No Creation Of Species

Prof. Steere discussed "The Effect i Environment Upon Living Organisme.'' before the University Bible elass of t! ■ Methodist (Jhiu-ch yesterday noon. Tliis was the second of the series of four that hc is now delivering His remarks yesterday were of considerable interest. He declared that all animáis wereessentially of the same composition, being made of the protoplasmic cell. He assailed the theory of creation of species frora several points of view. If that theory be true then the physical worjd is working in antagonism to tlie world of life. The two parta of creation are out of haniiony. Unless we accept the theory propounded by the evolutionists, that ehanges of environment are means toward effectiug changes in species, then the physical world is trying to tear down what the world of life builds up. ïhis is scareely to be believed. The professor referred to the pet argument of the upholders of the theory of separate creation of species, viz., that the Creator bas marked oif the distinction between species so closely that the hybrid. the offspring of species that have been inter-bred, is sterile, thus proving that the Creator purposely cut off the development of new species. He showed that in no less that eight cases of hybridism, among forty noticed in the British Museum, the offspring are fértil e Dr. Steere went further iu refuting this stock argument and cited cases where the hybrids resulting from the interbreeding of two genera and the species have been fertile. He said that. our domestic animáis are almost all examples of this very same thing. Our cattle and our fowls and sheep are among the most fertile of animáis and yet they are hybrids not only of species but of genera. Prof. Steere spoke interestingly of the effect of environment upon man, say ing among other th ings that Americans, though descendents of the Englisb, were sb far senarated from their parents in speech, manners and customs that our English fathers and mothers scarcelv knew their children. He went further and demonstrated the effect of environment on the lower animáis, taking the horse for an example. The many different forms that the horse i has taken, according to the environment in which it has been obliged to develop, J is proof, either that the two departments of nature are antagonistic, or that there is a procesa oí evolution in nature. j Prof. Steere preiers to take the latter horn of the dilemma.