me to consider the Moneres question with special reference to Bathybius. It would appear to be specially my right, nay, even my duty, to discuss this question, inasmuch as it was my dubious luck to have stood godfather to this "ill-famed primordial slime of the sea-depths." When, in 1868, my friend Thomas Huxley gave 1 Translated from the German, by J. Fitzgerald, A. M. VOL. XI.-41 |