Skip to main content

Full text of "Arcana of nature"

See other formats 


y 


.       LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIFT    OF 


Class 


And  he  dreamed,  and  behold  a  ladder  set  up  on  the 
earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven ;  and  behold 
the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it. 

Genesis,  28.  12. 

God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to 
confound  the  wise;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are 
mighty. 

I  Cor.  1.  27. 


ARCANA     OF     NATURE 

By 

HUDSON    TUTTLE 

n 

With  an 
INTRODUCTION 

Giving  an  Account  of  the  Phenomenon  of  its  Authorship, 

and  the  "Superior   Condition"  of  ANDREW 

JACKSON  DAVIS,  EMANUEL 

SWEDENBORG,  and 

other  Psychics, 

By 
EMMET  DENSMORE,  M.D. 

(Witt)  portraits  ant  Illustrations) 

I 

SECOND  EDITION.  FIFTH  THOUSAND,  REVISED  AND  AUGMENTED 


AN  SONNENSCHEIN  &  CO. 


NEW  YORK: 
STILLMAN  PUBLISHING  CO. 

313  Forty-first  Street,  Brooklyn 


(5/73 

rz 


COPYRIGHT,  1909, 
BY  EMMET  DENSMORE 

[Printed  in  United  States  ] 
Second  Edition  Publisht  April,  1909 


SUMMARY  OF  CONTENTS. 


With  Dr.  Densmore^  compliments 

471  Park  Avenue, 

Stew  York. 

May,   1909. 


Index 

182029 


T'y 


jffliXoico  B'sTorcaasd   .id 


•iioY  wsH 


SUMMARY  OF  CONTENTS. 


Page: 
Illustrations — Portraits,  Plates  I-IV. 

Editor's  Preface    7 

Introduction,  comprising : 

Memoir  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg 11 

"        "    Andrew  Jackson  Davis 23 

"        "    Hudson  Tuttle  .                  39 

"    Cora  L.  V.  Richmond 65 

"    W.  J.   Colville 74 

Clairvoyance  of  A.  J.  Davis  .  99 

ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  reproduced  from  origi- 
nal plates  101 

PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT,  extracts  from  407 

Appendix    461 

Index    469 

182029 


PREFACE. 

The  Psychical  Research  Society  was  organized  in 
England  in  1882,  by  prominent  men  and  women  inter- 
ested in  the  problem  of  a  continued  life  after  death, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  examining  into  the  validity  of 
alleged  psychic  manifestations.  One  result  of  its 
activities  has  been  to  enlist  the  cooperation  of  noted 
men  of  science,  and  to  create  a  popular  interest  in 
these  manifestations. 

The  writer  is  imprest  that  the  phenomena  to  which 
attention  is  called  in  this  volume  deserve  consider- 
ation from  the  psychic  student  as  well  as  from  the  gen- 
eral public.  As  explained  more  fully  in  the  Introduc- 
tion, the  utterances  of  none  of  these  seers  are  to  be 
accepted  as  authoritative;  and  the  Arcana  of  Nature 
is  republished  because  of  the  phenomenal  nature  of 
its  production  rather  than  from  any  claim  that  it  is  a 
valuable  contribution  to  science. 

The  Arcana  of  Nature  is  herein  reproduced  as  it 
first  appeared,  including  the  charts  and  diagrams. 

The  orthografy  of  the  Introduction,  including  the 
biografies,  quotations  and  Appendix,  is  made  to  con- 
form to  the  recommendations  of  the  Simplified  Spelling 
Board. 

EMMET  DENSMORE. 

NEW  YORK,  September,  1908. 


PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION 

Mr.  Colville  in  his  biografy  on  page  85  givs  strong 
testimony  as  to  the  beneficial  effects,  both  upon  his 
mental  and  physical  powers,  resulting  from  the  exercise 
of  spiritual  gifts. 

Like  benefits  'are  even  more  strikingly  shown  by 
Dr.  Davis,  a  graduate  of  medicin,  who,  now  in  his  83rd 
year,  is  busily  engaged  in  the  practis  of  his  profession. 

The  facts  of  Swedenborg's  life  afford  a  further 
illustration  of  the  benefits  associated  with  the  use  of 
psychic  powers.  It  is  well  known  that  he  was  activly 
occupied  in  the  production  of  his  philosophical  works 
until  within  a  few  months  of  his  death.  "The  Rev. 
Nicholas  Collin,  Rector  of  Swedenborg's  chureh  in 
Philadelphia,  who  visited  Swedenborg  in  1706  (N.  Y. 
Sun,  Sept.  6th,  1908),  thus  depicts  his  personal -appear- 
ance: 'being  very  old  (seventy-eight)  when  I  saw  him, 
he  was  thin  and  pale,  but  still  retained  traces  of  beauty 
and  had  something  very  pleasing  in  his  physiognomy 
and  a  dignity  in  his  tall  and  erect  stature/  Sweden- 
borg's bodily  activity  in  his  later  years  was  much 
remarkt  upon.  Cuno  (also  a  contemporary)  bears 
witness  that  when  Swedenborg  was  in  his  late  seventies 
he  was  for  his  age  a  perfect  marvel  of  health.  He  says 
that  altho  Swedenborg  was  more  than  twenty  years 
older,  he  (Cuno)  would  be  afraid  to  run  a  race  with 
him  becaus  'he  was  as  quick  on  his  legs  as  the  young- 
est man/  Somewhat  later  Cuno  testifies:  'When  I 
dined  with  him  the  last  time  he  told  me  that  a  new 
set  of  teeth  was  growing  in  his  mouth;  he  was  then 
a  man  81  years  of  age'." 

7 


8  PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION 

On  pages  99-101  is  given  a  recent  letter  from  Di*. 
Davis  giving  further  particulars  of  his  clairvoyance 
and  explaining  the  conditions  which  enable  him  to 
make  quotations,  word  for  word,  from  books  and  wri- 
tings which  he  has  never  seen. 

On  page  33  may  be  found  an  explanation  of  Dr. 
Davis 's  Superior  Condition,  and  on  page  35  a  quota- 
tion from  the  poet  Wordsworth  which  characterizes 
this  state  as  "that  blessed  mood."   The  following  quo- 
tation from  Lowell's  "Columbus,"  written  when  the 
poet  was  but  twenty-five  years  of  age,  shows  plainly 
that  he  also  was  cognizant  of  the  Superior  Condition : 
And  I  believed  the  poets ;  it  is  they 
Who  utter  wisdom  from  the  central  deep, 
And,  listening  to  the  inner  flow  of  things, 
Speak  to  the  age  out  of  eternity. 

"NEW  YORK,  April,  1909. 


INTRODUCTION. 

HERBERT  SPENCER  was  once  invited  by  a  physician 
of  high  standing — a  personal  friend  of  the  writer,  then 
living  in  London — to  witness  some  psychic  phenomena 
which  the  physician  had  seen  and  described  to  the 
philosopher.  Mr.  Spencer  declined  the  invitation  and, 
smiling  benignantly,  replied  that  on  account  of  well- 
known  laws  such  occurrences  were  impossible.  Mr. 
Spencer's  reply  was  not  scientific.  Science  bids  us 
not  to  declare  beforehand  what  is  or  is  not  possible,  but 
to  study  the  facts,  and  from  them  deduce  the  law  or 
laws  that  govern  their  appearance.  While  the  feasi- 
bility of  ocean  navigation  under  steam  still  lacked 
demonstration,  Mr.  Lardner,  then  a  well-known  Eng- 
lish scientist,  published  a  pamflet  to  prove  mathemati- 
cally that  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  vessel  to  carry 
enough  coal,  even  when  freight  and  passengers  were 
excluded,  to  propel  it  across  the  Atlantic.  The  first 
steamship  to  cross  carried  some  copies- of  Mr.  Lardner 's 
pamflet  then  just  issued. 

In  the  following  pages,  some  well-established  marvels 
are  related,  and  it  would  seem  the  part  of  wisdom  not 
to  declare  beforehand  that  they  are  impossible,  but 
rather  to  ascertain  if  they  are  true ;  and  if  true,  to  find 
their  meaning. 

It  is  a  proverb  that  there  is  no  royal  road  fo  learn- 
ing. But  in  these  days  so  prolific  of  discoveries — when 
the  sciences  are  so  multiplied  that  few  can  hope  to 
cover  more  than  a  small  portion  of  the  field — it  must 
have  occurred  to  many  that  there  is  great  need  for  a 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

royal  road.  It  is  hoped  that  the  following  pages  will 
give  the  reader  a  glimpse  of  such  a  possible  pathway. 

In  succeeding  pages  there  is  given  a  brief  account  of 
the  lives  of  three  seers  strikingly  similar  in  their 
intellectual  and  philosophical  qualities  and  the  eleva- 
tion of  their  spiritual  natures.  Two  of  the  three  are 
still  living,  have  reached  a  happy,  vigorous  and  useful 
old  age,  and  are  conspicuous  examples  of  those  who 
have  successfully  traveled  an  unusual  road  to 
knowledge. 

Brief  sketches  of  two  other  psychics  are  added  in 
which  similar  phenomena  are  noted. 


EMANUEL    SWEDENBORG 

Emanuel  Swedenborg  was  born  in  Stockholm,  Swe- 
den, on  the  29th  day  of  January,  1688,  and  died  in 
London,  March  29th,  1772.  His  seership  is  established 
by  the  fulfilment  of  prophetic  revelations,  and  the 
exercise  of  seemingly  miraculous  powers.  He  was  the 
son  of  Jasper  Svedberg,  Bishop  of  Skara.  In  his  child- 
hood he  displayed  a  disposition  so  devout  that  his 
parents  thought  at  times  "an  angel  spake  thru  his 
lips."  He  was  graduated  as  Doctor  of  Philosophy  at 
the  University  of  Upsala  at  the  age  of  21.  After  grad- 
uation he  traveled  in  Europe,  carrying  letters  to  well- 
known  men  in  the  prominent  seats  of  learning.  He 
studied  music,  wrote  poems  in  Latin,  and  published  a 
periodical  devoted  to  inventions  and  mathematics. 
Attracted  by  his  genius,  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden  ap- 
pointed him  Assessor  in  the  College  of  Mines.  In 
1719,  after  distinguished  engineering  services  on  behalf 
of  his  country  in  a  naval  war,  he  was  raised  to  the 
nobility,  and  the  name  Swedenborg  was  first  assumed 
by  him.  In  1724  he  declined  the  chair  of  mathematics 
at  the  Upsala  University.  From  1721  to  1744  were  years 
of  foren  travel,  of  study  and  research  on  such  diverse 
subjects  as  mining  and  smelting,  mathematics,  physics, 
astronomy,  and  anatomy,  whilst  numerous  publications 
emanated  from  his  pen.  In  his  Principia,  published 
in  1734,  there  are  clear  anticipations  of  later  scientific 
teachings,  to  which  fuller  reference  is  made  on  a  sub- 
sequent page. 

It  is  plain  from  Swedenborg 's  own  words  that  he  was 

a  sensitive  or  a  psychic.    The  clairvoyant  state,  whether 

11 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

induced  by  mesmeric — now  termed  hypnotic — passes, 
or  by  expectant  waiting  at  a  seance,  or  self -induced  on 
the  part  of  a  sensitive,  presents  characteristic  physical 
conditions  very  different  from  those  observed  in  the 
normal  state.  One  marked  difference  observed  is  in 
the  breathing  which  becomes  less  rapid  and  lighter,  with 
the  vital  functions  at  a  low  ebb.  The  following  narra- 
tion is  taken  from  Swedenborg's  Spiritual  Diary:1 

"If  we  carefully  attend  to  profound  thoughts,  we 
shall  find  that  when  we  draw  breath,  a  host  of  ideas 
rush  from  beneath  as  thru  an  opened  door  into  the 
sphere  of  thought, — whereas,  when  we  hold  the  breath, 
and  slowly  let  it  out,  we  doubly  keep  the  while  in  the 
tenor  of  our  thought,  and  communicate  as  it  were  with 
the  higher  faculty  of  the  soul;  as  I  have  observed  in 
my  own  person  times  without  number.  Retaining  or 
holding  back  the  breath  is  equivalent  to  having  inter- 
course with  the  soul ;  attracting  or  drawing  it  amounts 
to  intercourse  with  the  body. " . . . .  * '  I  was  first  accus- 
tomed to  breathe  in  this  way  in  infancy  when  praying 
my  morning  and  evening  prayers ;  then  at  times  after- 
wards, when  I  was  exploring  the  agreements  of  the 
heart  and  lungs,  especially  when  I  was  writing  from 
inner  thought  what  I  published  on  these  subjects,  and 
this  during  several  years.  At  this  time  I  noticed  fre- 
quently that  there  was  a  tacit  respiration,  scarcely  sen- 
sible, about  which  it  was  given  afterwards  to  think  and 
then  to  write.  In  this  way  for  many  years  from  in- 
fancy I  was  introduced  into  such  breathings,  especially 
thru  intense  speculation,  in  which  the  (ordinary) 
breathing  subsided;  otherwise,  no  intense  speculation 
of  truth  can  be  given.  Then  afterwards,  when  heaven 

1.  Life  and  Mission  of  Em.  Swederiborg,  By  Benj.  Worcester, 
6th  ed.,  Boston,  1907.  Pp.  200,  201,  202. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  13 

was  opened,  so  that  I  spoke  with  spirits,  I  breathed 
so  completely  in  this  way  that  I  did  not  take  in  a 
(common)  breath  for  the  space  of  about  an  hour,  only 
just  enough  air  being  drawn  to  enable  me  to  think. " 

It  was  in  1744  that  the  great  change  occurred  in 
Swedenborg's  life.  It  is  referred  to  by  himself  as: 
"the  opening  of  my  spiritual  sight/ '  "the  manifes- 
tation of  the  Lord  to  me  in  person, "  "my  introduc- 
tion into  the  spiritual  world. ' '  From  this  time  he  gave 
up  all  worldly  learning  and  labored  solely  to  expound 
spiritual  things.  He  claimed  to  be  in  actual  contact 
with  the  spiritual  realm,  and  to  associate  with  spirits 
of  an  advanced  order;  in  fact,  in  his  first  published 
work  after  his  great  illumination,  entitled  Arcana 
Celestia,  he  avers  that  the  truths  therein  set  forth  were 
revealed  to  him  by  an  angel  of  the  Lord. 

Swedenborg  gives  a  detailed  account  of  the  first  time 
a  spirit  appeared  to  him.2  He  was  dining  late  at  an 
inn;  was  hungry  and  ate  with  a  good  appetite.  To- 
wards the  close  of  the  meal  he  noticed  a  dimness  before 
his  eyes  which  increased,  leaving  him  for  a  short  time 
in  darkness,  then  suddenly  departed;  and,  as  he  had 
been  alone,  he  was  frightened  to  see  a  man  sitting  in 
the  corner  of  the  room,  who  spoke  to  him,  saying: 
"Eat  not  so  much."  Swedenborg  further  relates  that 
he  then  went  to  his  room,  and  that  the  same  spirit 
came  to  him  during  the  night — he  was  not  then  afraid 
— and  said  that  the  Lord  had  chosen  him  (Sweden- 
borg) to  unfold  to  men  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Scriptures. 

In  February,  1772,  John  Wesley,  who  had  not  met 
Swedenborg,  and  was  then  in  the  midst  of  his  evan- 

2.  Worcester's  Life,  P.  203. 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

gelizing  labors  in  London,  received  a  letter  from  the 
seer  stating  that  he  had  been  informed  in  the  world 
of  spirits  that  Mr.  Wesley  desired  to  see  him  and  that 
he  would  be  pleased  to  have  him  call.  A  full  account 
of  this  remarkable  incident  is  given  in  the  following 
letter  from  J.  T.  Hawkins,3  a  well-known  English 
engineer,  and  intimate  friend  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Smith 
referred  to:  "I  have  a  clear  recollection  of  having  re- 
peatedly heard  the  Eev.  Samuel  Smith  say,  about  the 
year  1787  or  1788,  that  in  the  latter  end  of  February, 
he,  with  some  other  preachers,  was  in  attendance  upon 
the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  taking  instructions  and  assisting 
him  in  the  preparations  for  his  grand  circuit  which 
Mr.  Wesley  was  about  to  commence;  that  while  thus 
in  attendance  a  letter  came  for  Mr.  Wesley  which  he 
perused  with  evident  astonishment;  that  after  a  pause 
he  read  the  letter  to  the  company  as  follows:  'Sir:  I 
have  been  informed  in  the  world  of  spirits  that  you  have 
a  strong  desire  to  converse  with  me ;  I  shall  be  happy 
to  see  you  if  you  will  favor  me  with  a  visit.  I  am,  Sir, 
Your  humble  servant,  Emanuel  Swedenborg.'  Mr. 
Wesley  frankly  acknowledged  to  the  company  that  he 
had  been  strongly  imprest  with  a  desire  to  see  and 
converse  with  Swedenborg,  but  had  never  mentioned 
that  desire  to  anyone.  He  wrote  Swedenborg  in  reply 
that  he  was  then  busily  engaged  in  preparing  for  a  six 
months'  circuit,  but  would  do  himself  the  pleasure 
of  waiting  upon  him  soon  after  his  return  to  London. 
To  this  Swedenborg  replied  that  the  visit  would  be  too 
late,  as  he  should  go  into  the  world  of  spirits  on  the 
29th  day  of  the  next  month,  never  to  return/'  This 
prophecy  was  fulfilled  by  Swedenborg 's  death  on  March 

3.  TafePs  Documents  concerning  Swedenborg, 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  15 

29th,  and  Wesley  never  met  him.  These  facts  had  such 
an  influence  on  the  Rev.  Samuel  Smith,  as  well  as  on 
several  others  of  his  fellow  ministers,  that  they  later 
seceded  from  the  Methodist  ranks  to  become  adherents 
of  the  New  Church. 

Another  instance  of  Swedenborg 's  psychic  powers  is 
related  by  Professor  Scherer  of  Tubingen  University. 
Swedenborg  was  one  evening  at  a  social  gathering  in 
Stockholm  where  he  had  much  interested  the  company 
by  his  narrations  regarding  the  spirit  world.  They 
asked  for  a  test,  and  suggested  that  he  foretell  which 
of  the  party  would  die  first.  After  a  short  meditation 
he  confidently  designated  Oloff  Olofsohn;  and  further 
specified  that  he  would  die  at  forty-five  minutes  past 
four  the  following  morning.  A  member  of  the  party 
set  out  to  call  at  Olofsohn 's  shortly  after  the  time  of 
his  predicted  death,  and  was  met  by  his  servant  with 
the  tidings  that  his  master  had  been  attacked  by 
apoplexy  and  had  died  at  the  precise  time  stated.* 

Kant,  a  painstaking  scientist  as  well  as  a  great  phi- 
losopher, a  partial  contemporary  of  Swedenborg,  made 
special  inquiry  into  and  verified  several  of  the  remark- 
able incidents  related  of  Swedenborg.  He  published 
a  work  containing  the  results  of  his  investigations 
from  which  the  subjoined  account  is  extracted.5 

' '  The  following  occurrence  appears  to  me  to  have  the 
greatest  weight  of  proof  and  to  place  the  assertion  re- 
specting Swedenborg 's  extraordinary  gift  beyond  all 
possibility  of  dout:  In  the  year  1759,  towards  the  end 
of  July,  on  Saturday,  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  Sweden- 
borg arrived  at  Gottenburg  from  England,  when  Mr. 

4.  Worcester's  Life.     Page  389. 

5.  Dreams  of  a  Spirit  Seer,  P.   158.     (Goerwitz'  trans,  ed. 
by  F.  Sewajl,  London,  1900.) 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

William  Castel  invited  him  to  his  house,  together  with 
a  party  of  fifteen  persons.  About  six  o'clock  Sweden- 
borg  went  out,  and  returned  to  the  company  quite  pale 
and  alarmed.  He  said  that  a  dangerous  fire  had  just 
broken  out  in  Stockholm,  in  the  Sodermalm  (Gotten- 
burg  is  about  300  miles  from  Stockholm)  and  that  it 
was  spreading  very  fast.  He  was  restless  and  went 
out  often.  He  said  that  the  house  of  one  of  his  friends, 
whom  he  named,  was  already  in  ashes,  and  that  his  own 
was  in  danger.  At  eight  o'clock,  after  he  had  been 
out  again,  he  joyfully  exclaimed,  *  Thank  God,  the  fire 
is  extinguished  the  third  door  from  my  house.'  The 
news  occasioned  great  commotion  thruout  the  whole 
city,  but  particularly  amongst  the  company  in  which 
he  was.  It  was  announced  to  the  Governor  the  same 
evening.  On  Sunday  morning,  Swedenborg  was  sum- 
moned to  the  Governor  who  questioned  him  concerning 
the  disaster.  Swedenborg  described  the  fire  precisely, 
— how  it  had  begun,  in  what  manner  it  had  ceased, 
and  how  it  had  continued.  On  the  same  day,  the  news 
spread  thru  the  city  and,  as  the  Governor  had  thought 
it  worthy  of  attention,  the  consternation  was  consid- 
erably increased  because  many  were  in  trouble  on  ac- 
count of  their  friends  and  property  which  might  have 
been  involved  in  the  disaster.  On  Monday  evening, 
a  messenger  arrived  at  Gottenburg,  who  was  despatched 
by  the  Board  of  Trade  during  the  time  of  the  fire. 
In  the  letters  brought  by  him  the  fire  was  described 
precisely  in  the  manner  stated  by  Swedenborg.  On 
Tuesday  morning,  the  royal  courier  arrived  at  the  Gov- 
ernor '&  with  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  the  fire, 
of  the  loss  it  had  occasioned,  and  of  the  houses  it  had 
damaged  and  ruined,  not  in  the  least  differing  from 
that  which  Swedenborg  had  given  at  the  yery  time  it 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  17 

happened;  for  the  fire  was  extinguished  at  eight 
o  'clock. " 

Another  incident,  also  vouched  for  by  Kant  and 
related  by  him  in  his  works,6  concerns  a  lost  document 
which  Swedenborg  revealed  by  means  of  personal  in- 
tercourse with  one  who  had  past  into  the  spirit  world. 
In  Kant's  own  version: 

"Madame  Marteville,  the  widow  of  the  Dutch  am- 
bassador in  Stockholm,  some  time  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  was  called  upon  by  Croon,  a  goldsmith,  to 
pay  for  a  silver  service  which  her  husband  had  pur- 
chased from  him.  The  widow  was  convinced  that  her 
late  husband  had  been  much  too  precise  and  orderly  not 
to  have  paid  this  det,  yet  she  was  unable  to  find  the 
receipt.  In  her  sorrow,  and  because  the  amount  was 
considerable,  she  requested  Mr.  Swedenborg  to  call 
at  her  house.  After  apologizing  to  him  for  troubling 
him  she  said  that  if,  as  all  people  say,  he  possest  the 
extraordinary  gift  of  conversing  with  the  souls  of  the 
departed,  he  would  perhaps  have  the  kindness  to  ask 
her  husband  how  it  was  about  the  silver  service. 
Swedenborg  did  not  at  all  object  to  comply  with  her 
request.  Three  days  afterwards  the  said  lady  had  com- 
pany at  her  house  for  coffee.  Swedenborg  called,  and 
in  his  cool  way  informed  her  that  he  had  conversed 
with  her  husband.  The  det  had  been  paid  several 
months  before  his  decease,  and  the  receipt  was  in  a 
bureau  in  the  room  upstairs.  The  lady  replied  that  the 
bureau  had  been  quite  cleared  out,  and  that  the  receipt 
was  not  found  among  all  the  papers.  Swedenborg  said 
that  her  husband  had  described  to  him  how,  after  pull- 
ing out  the  lefthand  drawer  a  board  would  appear 


6.  Dreams  of  a  Spirit  Seer,  P.  157. 
2 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

which  would  be  required  to  be  drawn  out  when  a 
secret  compartment  would  be  disclosed,  containing  his 
private  Dutch  correspondence,  as  well  as  the  receipt. 
Upon  hearing  this  description  the  whole  company  arose 
and  accompanied  the  lady  into  the  room  upstairs.  The 
bureau  was  opened;  they  did  as  they  were  directed; 
the  compartment  was  found,  of  which  no-one  had  ever 
known  before;  and,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all, 
the  papers  were  discovered  there,  in  accordance  with 
his  description/' 

Perhaps  most  picturesque  because  involving  highly 
placed  personages,  is  the  incident  of  Queen  Louisa 
Ulrica,  the  facts  of  which  are  well  authenticated.  Fol- 
lowing is  the  account  written  by  Count  Hopken,  a  dis- 
tinguished litterateur  of  the  period,  a  senator,  and  one 
time  prime  minister  of  Sweden.7 

"Swedenborg  was  one  day  (in  1761)  at  a  court  re- 
ception. Her  majesty  (the  queen  dowager  Louisa 
Ulrica)  asked  him  about  different  things  in  the  other 
life,  and  lastly  whether  he  had  seen  or  talked  with  her 
brother,  the  prince  royal  of  Prussia.  He  answered 
No.  Her  majesty  then  requested  him  to  ask  after  him 
and  to  give  him  her  greeting,  which  Swedenborg 
promised  to  do.  I  dout  whether  the  queen  meant  any- 
thing serious  by  it.  At  the  next  reception,  Sweden- 
borg again  appeared  at  court,  and  while  the  queen  was 
in  the  so-called  White  Room,  surrounded  by  her  ladies 
of  honor,  he  came  boldly  in,  and  approached  her 
majesty,  who  no  longer  remembered  the  commission  she 
had  given  him  a  week  before.  Swedenborg  not  only 
greeted  her  from  her  brother,  but  also  gave  her  his 
(her  brother's)  apologies  for  not  having  answered  her 

7.  Life,  by  Worcester,  P.  334. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  19 

last  letter;  he  also  wished  to  do  so  now  thru  Sweden- 
borg,  which  he  accordingly  did.  The  queen  was  greatly 
overcome  and  said:  'No-one  except  God  knows  this 
secret/  3 

For  the  last  thirty  years  of  Swedenborg 's  life  (and 
he  died  at  85)  he  was,  as  it  were,  living  in  two  worlds 
— transacting  business  and  attending  to  social  duties 
in  the  material  sphere  in  a  perfectly  normal  manner, 
whilst  his  spirit,  as  it  appears,  was  with  equal  facility 
visiting  the  scenes  of  the  invisible  realm  and  communi- 
cating familiarly  with  its  denizens.  During  these 
years  he  wrote  voluminously  and  exclusively  on  his 
observations  and  inspirations  received  from  the  latter 
sphere,  and  the  volumes  produced  under  this  influence 
are  those  which  are  now  usually  associated  with  his 
name.  Most  of  his  previous  works  are  now  practically 
unread  and  obsolete  as  science  or  literature;  whereas 
those  produced  after  his  illumination  still  circulate 
the  world  over  and  constitute  a  vast  store  of  ethical 
teaching,  symbological  interpretation  and  profound 
spiritual  insight. 

As  to  the  genius  and  endowments  of  Swedenborg,  the 
following  is  quoted  from  F.  W.  H.  Myers'  Human 
Personality,  P.  6.  "Even  as  Socrates  called  down 
philosophy  from  heaven  to  earth,  so,  in  a  somewhat 
different  sense,  it  was  Swedenborg  who  called  up  phi- 
losophy again  from  earth  to  heaven — who  originated 
the  notion  of  science  in  the  spiritual  world,  as  earn- 
estly tho  not  so  persuasively  as  Socrates  originated  the 
idea  of  science  in  this  world ...  It  was  to  Swedenborg 
first  that  the  unseen  world  appeared  before  all  things 
as  a  realm  of  law.  .  .of  definite  progress  according  to 
definite  relations  of  cause  and  effect."  It  is  to  Swe- 
denborg, then,  that  we  owe  the  beginning  of  psychic 
science. 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

It  is  not,  however,  because  of  any  possible  value  to 
psychic  or  material  science  that  this  summary  of  the 
more  important  facts  of  Swedenborg 's  life  has  been 
introduced,  but  to  give  emphasis  to  the  suggestion  that 
a  general  law  governs  the  lives  of  sensitives — whether 
of  past  ages  or  of  the  present  time.  The  phenomenal 
phases  of  Swedenborg 's  life  are  unusually  well  attested. 
The  sceptic,  who  will  carefully  scrutinize  these  testi- 
monies, can  hardly  fail  to  see  grounds  for  accepting 
their  genuineness;  and  he  will  find  great  difficulty  in 
explaining  the  facts  except  on  the  hypothesis  of  the 
continued  life  of  the  spirit  after  the  death  of  the 
body,  and  of  the  possibility  of  communication  between 
discarnate  spirits  and  those  yet  in  the  body.  The  fact 
that  Swedenborg  minutely  observed  and  reported  a 
fire  at  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles — at  a  time 
when  there  were  no  telegrafs,  telefones,  or  modes  of 
rapid  transit — proves  nothing  if  not  that  Swedenborg 
was  clairvoyant  and  had  the  power  of  sight  thru  some 
other  method  than  that  of  the  bodily  senses.  When 
the  power  to  see  without  eyes  is  demonstrated,  it  surely 
will  strengthen  our  hope  that  we  have  continued  life 
after  the  death  of  the  body ;  even  if  it  affords  no  proof 
absolute  of  such  an  hypothesis.  But  when  Madame 
Marteville  requested  Swedenborg  to  visit  her  deceased 
husband  and  learn  what  had  become  of  a  lost  receipt, 
and  when  a  few  days  afterwards  Swedenborg  called  on 
this  lady  and  said  that  he  had  seen  her  husband,  and 
pointed  out  the  secret  drawer,  of  which  Madame  Marte- 
ville knew  nothing,  and -in  which  the  lost  receipt  was 
found,  there  is  then  strong  confirmatory  evidence  that 
M.  Marteville  still  lives  and  that  Swedenborg  conversed 
with  him.  For  the  sceptic  there  remains  the  hypothesis 
of  clairvoyance.  If  Swedenborg  was  able  to  see  and 


EMANUEL   SWEDENBORG.  21 

note  the  progress  of  a  fire  three  hundred  miles  distant, 
he  might  perhaps,  by  the  same  powers,  search  M.  Marte- 
ville's  house  and  locate  the  secret  drawer.  Such  an 
explanation  involves  the  supposition  that  Swedenborg 
intentionally  misstated  the  facts — an  impossibility  to 
any-one  having  a  knowledge  of  Swedenborg 's  char- 
acter. The  same  remarks  apply  with  even  greater  force 
to  the  Queen  Ulrica  episode  hereinbefore  detailed. 

There  is  yet  a  more  difficult  task  for  the  sceptic,  and 
that  is  to  explain  the  foretelling  of  future  events.  In 
the  case  of  Oloff  Olofsohn,  the  guests  had  demanded 
of  Swedenborg  a  test  of  the  reliability  of  his  revela- 
tions of  the  spirit  world,  and  asked  him  to  state  which 
of  them  would  die  first.  It  is  well  worth  noting  that 
Swedenborg  not  only  designated  the  person,  but  speci- 
fied the  hour  and  the  minute  at  which  the  death  would 
take  place  on  the  following  morning.  The  theories  of 
telepathy  and  clairvoyance  will  not  in  the  least  aid 
the  sceptic  in  this  instance.  It  could  not  be  telepathy 
because  there  was  no-one  living  who  was  aware  of 
the  time,  and  so  mind-reading  was  impossible.  It  could 
not  be  explained  by  clairvoyance  as  the  death  had  not 
yet  taken  place,  and  no  amount  of  clear-seeing  could 
see  what  did  not  yet  exist.  If  this  were  the  only  case 
of  genuine  prophecy  on  record,  the  sceptic  might  urge 
that  it  was  a  lucky  guess  and  a  coincidence.  But  since 
equally  remarkable  fulfilments  of  prophecy  were  com- 
mon with  Swedenborg,  and  are  not  infrequent  with 
numbers  of  living  sensitives,  some  other  explanation 
must  be  sought.  An  adequate  solution  is  not  difficult. 
If  there  be  a  continued  life  of  the  spirit  after  death, 
and  if  the  events  of  both  worlds  are  subject  to  law, 
and  if  there  are  intelligences  in  the  sphere  of  causes  in 
touch  with  these  laws — an  intelligence  of  this  kind 


/  OF  THE      •* 

I    UNIVERSITY  ) 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

may  have  imprest  Swedenborg's  mind  with  the  exact 
minute  at  which  Olofsohn's  death  would  take  place. 

Swedenborg  himself  was  not  in  dout  as  to  this  prob- 
lem. In  a  letter  to  Venator,  minister  of  the  Land- 
grave of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  and  speaking  of  the  events 
above  discust,  he  says:8 

i 'These  must  by  no  means  be  regarded  as  miracles; 
for  they  are  simply  testimonies  that  I  have  been  in- 
troduced by  the  Lord  into  the  spiritual  world  and  have 
intercourse  and  converse  there  with  angels  and  spirits, 
— in  order  that  the  church,  which  has  hitherto  remained 
in  ignorance  concerning  that  world,  may  know  that 
heaven  and  hell  really  exist,  and  that  man  lives  after 
death  a  man  as  before;  and  that  thus,  no  more  douts 
may  flow  into  his  mind  in  respect  to  his  immortality. ' ' 

8.  Life,  by  Worcester,  P.  348. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  DAVIS. 

Andrew  Jackson  Davis  was  born  August  llth,  1826, 
at  Blooming  Grove,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  in  very 
humble  surroundings.  His  father  eked  out  a  precari- 
ous living  by  weaving,  shoe-making  and  farm-laboring. 
He  was  a  good-hearted  man,  strictly  honest,  with  strong 
convictions  but  with  a  weakness  that  led  him  to  waste 
his  scanty  resources  in  drink.  The  family  was  in  a 
chronic  state  of  poverty  until  he  succeeded  in  over- 
coming this  unfortunate  habit.  This  happened  when 
his  son  had  attained  his  eleventh  year.  After  many 
removals  the  family  settled  down  in  a  fairly  comfort- 
able home  in  the  village  of  Hyde  Park,  N.  Y.  Jackson 
was  not  a  promising  youth,  either  intellectually  or 
physically.  Up  to  this  time  he  had  past  his  life  at 
home,  under  the  influence  and  protection  of  his  mother, 
excepting  for  a  very  short  period  of  schooling.  At 
school,  during  a  bare  five  months'  attendance,  he  had 
shown  no  aptitude  for  learning  and  was  naturally  dull 
and  backward,  while  his  timidity  and  awkwardness 
made  him  the  victim  of  the  contempt  and  persecution 
of  his  fellow-pupils.  But  for  his  ever  sympathetic 
mother,  the  lad  would  have  led  an  intolerable  life.  His 
father  regarded  his  delicate  sensibilities,  his  physical 
weakness,  and  his  continued  dependence  on  his  mother 
as  signs  of  an  effeminate  nature  for  which  he  knew 
only  one  remedy,  and  that  was  to  send  the  boy  out  to 
fight  his  own  battles.  The  mother,  however,  insisted 
that  the  boy  was  yet  too  young,  was  not  strong,  still 
needed  home  care,  and  carried  her  point.  She  herself 
had  a  pronounced  psychic  temperament,  had  seen  vis- 

23 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

ions  all  her  life  and  received  warnings  and  prognostica- 
tions which  were  often  strikingly  fulfilled.  To  the  boy 
she  related  many  of  these  experiences  which  by  the 
husband  were  regarded  as  foolish  hallucinations;  and 
when  young  Jackson  himself  had  intimations  from  the 
invisible  world,  his  mother  understood  and  believed 
them.  This  happened  on  one  occasion  when  the  boy; 
was  sick  with  a  fever,  and  the  doctor  had  forbidden 
him  cold  water.  He  told  his  mother  that  he  heard  a 
voice  saying, '  *  You  may  drink  the  sweet  water  of  maple 
trees,"  upon  which  she  acted  with  promptness.  The 
maples,  which  abounded  in  the  near  woods,  were  tapt 
for  their  sap,  and  a  supply  secured  for  the  sick  lad, 
which  brought  about  his  speedy  convalescence. 

Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  parents  to  place 
young  Davis  where  he  could  acquire  a  trade  and  earn 
a  living.  In  his  eleventh  year  he  obtained  a  situation 
in  a  plaster  mill  where  he  was  set  to  tend  the  hopper. 
This  was  several  miles  from  his  home,  and  he  slept  in 
his  employer's  attic.  The  monotony  and  long  hours 
of  this  work,  together  with  his  home-sickness,  soon 
drove  him  to  return  to  his  mother  even  tho  he  knew 
this  act  would  meet  with  his  father's  keen  displeasure. 
At  this  time  somnambulism  first  manifested  itself ;  and 
he  received  dream  impressions  of  labor-saving  ma- 
chines, wooden  models  of  which  he  strove  to  produce 
by  the  aid  of  his  penknife.  His  father,  however,  would 
have  none  of  this  trifling  and  laziness,  as  he  termed  it, 
and  the  boy  had  to  turn  to  something  more  immediately 
practical.  A  Hebrew  merchant,  then  opening  up  in  the 
village,  engaged  him  as  a  helper  at  a  few  shillings  a 
week,  but  after  the  goods  had  been  unpacked  and  ar- 
ranged, the  boy's  incapacity  for  business,  for  selling 
goods,  even  for  making  a  simple  calculation,  was  so 


ANDREW   JACKSON  DAVIS.  25 

evident  that  his  employer  had  to  discharge  him,  and 
he  again  returned  home  to  encounter  his  father's 
frowns.  But  the  mother  had  a  ready  excuse:  "Why, 
he  wants  more  schooling/'  she  insisted.  So,  in  his 
twelfth  year,  he  again  attended  a  rudimentary  academy 
for  about  six  weeks  and  made  some  slight  advance  on 
his  past  achievements,  mastering  the  greater  part  of 
the  multiplication  table,  simple  and  compound  addi- 
tion, a  passable  hand-writing  and  the  spelling  of  words 
up  to  three  syllables.  Sickness  then  stopt  his  further 
schooling.  After  his  recovery,  he  was  taken  on  as 
house-porter  by  a  lawyer  who  had  become  interested  in 
the  family,  but  Jackson's  natural  awkwardness,  in 
spite  of  his  best  endeavors,  was  such  that  he  failed^to 
give  satisfaction.  He  was  next  tried  on  a  farm  at 
shepherding  and  hoeing,  and  became,  he  says,  quite 
handy  at  the  latter.  It  was  during  this  outdoor  work, 
when  alone  in  the  open  fields,  that  he  several  times 
heard  strange  music  and  voices,  and  an  intimation  was 
given  him  that  he  should  go  to  Poughkeepsie.  After  a 
while  he  prevailed  on  his  parents  to  move  to  that  vil- 
lage, within  walking  distance,  and  his  father  finding 
employment  in  a  factory,  they  settled  in  what  has 
since  become  famous  as  the  home  of  the  "Pough- 
keepsie seer."  Here  his  father  tried  him  on  a  shoe- 
maker's bench,  but  finding  him  lacking  in  aptness,  he 
was  again  sent  to  school  for  ten  weeks,  making,  how- 
ever, little  advancement  save  in  writing  and  cifering. 
So  obtuse  was  he  at  this  time,  that,  as  he  states,  his 
mind  was  apparently  stupified  whenever  the  larger 
studies  were  placed  before  him.  His  backwardness  and 
dullness,  he  admits,  grieved  him  in  the  school-room,  but 
a  few  skips  in  the  open  air,  he  adds,  would  restore  his 
usual  contentedness.  This  was  his  last  schooling — 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

about  five  months  in  all,  with  not  a  word  of  grammar, 
history,  literature  or  science.  During  one  season  at 
home  his  parents  had  treated  him  to  a  Peter  Parley's 
Geografy,  the  pictures  in  which  amused  him. 

After  two  more  years  of  discouraging  experiences, 
and  after  the  death  of  his  mother  in  the  year  1842, 
he  was  engaged  by  Ira  Armstrong  as  a  clerk  in  the 
shoe  business  and  was  practically  accepted  as  a  member 
of  the  Armstrong  household.  In  Armstrong  he  found  a 
patient  and  benevolent  employer  who  taught  him  prac- 
tical business  habits.  Towards  the  end  of  1843,  a  trav- 
eling mesmerist  named  Grimes  came  to  the  village. 
Young  Davis  attended  one  of  the  public  meetings  and 
volunteered  with  fifteen  other  youths  as  subjects  for 
experiments.  Grimes,  however,  was  unable  to  exert 
any  influence  on  him  by  passes,  and  Davis  returned 
home  with  no  confidence  in  the  alleged  phenomena. 
But  a  few  days  later,  William  Levingston,  who  lived 
near,  and  was  an  expert  mesmerist,  called  at  the  shoe 
store  and  asked  Davis  to  come  to  his  house  for  an  ex- 
periment. This  was  on  December  1st,  1843,  when 
Davis  was  17  years  of  age.  The  passes,  in  this  case, 
were  entirely  successful.  As  Levingston 's  subject,  the 
boy  was  soon  entranced,  and,  whilst  utterly  uncon- 
scious, was  put  thru  a  series  of  astonishing  perform- 
ances before  several  spectators  who  had  been  called  in 
unknown  to  Davis.  At  the  bidding  of  the  operator,  he 
read,  while  blind-folded,  letters  from  a  newspaper,  told 
the  time  of  watches,  and  diagnosed  diseases.  From 
this  time  on  he  was  in  frequent  demand  in  the  rural 
community,  both  as  a  study  for  the  serious  and  a  source 
of  entertainment  for  the  frivolous.  For  some  time  he 
freely  diagnosed  diseases  and  suggested  remedies ;  then, 
at  the  instigation  of  his  spirit  guides,  a  small  fee  was 


ANDREW   JACKSON   DAVIS.  27 

required  from  those  who  could  afford  it.  Young  Davis 
now  gave  up  his  business  engagements  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  vocation  which  seemed  so  unmistakably 
marked  out  for  him.  The  fame  of  his  cures  spread 
abroad,  and  his  services  in  connection  with  those  of 
his  magnetizer,  Mr.  Levingston,  were  in  constant  de- 
mand. 

Interspersed  with  this  regular  daily  occupation,  the 
young  man  had  some  remarkable  personal  experiences 
which  are  fully  related  in  his  autobiografical  writ- 
ings. In  one  of  his  trances  he  believed  himself  to  have 
been  carried  from  Poughkeepsie,  across  the  Hudson 
River,  to  the  Catskills,  and  symbolic  visions  not  only 
opened  to  him  his  future  career  but  gave  him  stimu- 
lating and  cheering  incitements  thereto.  Later,  he 
found  himself  in  a  remote  churchyard  where  he  was 
visited  by  two  spirits  who  revealed  themselves  as  Galen 
and  Swedenborg,  and  who  engaged  him  in  prolonged 
converse,  mingling  gentle  correction  and  instruction 
with  lofty  philosophic  exposition,  promising  to  watch 
over  and  aid  him  in  the  coming  years.  It  is  significant 
that  the  influence  of  both  these  historic  characters  is  ap- 
parently shown  in  the  writings  and  life-work  of  Dr. 
Davis  who,  now  at  an  age  beyond  four-score,  is  still  ac- 
tively engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  while  not  less 
interested  in  the  spreading  of  that  spiritual  gospel  of 
which  Swedenborg  was  a  distinguished  pioneer. 

For  nearly  two  years  young  Davis  traveled  between 
Poughkeepsie,  Danbury,  Bridgeport  and  other  towns, 
once  only  going  as  far  as  Albany.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Levingston,  and  for  a  time,  also,  by  a  lecturer,  a 
Mr.  Gibson  Smith,  who  had  become  convinced  of  the 
helpful  nature  of  Davis 's  clairvoyance.  This  continued 
up  to  the  age  of  nineteen.  His  normal  condition  at 


28  INTRODUCTION. 

this  time  was  that  of  an  unlettered  country  youth, 
somewhat  awkward  of  manner,  and  given  to  fits  of 
moodiness  and  meditation,  with  occasional  visions  of 
a  brighter  and  freer  state.  On  the  intimation,  he  as- 
serts, of  his  spirit  guides,  he  severed  his  relations 
with  Mr.  Levingston  and  attached  himself  to  Dr.  S.  S. 
Lyon.9  Dr.  Lyon  gave  up  a  business  in  Bridgeport  to 
ally  himself  with  the  young  seer.  They  proceeded  to 
New  York  on  a  tour  that  was  to  combine  clairvoyant 
medical  diagnosis  and  lecturing.  After  a  few  weeks 
Davis  was  moved  to  look  for  an  amanuensis  to  record 
the  words  he  felt  he  was  soon  to  be  inspired  to  dictate. 
The  Rev.  William  Fishbough,  of  New  Haven,  was  se- 
lected, and  the  choice  proved  a  happy  one  in  every  way. 
In  addition  to  the  manipulator,  Dr.  Lyon,  and  the 
scribe,  Mr.  Fishbough,  three  responsible  and  qualified 
witnesses10  were  present  at  every  lecture  to  vouch  for 
the  genuineness  of  the  proceedings.  Dictations  were 
made  daily,  and  the  time  occupied  each  day  varied  from, 
forty  minutes  to  four  hours,  the  entire  work  being 
completed  in  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  lectures,  the 
first  of  which  was  delivered  on  November  28th,  1845, 
and  the  last  on  January  25th,  1847. 

The  whole  of  Nature's  Divine  Revelations  was  dic- 
tated when  the  author  was  in  a  profound  trance,  an 
illumined  state  which  Mr.  Davis  called  the  "  Superior 
Condition,"  as  will  be  further  explained  hereinafter. 
This  work  is  an  8vo  volume  of  nearly  800  pages, 
divided  into  three  Darts  In  the  First  Part,  the  author 

9.  Magic  Staff,  P.  297. 

10.  These  were  the  Rev.  J.  N.  Parker,  Theron  R.  Lapham, 
Dr.  T.  Lea  Smith;  also  at  different  lectures  several  hundreds 
of    others,   many    of    standing   and   weight,    whose    names    are 
given  in  Davis's  "Address  to  the  World,"  in  the  forepart  of 
Nature's  Divine  Revelations. 


ANDREW   JACKSON   DAVIS.  29 

essays  proof  of  a  spiritual  existence,  and  goes  into  the 
rationale  of  magnetism,  clairvoyance,  and  the  source 
of  his  own  inspiration.  The  claim  is  made  that  the 
magnetic  state  is  a  further  development  and  extension 
of  the  motive  powers  of  organic  life;  also  that  closely 
associated  with  and  involved  in  all  visible  existences, 
there  are  invisible  "correspondences"  or  "representa- 
tives." These  move  in  a  sphere  of  their  own,  which 
again  opens  into  a  still  more  refined  and  advanced 
sphere.  The  uniformity  of  law  thruout  all  these 
spheres  is  insisted  on,  namely  the  law  of  progression, 
development  and  immortality  of  all  things  in  a  purified 
and  perfected  state  of  existence.  "All  forms,"  it  is 
asserted  in  this  first  part,  "are  external  effects  and 
are  mortal.  They  cannot  be  depended  upon  as  afford- 
ing proofs  of  immortality,  or  as  demonstrating  even 
the  probability  of  a  future  life.  But  there  is  an  in- 
ternal, invisible  quality  and  essence  that  may  be  found 
by  search  and  analysis  to  be  the  truth  of  all  truths  and 
the  real  of  all  realities — the  internal  principle  of  the 
Eternal  Positive  Mind." 

Part  Two  is  devoted  to  a  scientific  exposition  of  the 
material  universe  from  its  primal,  amorphous  state  by 
the  formation  of  successive  nebular  zones,  and  of  mil- 
lions of  suns  with  their  respective  planets  from  these 
zones.  The  geological  history  of  the  Earth  is  traced 
minutely,  as  well  as  the  development  of  the  mineral, 
vegetable  and  animal  divisions,  and  the  later  segrega- 
tion of  man  into  races  and  nations.  The  origins  of 
languages,  of  mythological  beliefs,  of  creeds  and  other 
human  social  institutions  are  treated;  the  books  of  the 
Bible  are  compared  with  other  ancient  writings;  the 
person  and  character  of  Christ  are  given  considerable 
space,  and  an  eloquent  tribute  paid  to  that  illustrious 


30  INTRODUCTION. 

figure.  Swedenborg  is  one  among  several  historical 
personages  eulogized  for  their  special  contributions  to 
the  progress  and  unfoldment  of  the  race.  The  nature 
of  death,  considered  from  a  spiritual  or  non-material- 
istic point  of  view,  is  strongly  presented  as  an  agree- 
able transition. 

In  Part  Three,  an  effort  is  made  to  apply  a  remedy 
for  the  evils  of  our  present  civilization ;  to  bring  under 
a  natural  law  the  different  societies  and  aggregations 
of  human  beings,  corresponding  to  the  laws  operating 
in  the  planetary  system,  so  that  each  individual  will 
gravitate  to  that  employment  and  environment  best 
suited  to  his  peculiar  temperament  and  qualifications. 
Detailed  suggestions  are  given  for  the  formation  and 
operation  of  great  co-operative  associations. 

There  is  a  profound  optimism  manifested  thruout 
Davis'  work;  and  in  his  closing  paragrafs  it  is  evident 
that  he  believed  he  was  ushering  in  the  establishment 
of  a  new  heaven  on  earth,  or  at  any  rate  was  elucidat- 
ing the  methods  by  which  such  an  evolution  from 
modern  society  could  be  consummated.  In  his  "  Ad- 
dress to  the  World,"  which  was  dictated  by  him  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  volume,  altho  published  as  the 
Preface,  he  says:  "The  physical  and  mental  organiza- 
tion of  man  enforces  the  conclusion  that  there  are  no 
possible  limits  to  social  progress  and  spiritual  attain- 
ment and  elevation ;  for  man  is  a  microcosm,  or  a  com- 
bined expression  of  all  the  perfections  contained  in  the 
divine  essence  that  animates  and  preserves  the  har- 
mony of  the  universe.  Upon  the  constitution  of  man 
(who  is  a  type  of  divine  wisdom)  are  based  those  im- 
portant principles  which,  when  duly  comprehended, 
will  construct  of  the  whole  world  one  brotherhood." 

The  foregoing  is  a  necessarily  inadequate  sketch  of 


ANDREW   JACKSON   DAVIS.  31 

the  scope  and  contents  of  a  work  which,  not  without 
defects  of  prolixity  and  obscurity  in  portions,  yet  shows 
great  breadth  of  view  and  profound  philosophic 
thought. 

In  Nature's  Divine  Revelations,  the  author  under- 
took to  unfold  what  he  terms  the  Harmonial  Philos- 
ophy. In  subsequent  productions,  notably  in  "The 
Great  Harmonia,"  this  was  expounded  in  fuller  de- 
tail. This  last  named  work  was  brought  out  at  in- 
tervals in  five  volumes  entitled  respectively,  The  Physi- 
cian, The  Teacher,  The  Seer,  The  Reformer,  The 
Thinker.  In  the  first  volume,  the  author  discourses  on 
the  origin  and  nature  of  man,  the  philosophy  of  health, 
disease,  sleep,  death,  psychology  and  healing;  in  the 
second,  spirit  and  its  culture  are  treated,  followed  by 
an  argument  on  the  existence  of  God;  the  third  con- 
sists of  a  series  of  lectures  on  clairvoyance  and  inspira- 
tion; volume  four  is  devoted  to  physiological  vices 
and  virtues,  marriage,  parentage,  divorce;  and  in  the 
fifth  we  have  a  review  of  the  history  of  philosophy, 
with  some  account  of  the  great  teachers  of  antiquity; 
also  a  somewhat  metaphysical  study  of  the  origin  of 
life  and  the  law  of  immortality.  Other  notable  vol- 
umes in  a  voluminous  output,  numbering  about  thirty 
books  in  all,  are  The  Penetralia,  Philosophy  of  Spiritual 
Intercourse,  History  and  Philosophy  of  Evil,  Truth 
versus  Theology,  Death  and  the  After  Life,  The  DiaJcka 
and  their  Earthly  Victims,  Special  Providences,  The 
Inner  Life,  treatises  on  practical  medicine,  and  auto- 
biografic  works,  especially  The  Magic  Staff,  Beyond 
the  Valley,  and  Events  in  the  Life  of  a  Seer;  finally, 
a  few  works  of  imagination  embodying  moral  and  spir- 
itual teachings. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  foregoing  productions  writ- 


32  INTRODUCTION. 

ten  subsequent  to  Nature's  Divine  Revelations  are  quite 
unlike  that  work  in  their  general  style  and  arrange- 
ment, are  less  fluent  and  consecutive  and  more  nearly 
resemble  the  productions  of  a  writer  in  the  normal 
condition.  Their  general  teachings,  however,  are  in 
entire  accord  with  those  of  Davis 's  first  effort.  When 
they  were  produced,  both  the  magnetizer  and  the  scribe 
were  dispensed  with,  and  the  author  was  only  approxi- 
mately entranced.  This  independent  condition  was 
first  attained  on  May  16th,  1847.11 

The  nature  of  the  ' '  Superior  Condition ' '  is  explained 
by  Dr.  Davis  in  various  passages  occurring  in  several 
of  his  books.  The  following  are  quotations:12 

"It  is  impossible  by  words  to  convey  a  full  and  ade- 
quate conception  of  the  manner  in  which  I  arrive  at 
truth.  I  can  only  employ  such  words  as  convey  all 
the  ideas  that  words  can  convey,  of  this  process.  My 
information  is  not  derived  from  any  persons  that  exist 
in  the  sphere  into  which  my  mind  enters,  but  it  is 
the  result  of  a  Law  of  truth,  emanating  from  the 
Great  Positive  Mind,  and  pervading  all  spheres  of 
existence.  By  this,  truth  is  attracted  to,  and  is  received 
by,  the  mind... I  do  not  receive  these  (impressions) 
from  the  Great  Supreme  Mind,  but  from  this  second 
sphere,  focus  or  medium  which  legitimately  belongs  to 
this  globe  alone.  When  you  ask  me  a  question,  I  am 
then  existing  in  the  medium  or  sphere  of  the  body; 
but  in  investigating  and  finding  the  answer,  I  pass 
to  the  sphere  where  I  can  associate  with  the  truth  and 
reality ...  Furthermore,  the  manner  in  which  I  obtain 
my  information  may  be  compared  to  a  process  of  chemi- 
cal analysis.  In  analysing  a  body  the  chemist  separates 

11.  Great  Harmonia,  Vol.  1.,  P.  204. 

12.  Nat.  Div.  Rev.,  Pp.  44  and  46. 


ANDREW   JACKSON   DAVIS.  33 

its  constituents  until  he  has  found  its  simple  elements 
...  It  is  by  a  process  of  spiritual  analysis  that  I  obtain 
truth:  I  pass  from  the  body  with  a  desire  for  a  par- 
ticular kind  of  information.  This  desire  attracts  the 
particular  kind  of  truth  of  which  I  would  be  informed, 
separates  it  from  all  other  things,  and  causes  it  to  flow 
into  the  mind.  And  when  I  thus  obtain  the  truth  of 
which  I  am  in  quest,  I  return  to  communicate  it  thru 
the  organization." 

In  a  recent  publication,  Dr.  Davis  has  written  the 
following  in  further  explanation  of  the  Superior  Con- 
dition : 

"In  answer  to  the  question  of  your  correspondent, 
who  wants  to  know  whether  the  contents  of  my  works 
can  be  regarded  as  communicated  by  discarnate  beings : 
this  question  has  been  frequently  asked  and  as  often 
answered  in  the  various  volumes,  and  I  have  always 
imagined  that  the  answers  have  never  been  either  ob- 
scure or  inconsistent.  I  will  try  again,  and  I  must 
write  in  the  third  person: — On  entering  into  the  Su- 
perior Condition,  the  entire  mental  possessions  or 
powers  of  the  clairvoyant  become  sufficiently  exalted  to 
associate  with  the  Sun  of  Knowledge  perpetually  shin- 
ing in  the  second  (or  next)  sphere  of  human  existence. 
This  Sun  is  the  accumulated  intelligence  and  wisdom 
of  the  consociated  inhabitants  of  the  spirit  world.  The 
clairvoyant's  mind  was  fed  and  illuminated  by  direct 
contact  with  the  focal  knowledge,  producing  a  feeling 
of  living  in  the  state  after  death,  and  of  being  a  spirit 
like  each  of  those  who  reside  in  the  higher  world. 
From  the  fountain  of  this  higher  world  came  all  the 
contents  of  Nature's  Divine  Revelations,  and  all  the 
contents  of  the  books  subsequently  written  and  pub- 
lished. But  it  should  be  remembered  that  frequently, 


34  INTRODUCTION. 

while  in  the  Superior  Condition,  the  clairvoyant  has 
seen  and  held  converse  with  many  spirit  individuals. 
On  such  occasions  he  has  invariably  given,  as  near  as 
possible,  the  exact  words  of  the  individual  giving  the 
communication.  All  readers  of  the  books  will  easily 
recall  instances  of  such  conversations  and  special 
messages." — Light,  London,  Eng. 

In  a  still  more  recent  communication  from  Dr. 
Davis,13  he  has  given  the  following  additional  infor- 
mation which  is  also  in  the  third  person:  " Inasmuch 
as  Davis  was  a  mere  stripling,  a  weak  boy  or  youth, 
when  delivering  Nature's  Divine  Revelations,  a  steady 
sustaining  magnetizer  (Dr.  S.  S.  Lyon)  was  indis- 
pensable to  his  continuing  in  the  physical  organism. 
After  years  of  experience  and  growth,  Davis  found 
that  he  could  attain  the  Superior  Condition  at  will, 
no  longer  needing  a  visible  magnetizer.  In  speaking 
the  contents  of  Nature's  Divine  Revelations,  as  when 
writing  his  subsequent  volumes,  he  invariably  de- 
scended from  the  exalted  mental  state  down  into  the 
physical  organism,  approximating  the  natural  or  normal 
condition  common  to  all  persons  when  in  their  ordi- 
nary states;  because,  while  in  the  profound  trance  or 
Superior  Condition,  he  could  neither  move  his  tongue 
to  speak  nor  control  his  hand  to  write.  His  memory 
was  wonderfully  illuminated  and  thus  afterwards  he 
could  speak  or  write  all  facts  or  impressions  obtained. ' ' 

A  more  general  statement  of  the  nature  of  this  condi- 
tion is  found  in  Mr.  Davis 's  book  entitled  Answers  to 
Questions**  as  follows : 

"The  Superior  Condition,  in  contradistinction  to 
one's  ordinary  state,  consists  of  a  practical  and  con- 

13.  Private  letter  to  Dr.  Densmore,  April  12th,  1908. 

14.  Page  42. 


ANDREW   JACKSON   DAVIS.  35 

scious  growth  of  the  intellectual  and  moral  endow- 
ments. These  faculties  are  opened  and  lifted  to  a 
higher  degree  of  operation . . .  Nothing  of  passivity  or 
indifference  is  possible.  The  mind  is  not  only  exalted 
to  the  fellowship  of  eternal  principles,  where  it  can 
discern  the  essences  and  properties  of  visible  bodies, 
but  the  faculties  are  active  and  conscious  of  inherent 
energy  and  truth . . .  The  result  of  such  superior  exer- 
cises is  stamped  upon  the  individual's  character,  and 
the  ultimate  effects  are  interior  elevation  and  an  educa- 
tion of  the  whole  mind."  Mr.  Davis  further  says: 
"The  inspired  poet  has  truthfully  described  the  Su- 
perior Condition  as: 

That  blessed  mood, 
In  which  the  burden  of  the  mystery, 
In  which  the  heavy  and  the  weary  weight 
Of  all  this  unintelligible  world 
Is  lightened — that  serene  and  blessed  mood 
In  which  the  affections  gently  lead  us  on, 
Until  the  breath  of  our  corporeal  frame, 
And  even  the  motion  of  our  human  blood, 
Almost  suspended,  we  are  laid  asleep 
In  body,  and  become  a  living  soul; 
While  with  an  eye  made  quiet  by  the  power 
Of  harmony,  and  the  deep  power  of  joy, 
We  see  into  the  life  of  things. ' ' 15 

A  marked  resemblance  may  be  traced  between  the 
Superior  Condition  of  Dr.  Davis  and  the  psychic  mani- 
festations of  Swedenborg.  In  the  preceding  sketch 
is  given,  in  Swedenborg 's  own  words,  a  description  of 
his  breathing  and  physical  condition  when  in  a  state  of 
great  mental  illumination,  which  shows  an  obvious 
similarity,  physically  and  mentally,  to  the  state  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Davis  and  by  Wordsworth. 

15.  Wordsworth's  "Tintern  Abbey." 


36  INTRODUCTION. 

Of  the  scientific  value  of  Dr.  Davis 's  writings,  which 
deal  with  the  physical  structure  and  evolution  of  the 
universe,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  attempt  an  estimate. 
It  is  self-evident  that  the  elaborate  and  technical  dis- 
courses on  astronomy,  geology,  natural  history,  eth- 
nology, sociology,  and  a  host  of  other  departments  of 
science  display  a  familiarity  with  these  several  sub- 
jects, as  well  as  with  literature  and  history,  that  per- 
haps cannot  be  found  in  the  writings  of  any  other 
author,  however  learned.  In  this  connection,  it  will 
be  interesting  to  the  student  who  consults  Nature's 
Divine  Revelations,  to  note  the  testimony  that  in  two 
cases  Davis 's  statements  in  matters  astronomical  antic- 
ipated later  discoveries  in  science.  The  Russian  as- 
tronomer Maedler,  and  the  French  Le  Verrier  are  the 
two  discoverers  alluded  to,  and  a  full  statement  of  the 
facts  are  given  in  Mr.  Fishbough's  notes  on  pages 
159-161  of  the  work  in  question. 

It  is,  however,  to  the  phenomenal  character  of  this 
book,  and  the  extraordinary  circumstances  under  which 
it  was  produced  that  special  attention  is  called.  For- 
tunately, Mr.  Fishbough,  and  those  associated  with  him, 
had  a  full  appreciation  of  its  peculiar  value,  and  they 
have  placed  on  record 16  an  account  so  precise  and 
circumstantial,  and  so  well  confirmed  by  trustworthy 
witnesses  that  (apparently)  no  intelligent  and  open- 
minded  person  can  read  this  account  and  dout  its  truth- 
fulness and  accuracy.  That  an  uneducated  youth  of 
nineteen,  who  could  barely  read  and  write,  possessing 
only  a  slight  knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of  arithmetic, 
who  had  read  no  books  except  Peter  Parley's  Geografy 
and  a  few  chapters  in  the  Bible;  who  never  had  any 

16.  Introduction,  Nat.  Div,  Rev.,  Pp.  xiv,  xv. 


ANDREW   JACKSON  DAVIS.  37 

desire  or  aptitude  for  study ;  who,  while  entranced  took 
matters  in  his  own  hands  and  arranged  an  itinerary 
for  diagnosing  and  treating  the  sick,  and  who,  while 
thus  engaged,  manifested  masterful  familiarity  with 
anatomy,  physiology  and  medicine;  who,  after  some 
months  of  engrossing  absorption  in  this  work,  com- 
menced the  dictation  and  in  a  year's  time  produced 
a  book  of  the  characteristics  mentioned — this  is  surely 
a  phenomenon  that  deserves  careful  consideration  and 
demands  an  explanation.  The  attitude  of  the  ostrich, 
with  its  head  in  the  sand,  is  not  a  becoming  one  to 
the  philosophic  or  scientific  student.  Ignoring  these 
facts  so  carefully  observed  and  witnest  seems  ostrich- 
like  and  imbecile. 

The  theory  of  the  "sub-conscious  mind"  and  the 
"subliminal  self"  does  not  in  the  least  aid  the  sceptic 
who  denies  the  possibility  of  discarnate  existences. 
These  phrases,  if  they  mean  anything,  tend  to  show  that 
the  mind  and  consciousness,  in  the  utmost  recesses  of 
our  nature,  are  independent,  or  may  act  independently 
of  our  physical  bodies — a  step,  indeed,  on  the  road  to- 
ward the  perception  of  an  independent  life  of  the  spirit 
after  separation  from  the  body. 

If  Dr.  Davis 's  explanation  of  what  he  names  the 
Superior  Condition  be  not  accepted  as  the  correct  ex- 
planation of  how  his  books  were  produced,  it  is  incum- 
bent on  the  objector  to  account  for  the  phenomenon. 
If  the  hypothesis  of  the  Superior  Condition  be  accepted 
as  the  true  explanation  of  the  origin  of  these  books, 
then  the  riddle  of  the  ages  has  been  solved,  and  we  have 
an  assurance  and  proof  of  a  progressive  life  after 
death  to  console  us  for  the  disappointments  and  seem- 
ing misfortunes  of  our  earth  life. 

Fortunately,  this  demonstration  of  the  continuance 


38  INTRODUCTION. 

of  conscious  life  after  death  has  separated  the  spirit 
from  the  body  does  not  depend  upon  the  development 
or  peculiarities  of  any  one  individual.  As  we  have  al- 
ready seen,  a  careful  study  of  Swedenborg's  life  shows 
that  he  often  found  himself  in  a  state,  both  physical 
and  spiritual,  that  was  essentially  the  same  as  that 
experienced  by  Davis.17  Davis 's  condition,  while  yet 
adolescent,  was  first  induced  by  hypnotic  passes ;  he 
was  afterwards  able  to  induce  this  condition  without  a 
magnetizer  or  other  assistance  except  such  as  he  may 
have  received  from  spiritual  beings.  Swedenborg  re- 
lates that  a  condition  approaching  ecstasy  was  induced 
in  his  childhood  by  a  peculiar  method  of  breathing; 
afterwards,  and  when  past  middle  life,  and  apparently 
by  the  aid  of  spirits,  he  was  intromitted  into  the 
spirit  world,  and  came  into  rapport  with  its  body  of 
accumulated  knowledge.  This  condition  of  sympathetic 
relation  was  characteristic  of  both  Swedenborg's  and 
Davis 's  experiences,  and  altho  it  came  to  them  at  very 
different  ages  and  was  accompanied  by  very  differing 
manifestations,  in  essentials  they  were  the  same. 

17.  Introduction,  Nat.  Div.  Rev.      P.  xvii. 


[NOTE:  On  page  99  will  be  found  a  recent  communication 
from  Dr.  Davis  written  after  the  first  edition  of  this  work 
was  publisht,  explaining  the  method  by  which  he  is  enabled 
to  make  verbatim  quotations  from  books  to  which  he  has 
had  no  access  except  by  clairvoyance  or  impression.] 


HUDSON    TUTTLfi. 

The  life  of  Hudson  Tuttle  is  no  less  phenomenal 
and  interesting  than  the  lives  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg 
and  Andrew  Jackson  Davis.  When  a  boy  in  his  teens 
young  Tuttle  produced  The  Arcana  of  Nature,  here- 
with reprinted,  substantially,  as  it  first  appeared.  I 
wrote  Mr.  Tuttle  for  permission  to  republish  his  vol- 
ume, and  asked  various  questions  relative  to  the  phe- 
nomenon of  its  production.  Mr.  Tuttle 's  response  con- 
stitutes a  brief  autobiografy,  and  gives  the  leading 
features  of  a  most  remarkable  life.  It  is  so  compre- 
hensive and  adequate,  and  its  sincerity  and  truthful- 
ness are  so  apparent,  that  it  has  seemed  desirable  to  re- 
produce this  correspondence  in  its  entirety. 

NEW  YORK,  February  8th,  1908. 
Dear  Mr.  Tuttle: 

You  have  exprest  surprize  in  previous  letters  that 
anyone  should  be  interested  in  your  personality.  I  am 
as  much  of  a  democrat  and  as  far  from  hero-worship  as 
most  people.  But  your  experience  seems  to  me  unique 
in  some  striking  features,  and  important  for  its  evi- 
dential value.  You  said  in  one  of  your  letters  that  you 
had,  at  the  time  Arcana  of  Nature  was  written,  no 
library,  no  books  of  reference,  and,  as  I  conjecture, 
no  aid  from  anyone;  that  it  was  as  if  you  were  alone 
on  an  island  with  only  a  pad  and  a  pencil. 

The  subject  matter  of  the  Arcana  of  Nature  was  no 
dout  at  that  time  absolutely  Greek,  not  only  to  the 
average  man  in  your  county  and  state,  but  also  to  the 
average  professional  and  educated  person,  except  those 
specially  devoted  to  scientific  pursuits.  Under  such 
circumstances,  the  above  facts  become  a  matter  of  deep 
interest,  and  I  should  think  an  account  of  them, 
prefaced  to  an  edition  of  your  work  as  first  printed, 
would  add  greatly  to  its  value  and  interest. 

39 


40  INTRODUCTION. 

Pardon  me  for  being  entirely  frank.  The  realms 
treated  in  your  Arcana  of  Nature  are  those  with  which 
I  have  but  little  acquaintance,  and  I  am  not  competent 
to  arrive  at  an  opinion  as  to  whether  any  original 
contribution  was  made  in  your  book  that  was  at  the 
time  new  to  science.  To  my  superficial  view,  it  seems 
that  in  your  account  of  the  origin  of  man  you  harked 
back  to  the  writings  of  Lamarck,  and  that  the  author 
or  authors  made  no  allusion  to  the  principles  of  Nat- 
ural Selection  and  Sexual  Selection  which  were,  at 
the  time  your  book  was  written,  already  exprest  in 
Darwin's  writings,  tho  not  yet  made  public.  But  even 
if  it  should  be  found  that  there  was  no  original  con- 
tribution to  Science  in  the  Arcana  of  Nature,  the  phe- 
nomenon of  its  production  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest 
interest.  The  survey  of  astronomic  and  philosophic 
knowledge  given,  and  the  familiarity  with  the  various 
theories  of  world-building  shown  in  the  first  part,  the 
more  extensive  geological  scheme  expounded  in  the  sec- 
ond part,  and  the  philosophy  of  the  universe  with 
which  you  conclude,  are  all  wonderful  in  their  brevity, 
in  their  masterly  expression,  and  in  the  inherent  evi- 
dence they  give  of  having  been  written  or  dictated  by 
experts  in  science  and  philosophy.  It  is  as  tho  half  a 
dozen  university  professors  of  the  highest  class,  having 
had  a  life's  experience  in  teaching,  had  collaborated. 

It  may  be  difficult  for  you  at  this  date  to  supply  full 
confirmation  of  the  facts;  but  it  is  important  that  all 
corroborative  evidence  be  brought  together  to  support 
your  statements. 

I  would  like  you  to  explain  in  detail  the  beginning 
of  your  psychic  experiences ;  at  what  age  you  were  en- 
gaged in  writing  the  Arcana,  and  how  long  you  were 
thus  occupied?  Were  you  conscious  of  the  meaning 
of  your  writing  as  the  sentences  were  produced  ?  Did 
you  have  any  aid  from  scholars  or  others  familiar 
with  preparing  matter  for  the  press?  Do  you  yet 
experience  an  influence  similar  to  that  which  con- 
trolled you  when  writing  the  Arcana  f 
Very  truly  yours, 

EMMET  DENSMORE. 


HUDSON  TUTTLE.  41 

BERLIN  HEIGHTS,  OHIO, 

Feb.  15th,  1908. 
Dear  Dr.  Densmore: 

The  following  statement  is  in  answer  to  yours  of 
Feb.  8th: 

I  was  born  in  what  was  then  a  wilderness  on  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  in  Berlin,  Ohio,  1836. 
My  early  surroundings  were  deeply  imprest  on  my  very 
soul.  My  father  was  intensely  zealous  in  his  religious 
views,  and  the  conflict  between  his  natural  tenderness 
of  heart  and  sympathy  for  suffering,  and  his  views 
concerning  the  awful  punishment  of  the  wicked,  made 
him  gloomy  and  even  morose.  He  never  had  this  sub- 
ject out  of  his  mind,  and  until  I  was  sixteen  years  old, 
I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen  him  smile.  How  many 
times  when  I  was  guilty  of  laughing,  he  corrected  me 
with :  "  Christ  never  laughed.  He  wept.  You  had  better 
cry  than  laugh." 

Mother,  true  to  her  Highland  blood,  had  the  gift  of 
second  sight ;  her  predictions  were  remarkably  correct, 
and  she  had  a  keen  intuitive  insight  in  business  affairs. 
There  were  fourteen  years  between  my  youngest 
brother  and  myself,  hence  I  was  reared  without  the 
companionship  of  children.  The  Bible  was  read  in  the 
morning  and  the  last  thing  in  the  evening,  followed  by 
prayer.  It  was  about  the  only  book  in  the  house.  The 
ministers  said  it  was  the  only  one  we  needed,  and  if 
piously  studied  furnished  an  exhaustless  fount  of 
information. 

Father's  house  was  headquarters  for  the  itinerant 
preachers,  both  orthodox  and  heterodox,  who  on  cir- 
cuits carried  their  doctrines  into  the  wilderness  of  sin. 
As  my  father  was  a  Unitarian,  more  of  that  persuasion 
came.  They  were  the  heterodox  and  were  always  ready 


42  INTRODUCTION. 

for  combat.  Hence  dogmatic  discussion  was  my  spir- 
itual diet.  The  meetings  were  held  in  a  log  school-house. 
The  preachers  expounded  texts  of  scripture.  The  ser- 
mons were  doctrinal,  and  the  more  dogmatic  the  greater 
the  praise  elicited.  The  Unitarian  held  up  to  ridicule 
the  Three-in-One  God,  while  the  Trinitarian  held  the 
denial  of  Christ  as  God  worse  than  atheism.  While 
returning  from  meeting,  doctrines  were  discust;  they 
were  the  subject  when  we  reached  home;  they  were 
brought  to  the  breakfast  table,  and  when  the  preacher 
mounted  his  horse  to  ride  away,  he  gave  the  opposing 
doctrine  a  parting  shot.  My  child  life  was  opprest 
and  filled  with  gloom  by  this  blasting  theology.  As 
my  mind  strengthened,  douts  grew.  I  could  see  no 
reason  for  receiving  the  doctrines  of  one  sect  more  than 
another  and  came  to  disbelieve  and  detest  the  whole 
cruel  scheme. 

My  education  had  been  sadly  neglected.  The  district 
schools  were  poor  affairs  and  I  did  not  accept  the 
little  they  offered.  I  could  read,  write  and  spell  before 
I  attended  school.  I  think  my  mother  must  have 
taught  me.  Altho  a  truant,  and  disliking  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  classes  which  I  did  not  attend  more  than 
one  day  a  week,  I  had  an  intense  desire  for  knowledge 
for  its  own  sake.  I  thirsted  for  it  as  a  famished  trav- 
eler on  a  desert  waste  longs  for  the  splashing  fountain. 
Yet  it  seemed  there  was  no  possible  way  for  the  grati- 
fication of  my  desires.  This  came  in  a  strange  and  un- 
expected manner. 

Retrospecting  after  these  many  years'  experience 
with  the  knowledge  I  now  have,  I  recognize  that  I  had 
been  previously  at  times  under  a  psychic  influence  then 
unknown  to  me,  but  which  I  am  now  able  to  study 
in  my  own  case  as  tho  it  concerned  another  person. 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  43 

Memory  will  ever  retain  the  impression  of  the  first  time 
my  hand  wrote  without  being  moved  by  my  will. 
Wholly  inexplicable,  confusing  and  bewildering,  I 
douted  my  sanity  and  was  troubled  with  fear  of  the 
consequences.  I  was  then  in  my  sixteenth  year.  I 
was  invited  to  attend  a  seance  at  the  home  of  a  friend, 
a  retired  Congregational  minister,  Mr.  Crawford.  He 
was  a  disciple  of  0.  S.  Fowler,  the  phrenologist.  The 
Rochester  rappings  had  aroused  Mr.  Crawford's  in- 
terest and  he  called  in  a  few  friends  to  experiment. 
As  yet  there  had  been  no  mediumship  manifested  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  these  meetings  were  held  in  the 
hope  that  some  developments  might  be  made. 

One  bleak  and  blustering  night  in  early  March,  I 
walked  across  the  fields  two  miles  or  more  to  attend  one 
of  these  gatherings,  impelled  by  an  irresistible  impulse, 
yet  ashamed  of  my  interest  in  the  subject.  At  the 
meeting  were  several  acquaintances  and  some  strangers. 
I  was  ill  at  ease.  We  gathered  round  the  table  in  the 
usual  manner.  After  a  time  I  began  to  feel  a  calm 
restfulness  which  I  mistook  for  sleepiness  and  strove 
against;  my  arm  and  hand  began  to  move  unwilled, 
greatly  to  my  annoyance,  as  it  attracted  attention.  A 
pencil  was  placed  in  my  fingers,  and  my  hand  on  a 
sheet  of  paper.  After  the  awakening  this  disturbance 
caused  had  past,  I  fell  again  into  a  semi-unconscious 
state,  and  my  hand  began  writing,  illegible  scrawls  at 
first,  then  here  and  there  a  word  became  readable,  and 
soon  whole  sentences.  Names  of  spirits  were  written  in 
full,  and  questions  testing  identity  correctly  answered. 
Among  the  strangers  to  me  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vreden- 
berg,  of  Norwalk,  O.  He  was  a  man  of  business,  ex- 
tremely proud  of  having  graduated  from  an  eastern 
college,  and  both  were  born  Episcopalians.  They 


44  INTRODUCTION. 

were  not  invited  to  the  seance,  but  had  happened  to 
pay  a  visit  at  the  time.  He  regarded  the  rappings  as 
a  joke,  and  was  with  difficulty  persuaded  to  join  the 
others  at  the  table.  After  my  hand  began  to  write 
fairly  readable  scrawls,  Mr.  Vredenberg  in  a  tone 
betraying  his  scepticism  asked  for  a  communication  for 
himself.  Soon  my  hand  began  to  move  slowly,  making 
a  scrawling  mark.  In  a  few  minutes  the  contraction 
was  firmer,  and  here  and  there  words  could  be  made 
out.  Pausing  a  little  time,  it  began  afresh  and  covered 
a  new  sheet  of  paper  with  writing  fairly  legible.  It 
was  a  communication  from  Mr.  Vredenberg 's  father 
and  was  signed  by  his  name  so  like  his  autograf  when 
in  this  life,  that  Mr.  Vredenberg  sprang  to  his  feet 
and,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  exclaimed:  "It  is  marvel- 
ous !  Who  can  dout  for  a  moment  in  the  face  of  such 
evidence  ?"  Mrs.  Vredenberg  afterward  became  a 
medium,  and  altho  both  remained  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church  they  kept  up  their  interest  in  these 
manifestations.  At  a  late  hour  the  seance  was  ad- 
journed, and  I  returned  home  in  a  half  conscious  con- 
dition, not  fully  realizing  the  manifestations  thru  my 
hand. 

The  pyschic  state  into  which  I  entered  that  evening 
for  the  first  time  is  peculiar  and  distinct  from  that 
which  accompanies  physical  phenomena.  When  I  sat 
at  the  table  I  felt  an  overwhelming  drowsiness,  altho 
this  did  not  reach  unconsciousness.  I  was  unable  to 
ask  questions,  except  I  roused  myself  out  of  this  state, 
and  then  sunk  back  to  receive  the  answers.  In  the  state 
in  which  I  received  writing,  either  automatically  (so- 
called)  or  by  impression,  the  condition  was  not  one  of 
lethargy  approaching  sleep,  but  an  indescribable  intensi- 
fication of  mental  power ;  a  broadening  of  the  horizon ; 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  45 

a  flow  of  thoughts  reaching  far  out  from  the  subject 
under  consideration,  flashing  thru  the  mind.  It  was  as 
tho  I  had  listened  to  an  exhaustive  lecture  and  had 
taken  a  few  notes.  My  mind  had  received  a  great  deal 
more  than  had  been  written. 

The  next  day  I  was  aware  that  I  had  been  in  a  state 
of  which  I  had  never  before  had  experience.  A  close 
analysis  convinced  me  that  I  had  deceived  and  had 
been  deceived.  The  members  of  the  seance  had  been 
fully  convinced  that  the  power  was  beyond  myself, 
whilst  I  attempted  to  account  for  the  manifestations  by 
the  thoughts  of  the  members  of  the  circle  being  re- 
flected on  my  mind.  I  was  exceedingly  miserable,  and 
declared  I  never  would  place  myself  again  in  a  position 
to  be  imposed  upon  or  to  impose  on  others.  How  could 
it  be  spirits  when  reason  said  spiritual  existence  was 
impossible?  Yet  the  thought  of  the  possibility  of 
life's  continuance  beyond  the  grave  thrilled  me  with 
joy. 

I  had  not  related  the  occurrences  at  the  seance  to 
the  home  circle,  for  I  was  not  at  all  sure  how  my 
story  would  be  received.  There  was  an  even  chance 
of  my  father  making  the  devil  responsible,  and  for- 
bidding further  inquiry.  That  evening,  however,  he 
sat  reading  a  paper  devoted  to  Spiritualism,  which 
some  friend  had  sent  him.  Zealous  as  he  was,  he  was 
not  of  the  narrow  sort  who  refuse  to  see.  He  would 
read,  whether  he  agreed  with  the  writer  or  not.  What 
he  was  reading  seemed  to  strike  him  favorably,  and 
he  said  to  mother  he  would  visit  the  Fox  family  if  he 
were  able.  We  all  laughed  at  this  unexpected  utter- 
ance. Now  is  the  time  favorable  for  making  a  confes- 
sion, I  thought,  for  the  sense  of  guilt  hung  heavily  on 
my  conscience.  I  was  not  permitted  to  tell  my  story, 


46  INTRODUCTION, 

as  fate  had  arranged  to  have  it  told  for  me.  There  was 
a  knock  at  the  door,  and  in  came  Mr.  Crawford,  the 
ex-minister,  with  several  others  present  the  night  be- 
fore. They  were  clamorous  for  a  seance.  I  hoped 
father  would  refuse,  but  to  my  astonishment  he  was 
favorable,  and  a  brother,  who  was  home  for  the  day, 
said  we  ought  to  have  rappings  as  well  as  others.  I 
was  firm  in  my  decision  not  to  sit  again,  but  yielded 
after  long  persuasion;  and  I  will  add  that  this  yield- 
ing to  the  wishes  of  those  desiring  seances  was  a 
marked  peculiarity  which  I  vainly  strove  against. 
However  firm  my  resolve,  when  people  came  and  im- 
portuned, a  higher  and  stronger  influence  came  and 
broke  my  will. 

We  gathered  round  the  table — a  massive  dining- 
table  with  drop  leaves  and  of  solid  walnut.  It  was 
heavy,  quite  a  lift  for  two  persons.  We  sat  only  a 
short  time  when  rappings  were  heard  and  the  table  be- 
gan to  rock.  My  brother  sat  at  one  side  of  the  table 
and  I  at  the  other.  In  the  seances  afterwards  held, 
I  always  sat  at  the  side  where  the  leverage  was  weakest, 
so  that  no-one  could  accuse  me  of  moving  it.  Father 
at  once  drew  away,  declaring  it  to  be  of  the  devil,  but 
after  a  little  while  his  curiosity  gained  mastery  and  we 
again  closed  around  the  table.  A  spirit  declared  itself 
as  present,  and  by  means  of  the  alfabet  gave  the  name 
of  Harriet,  a  favorite  sister  of  my  father,  who  had  past 
from  this  life  more  than  twenty-five  years  before.  He 
was  overcome  with  emotion,  and  for  a  time  unable  to 
speak.  To  him  it  was  as  tho  the  heavens  were  opened 
and  his  dead  walked  forth.  Fear,  terror,  superstition 
fell  off  in  a  moment,  and  in  their  place  came  the  recog- 
nition of  the  joy  and  gladness  of  spirit  life.  No  more 
douts,  despair,  or  foreboding  over  dogmas.  All 
been  swept  away  for  ever. 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  47 


As  I  have  previously  stated,  in  the  sixteen  years  of 
my  life  I  had  not  seen  my  father  smile.  A  cloud 
always  rested  on  his  brow.  Now  his  face  glowed  with 
joy,  and  I  will  add,  during  the  after  years  of  his  long 
life  —  he  lived  to  be  89  —  he  was  one  of  the  happiest  of 
men.  He  had  lived  the  first  part  of  his  life  in  fear; 
the  last  portion  was  to  him  the  beginning  of  the  heav- 
enly life.  The  sister  who  thus  gave  her  name  continued 
frequently  to  announce  her  presence.  My  sister,  who 
lived  two  miles  away,  joined  our  circle  one  evening,  and 
at  once  our  spirit  aunt  controlled  her  to  write,  and 
thenceforth  Aunt  Harriet's  communications  were 
given  by  writing  thru  my  sister's  hand.  The  messages 
to  my  father  were  such  as  a  sister  writing  to  her 
brother  would  naturally  give.  When  he  approached 
the  end  she  appeared  to  him  several  times,  assuring  him 
with  words  of  cheer  that  she  would  be  with  him  to 
receive  his  emancipated  spirit  and  welcome  him  home. 
He  had  been  unconscious;  he  awoke  and  said:  "The 
long  day's  work  is  over,  —  I  will  rest,"  and  stretching 
up  his  hands  as  tho  grasping  other  hands,  with  a  look 
in  his  eyes  as  tho  seeing  unutterable  things,  he  whis- 
pered "Harriet,"  and  fell  back  on  his  pillow.  No 
one  who  saw  that  scene  could  dout  that  in  the  supreme 
moment  when  the  veil  fell  from  his  mortal  eyes,  the 
spirit  whose  name  he  whispered  met  his  spirit  vision. 

To  return  from  this  digression.  During  the  seance, 
I  resisted  with  all  my  will  the  influence  that  seemed 
to  grasp  me,  and  succeeded  until  almost  the  close,  when 
my  hand  was  spasmodically  contracted  and  began  to 
move  against  my  will.  A  pencil  and  paper  were  fur- 
nished and  several  messages  written,  among  which  was 
one  from  Harriet  to  father. 

The  news  spread  rapidly  and  curious  crowds  came 


48  INTRODUCTION. 

by  day  and  night.  None  were  turned  away,  for  father 
believed  that  the  gospel  freely  received  should  be  freely 
given,  and  allowed  no  one  to  pay  for  the  time  we  de- 
voted to  the  seances,  or  for  the  entertainment  of  those 
from  a  distance.  My  parents  had  discarded  the  ortho- 
dox Trinity  for  heterodox  Unity,  and  had  met  the 
persecution  of  bigotry  for  the  sake  of  what  they  re- 
garded as  truth.  They  now  received  Spiritualism  as 
a  higher  truth,  that  should  be  given  as  freely  as  re- 
ceived. For  years  they  had  opposed  a  paid  ministry, 
citing  the  disciples  as  examples. 

In  the  two  years  or  more  during  which  rarely  an 
evening  past  without  our  rooms  being  filled  with 
anxious  seekers,  not  a  penny  was  received.  I  should 
have  despised  myself  had  I  entertained  a  thought  of 
degrading  the  high  mission  by  receiving  money  for  it. 
The  same  feeling  has  remained.  That  truth  should 
be  sold  like  corn  in  the  market  is  most  repulsive  to  me. 
He  who  has  a  truth,  a  thought,  an  idea,  which  can 
be  of  value  to  others,  is  in  duty  bound  to  proclaim  it. 

The  intelligences  producing  the  physical  manifesta- 
tions were  somewhat  opposed  to  the  writing  control. 
If  the  seance  was  successful  I  fell  into  a  semi-trance, 
intensely  sensitive.  The  least  word,  or  jarring  ques- 
tion, even  when  the  intention  was  commendable,  grated 
and  rasped.  I  am  unable  to  convey  an  adequate  idea 
of  this  condition.  As  illustration,  a  gentleman  called 
for  a  seance,  and  for  an  hour  we  sat  without  the  least 
sign.  He  then  removed  his  hands,  and  the  table  tipped, 
spelling  the  name  of  his  father.  At  this,  the  gentleman 
seized  the  table  and  began  rocking  it,  saying:  "See, 
I  can  move  it  as  well  as  any-one."  The  implication 
ordinarily  would  have  past  with  a  smile,  for  I  had  no 
desire  to  convince  any-one;  but  in  the  condition  in 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  49 

which  I  then  was,  it  came  like  a  blow,  and  I  awoke  with 
hot  words  of  anger.  I  was  unable  to  explain  to  him 
how  or  why  he  had  offended  me,  for  I  did  not  under- 
stand it  myself ;  and  when  I  had  recovered  my  normal 
state  I  was  overwhelmed  with  shame  that  I  had  for- 
gotten myself.  It  was  a  long  time  before  I  recovered 
my  former  confidence,  or  would  allow  myself  to  fall 
into  an  unguarded  sensitive  state.  As  soon  as  I  felt  its 
approach,  I  would  involuntarily  start  back.  This  may 
appear  a  trifling  cause  to  produce  such  a  result.  An 
imperceptible  mote  in  the  eye  causes  intense  pain;  a 
grain  of  iron  will  deflect  the  magnetic  needle. 

Many  popular  lecturers  came  with  their  theories  ready 
formed,  and  desired  to  prove  these  theories  by  their 
influence  over  me.  In  the  state  of  unrest  my  mind 
was  then  in,  I  willingly  submitted  to  the  experiments, 
but  in  no  instance  had  any-one  the  slightest  effect  on 
my  consciousness.  A  Mr.  Mann,  for  example,  living 
in  Milan,  a  near-by  town,  and  a  passing  acquaintance, 
became  deeply  interested  in  the  reports  of  the  Rochester 
rappings,  and  brought  together  twelve  persons  to  hold 
seances.  Hearing  of  mine,  he  invited  me  to  join  them. 
Expecting  under  such  favorable  conditions  to  receive 
wonderful  results,  I  drove  over  the  six  miles  of  country 
roads  to  meet  with  them.  I  found  an  earnest  party 
assembled,  and  Mr.  Mann  arranged  us  round  a  table, 
but  instead  of  joining  hands,  we  clasp t  with  both 
hands  a  bright  copper  wire  which  made  a  connecting 
circuit.  I  attended  five  consecutive  meetings,  at  none 
of  which  occurred  the  slightest  manifestation.  Nor  did 
we  obtain  better  results  when  the  conductor  was  laid 
aside  and  we  sat  in  the  usual  manner.  Mr.  Mann  was 
of  an  exceedingly  positive  temperament  and  success- 
ful as  a  mesmerist.  On  two  occasions  after  the  seances 

4 


50  INTRODUCTION. 

he  attempted  to  "put  me  under  influence/'  but  utterly 
failed. 

In  these  seances,  where  everything  seemed  so  favor- 
able, it  is  difficult  to  understand  what  could  have  been 
the  obstruction.  Somewhere  the  line  was  broken  or 
grounded.  For  my  own  part,  I  felt  none  of  the  influence 
which  always  precedes  the  manifestations — rather  the 
reverse — a  negative  blankness  as  tho  facing  a  wall. 

Our  sittings  were  continued  at  home,  and  at  every 
one  satisfactory  tests  were  given.  I  regret  that  I  did 
not  keep  a  record  of  these.  I  had  no  thought  at  that 
time  that  they  possest  significance  or  value.  I  have 
instanced  some  of  these,  as  they  have  occurred  to  my 
mind,  in  various  writings.  The  following  is  here  cited 
as  an  example  of  many :  I  had  been  away  for  some  days 
at  my  brother's,  and  came  home  just  as  night  was  fall- 
ing. '  *  We  are  so  glad  you  came,  Hudson, ' '  mother  said, 
"for  we  are  in  a  lot  of  trouble.  Your  father  thinks 
his  spirit  friends  ought  to  tell  him  where  his  lost 
pocket-book  is."  Then  she  told  me  how  while  I  had 
been  away,  he  had  sold  some  cattle,  put  the  money  in 
his  pocket,  and  when  he  came  home  to  the  house  found 
it  gone.  He  soon  came  in  and  desired  a  seance,  for,  he 
said:  "We  have  given  so  much  time  to  them,  it  is  no 
more  than  fair  they  should  return  a  slight  favor."  I 
sat  at  the  table,  and  by  its  moving  when  the  right  let- 
ters of  the  alfabet  were  reached,  we  were  given  the 
following:  "It  is  under  a  rail  you  split  today." 
"Have  you  been  splitting  rails?"  I  asked.  He  had, 
but  felt  certain  he  had  not  lost  the  pocket-book  there. 
He,  however,  went  across  the  fields  and  turned  the  pile 
of  rails  over,  and  not  finding  the  book  returned  with 
his  hitherto  unbounded  confidence  shaken.  He  was 
anxious  to  have  an  explanation  why  he  had  been  de- 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  51 

ceived.  The  response  came:  "We  told  you  the  truth. 
You  took  up  the  right  rail,  but  the  bark  was  left,  and 
the  book  is  under  that.  Too  dark  to  find  it  until 
morning."  In  the  morning,  the  money  was  found 
exactly  as  described. 

After  experiencing  the  sensations  of  the  state  that 
came  to  me  in  these  sittings  I  recall  many  instances  in 
the  past  when  I  felt  the  same  influences.  Two  of  these 
I  will  give  as  examples. 

A  young  minister  opened  a  school  at  Milan  in  an 
old  unused  academy  bilding.  The  teacher,  fresh  from 
college,  thought  education  consisted  in  a  knowledge  of 
Greek,  Latin  and  mathematics,  and  into  these  I  was 
thrust  with  fifteen  unhappy  classmates.  I  remained 
six  weeks,  when  the  homesickness  brought  on  by  lone- 
liness in  that  deserted  bilding  culminated  in  illness 
which  sent  me  home.  The  short  time  I  was  there  was 
yet  long  enough  to  learn  how  little  I  could  expect  to 
know  of  the  appalling  intricacies  of  Greek  and  the 
immensity  of  the  field  extending  before  the  mathema- 
tician. Otherwise,  my  time  and  strength  seemed 
thrown  away.  While  at  this  school,  compositions  were 
called  for,  and  I  wrote  one  in  hexameter  on  "Our  Pil- 
grim Fathers. "  In  writing  this,  I  felt  the  mysterious 
influence  which  exalted  my  mind  above  and  out  of 
myself.  The  next  day,  I  was  called  to  the  principal's 
desk,  and  asked  where  I  found  the  article.  On  my 
strongly  claiming  the  authorship,  he  severely  repri- 
manded me  for  dishonesty,  and  I  was  in  disgrace.  The 
next  day  he  had  the  manliness  to  do  me  justice,  and 
exonerated  me  before  the  class,  saying  that  the  only 
reason  he  had  for  thinking  I  had  plagiarized  was  the 
excellence  of  my  composition. 

The  other  incident  was  at  a  school  examination  at 


52  INTRODUCTION. 

Berlin  Heights.  I  was  studying  simple  arithmetic.  My 
scant  attendance  would  have  brought  on  the  vengeance 
of  the  truant  officer  had  there  been  one  at  that  time. 
The  class  had  gone  over  square  and  cube  roots  some 
time  during  my  absences,  and  when  I  attempted  to 
work  out  the  problem,  it  was  like  groping  in  a  fog. 
The  time  had  almost  expired,  and  I  was  congratula- 
ting myself  on  not  having  been  called,  when  an  examiner 
said  in  a  voice  which  to  me  sounded  like  the  crack  of 
doom:  " Master  Tuttle  will  explain  the  process  of  ex- 
tracting the  cube  root. ' '  I  have  no  recollection  of  going 
to  the  blackboard,  writing  out  the  example  and  giving 
the  lengthy  explanation  demanded.  The  applause 
which  greeted  me  when  I  took  my  seat  came  as  in  a 
dream. 

The  seances  had  been  held  for  a  year,  perhaps  more, 
I  cannot  now  remember.  I  had  given  everything  to 
others,  but  to  me  the  result  was  meager  and  I  was 
discouraged.  I  received  communications  for  those  who 
came,  and  they  wept  with  joy  at  the  words  from  those 
from  whom  they  had  parted  at  the  bitter  grave.  When 
I  came  out  of  the  ecstatic  state,  the  cold  grey  world 
met  me,  and  I  was  in  the  shadows  of  the  valley  of 
despond.  At  that  time,  a  light  broke  thru  the  clouds. 
My  mother,  to  whom  this  travail  of  spirit  was  un- 
known, clairvoyantly  received  a  message  saying  that 
I  must  choose  one  of  two  paths:  one  leading  over  a 
level  plain,  thronged  with  travelers,  the  other  over  diffi- 
cult mountain  summits,  accessible  only  by  labor  and 
self-sacrifice.  "If  he  chooses  the  last,  I  go  with  him; 
if  the  first,  he  passes  to  others. "  When  she  told  me  I 
recognized  the  application,  and  so  perfectly  did  it 
accord  with  my  state  of  mind,  that  I  believed  the  kind 
spirit  who  had  given  the  vision,  had  interested  him- 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  53 

self  in  my  welfare.  I  resolved,  if  this  were  so,  how- 
ever rugged  the  path,  however  great  the  sacrifice  I 
might  be  called  to  make,  I  would  take  up  the  burden 
of  duty. 

By  the  advice  of  my  adopted  guide,  I  discontinued 
the  public  sittings  and  sat  by  myself  in  the  retirement 
of  my  room.  I  do  not  mean  that  the  usual  seances  were 
entirely  abandoned.  It  was  impossible  to  resist  the 
appeals  of  friends,  and  they  came  often.  But  they  did 
not  interrupt  my  private  sittings.  I  retired  to  my 
room  and  wrote  under  the  influence  of  friends  in  spirit 
life.  It  was  a  source  of  surprize  and  delight  to  feel 
the  new  thoughts  that  streamed  thru  my  mind.  When 
I  douted  my  hand  would  be  seized  and  write  auto- 
matically, without  my  knowing  a  word  written.  I 
usually  wrote  by  impression,  or  a  blending  of  that  pro- 
cess with  the  automatic,  the  processes  varying  with  the 
difficulties  of  thought  transference.  Thus,  while  an 
idea  may  be  reproduced  by  impression,  a  date,  a  fact, 
a  quotation,  a  name,  are  most  difficult,  and  for  these 
automatic  writing  was  employed. 

I  was  instructed  both  by  the  writing  and  by  the  im- 
pressions which  came  outside  the  written  lines.  The 
writers  were  my  teachers,  and  were  my  only  source  of 
knowledge,  for  I  had  access  to  but  few  books  and  to 
none  on  the  subjects  in  which  I  was  interested.  I 
was  in  a  farmhouse,  far  from  town,  and  libraries  were 
inaccessible.  I  had  attended  the  district  school  six 
months  in  all,  and  five  months  at  a  small  academy. 
My  desire  was  to  become  cultured  and  not  a  mere  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  those  who  influenced  me. 
These  guides  said  to  me  that  my  desire  indicated 
wisdom — they  would  be  my  teachers,  and  I  on  my  part 
must  assist.  And  thus  we  entered  into  a  compact,  with 


54  INTRODUCTION. 

promises  on  both  sides,  and  after  all  these  years  I  can 
say  that  I  have  kept  this  compact  to  my  utmost  ability. 
My  teachers  promist  me  hard  labor,  physical  and  men- 
tal, trials,  losses  of  friends,  but,  with  this,  an  educa- 
tion. My  gratitude  has  constantly  increased  at  the 
renewed  instances  of  their  thoughtful  care  and  wisdom. 
When  the  labors  of  the  day  were  over,  I  would  go  to 
my  quiet  room  and  take  up  my  pen.  Fatigue  left  me, 
and  there  came  a  delightful  exaltation,  and  at  each 
successive  sitting  it  seemed  to  me  I  could  see  and 
understand  more  clearly  and  perfectly  as  tho  my  hori- 
zon had  lifted  and  broadened.  I  was  not  strong  physi- 
cally, and  was  usually  exhausted,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  sitting,  with  my  day's  work,  yet,  strange  as  it  may 
appear,  the  more  weary  I  was  physically,  the  clearer  and 
stronger  the  exaltation.  Changing  and  variable  were 
the  sensations  as  I  was  more  or  less  receptive,  or  dif- 
ferent intelligences  came.  At  times  there  were  broken 
passages  and  words  used  with  reckless  disregard  to 
meaning.  At  such  times,  when  there  was  this  obstruc- 
tion, there  was  a  rapid  exhaustion  of  vital  force  and 
I  suffered  physically  and  mentally.  Then  again,  when 
conditions  were  perfect,  I  seemed  to  stand  outside  of 
myself,  and  with  eager  interest  read  the  sentences  as 
written,  elated  with  the  new  ideas  they  gave  me — every 
seance  being  a  lesson  written  for  my  instruction,  and,  as 
I  afterwards  learned,  as  a  preparation  for  something 
better.  I  will  say  here  that  these  experiences  have  not 
changed  with  the  years.  I  have  become  accustomed 
to  them  and  ceased  to  observe  them  carefully  as  at  first. 
I  learned  that  it  was  a  waste  of  time  to  write  when  not 
at  my  highest  receptivity,  for  the  writing  was  invari- 
ably rewritten.  As  might  be  inferred,  my  first  efforts 
were  imperfect,  and  partook  of  my  want  of  scholarship 


HUDSON  TUfTLE.  55 

in  proportion  as  my  personality  obtruded  and  became 
an  active  factor.  There  were  two  methods  by  which  my 
guides  could  accomplish  their  object.  They  could,  by 
perfect  possession,  use  me  as  a  writer  uses  a  pen.  This 
would  be  the  so-called  automatic  control.  The  other 
was  by  stimulation  of  my  mind  to  a  full  understanding 
of  their  thoughts ;  to  receive  as  well  as  transmit.  This 
was  the  more  difficult,  but  was  the  method  I  desired, 
and  for  which  I  covenanted  my  life's  service. 

The  first  article  I  published  was  on  Prayer,  in  the 
Spiritual  Telegraph.  Its  acceptance  gave  me  needed 
encouragement.  I  then  began  writing  a  story  founded 
on  events  in  spirit  life.  It  was  entitled  "Scenes  in  the 
Summerland,  or  Life  in  the  Spheres."  When  completed 
there  were  no  apparent  means  for  its  publication,  but 
its  authors  said  it  would  be  issued  in  due  time.  Soon 
after,  Mr.  Datus  Kelley,  a  retired  business  man,  who 
originally  owned  the  greater  part  of  Kelley 's  Island, 
a  famous  pleasure  resort,  visited  us  and  I  read  a 
portion  of  the  MS.  to  him.  "You  will  publish  the 
book?"  he  asked.  "The  authors  say  it  will  be  pub- 
lished," I  replied,  "but  I  do  not  know  how  it  is  pos- 
sible, for  I  have  neither  means  nor  influential  friends. ' ' 
"I  will  publish  it  myself/'  he  replied.  He  placed  it 
in  the  hands  of  Partridge  &  Britton,  publishers  of 
the  Spiritual  Telegraph,  in  1853.  It  was  among  the 
first,  if  not  the  first  book,  to  treat  of  this  then  novel 
subject,  and  it  met  with  a  flattering  reception  and  large 
sales — I  think  running  thru  six  editions.  It  has  been 
republished  in  England. 

Before  this  book  was  finished,  I  began  writing  the 
Arcana  of  Nature.  I  cannot  give  the  exact  date  of  its 
beginning,  for  so  much  was  prefatory  and  preparatory. 
It  was  completed  in  1853,  my  eighteenth  year.  The 


56  INTRODUCTION. 

intelligences  who  wrote  it  were  distinct  from  those  who 
gave  messages,  or  wrote  on  other  subjects.  It  was  as 
I  supposed  completed  when  I  received  a  message  to 
destroy  the  MS.  and  all  I  had  previously  written,  as  too 
imperfect  to  be  of  any  value.  There  was  a  surprizing 
bulk,  and  with  regret  I  gathered  up  my  treasures 
and  gave  them  to  the  flames.  Then  I  began  anew,  I 
confess,  with  discouraged  feelings,  for  perhaps  when 
finished,  it  would  not  please,  and  if  acceptable,  I  saw 
no  prospect  of  its  publication.  Yet  I  was  impelled  to 
write  in  season  and  out,  and  at  length,  by  men- 
tal and  physical  sacrifice,  the  book  was  completed. 
No  authority  had  been  consulted;  no-one  had  seen  the 
writings,  or  been  asked  for  advice.  As  far  as  other 
aid  was  concerned,  I  might  as  well  have  been  placed,  as 
you  say,  on  an  uninhabited  island,  with  only  a  pencil 
and  pad  of  paper.  The  time  this  work  was  in  hand 
may  have  reached  a  year,  but  it  was  only  a  small  part 
of  the  writings  given  me  during  this  time.  These  were 
on  a  variety  of  subjects,  messages  to  friends  who  came 
— altho  this  was  almost  forbidden  by  the  control — and 
contributions  to  the  spiritualist  press. 

"Is  it  correct?"  I  anxiously  asked.  "It  will  not  be 
rewritten,  but  revised. "  * '  When  will  it  be  published  ? '  ' 
"Not  until  we  weed  oat  the  imperfections  whicl  have 
come  thru  you." 

For  two  years  the  MS.  lay  on  my  table,  and  nearly 
every  day  some  correction  or  addition  would  be  made, 
usually  no  more  than  changing  words  or  condensing 
sentences.  When  I  sat  down  to  this  work,  I  would 
turn  over  the  pages  mechanically  without  the  least  idea 
of  the  change  intended.  Several  times,  thinking  the 
revision  was  completed,  I  was  almost  sure  arrangements 
had  been  made  for  its  publication,  but  to  my  disap- 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  57 

pointment,  these  would  fail  and  I  was  hopeless.  At 
last,  the  authors  signified  their  satisfaction.  Soon  after, 
Mr.  Kelley  came  on  one  of  his  frequent  visits.  After 
retiring  from  business,  he  devoted  his  mind  to  scien- 
tific study,  and  whenever  he  had  difficulty  in  under- 
standing problems  all  new  to  him,  he  would  come  to  me 
to  have  them  made  plain.  I  read  to  him  from  the  work, 
and  he  was  so  pleased  that  he  at  once  said  he  would 
guarantee  its  publication.  He  placed  it  with  William 
White  &  Co.,  then  publishers  of  the  "Banner  of  Light. " 
Owing  to  financial  embarrassment  of  this  firm  it  was 
not  published  until  1859. 

The  proof  was  read  by  S.  B.  Brittan,  then  in  the 
employ  of  the  firm.  He  looked  upon  inspirational  writ- 
ing with  somewhat  of  superstitious  reverence,  and  care- 
fully avoided  changes  affecting  the  sense.  He  said  to 
me  several  years  afterwards,  that  the  writers  were  in- 
clined to  arrange  words  after  the  Greek  idiom,  and  to 
condense  by  elision  of  words  until  the  sense  was  ob- 
scured. I  was  very  desirous  to  preserve  the  MS.  which 
unfortunately  was  lost. 

I  could  not  at  the  time  have  undertaken  the  proof- 
reading except  by  the  control  of  those  who  wrote  the 
text.  I  did  not  understand  many  passages,  and  not 
until  years  after,  by  earnest  study,  was  I  able  to  com- 
prehend them.  Many  correspondents  have  asked  me 
for  explanation  of  passages,  forgetting  that  my  inter- 
pretation may  not  be  as  correct  as  their  own. 

The  copy  of  Arcana  I  forwarded  to  you  is  exactly 
as  I  received  it  (from  the  spirit  guides),  notes  and 
all.  The  notes  were  written  just  as  the  text.  Dr. 
Brittan,  when  he  read  the  proofs,  said  he  had  verified 
these  notes  as  far  as  he  could.  Of  course,  I  had  no 
means  of  doing  so.  Almost  all  the  books  referred  to 
I  read  afterwards — some  years  later. 


58  INTRODUCTION. 

Fortunately,  soon  after  its  appearance,  the  Arcana 
attracted  the  attention  of  Dr.  N.  M.  Ashenbrenner  who 
translated  it  into  German,  and  it  was  published  at 
Erland,  Germany,  in  1860.  The  translator  gave  an 
account  of  the  origin  of  the  book  in  an  appendix.  The 
famous  Dr.  Buechner  read  the  book  without  reading 
the  appendix,  and  became  possest  of  the  idea  that  its 
author  was  a  professor  in  a  college  near  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  He  made  free  use  of  the  Arcana  in  the  compo- 
sition of  his  renowned  work  entitled  Matter  and  Force 
(Kraft  und  Stoff).  He  selected  passages  from  it  for 
mottoes  to  head  his  chapters,  quoted  largely,  and  even 
appropriated,  omitting  to  give  credit.  He  was  engaged 
by  the  Turn  Verein  of  this  country  to  give  one  hundred 
lectures  in  the  principal  cities  and  towns.  I  have  no 
memorandum  at  hand,  but  think  it  was  in  the  winter  of 
1872.  Dr.  Buechner  was  in  Cleveland,  and  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Cleveland  Turn  Verein,  Dr.  Cyriax,  invited 
me  to  a  banquet  given  in  honor  of  the  lecturer  and  the 
exiles  of  '48,  perhaps  twenty-five  being  present. 

After  the  introduction,  Dr.  Cyriax  said  in  substance : 
"My  dear  Doctor,  you  have  spoken  in  highest  praise  of 
the  Arcana  of  Nature,  you  have  said  it  was  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  profoundest  scientist  of  the  day;  you 
have  quoted  it  largely  and  followed  its  lead.  Now  do 
you  know  who  wrote  it?" 

"I  suppose  this  young  gentleman,  tho  I  confess 
disappointment  in  his  years,  and  I  had  taken  him  for 
a  professor  in  your  college." 

"No,"  replied  Dr.  Cyriax,  "he  did  not  write  it.  He 
was  a  boy  at  the  time,  uneducated,  working  hard  on  a 
farm,  and  when  weary  from  labor,  at  night,  the  power 
I  call  spirits  and  you  scoff  at,  came  and  wrote  it  thru 
him.  He  had  no  library,  no  books  even,  nor  access  to 
any." 


HUDSON  TUTTLE.  59 

"With  a  great  "Ha,  Ha,"  Buechner  said,  "It  was  too 
good  a  joke."  "Oh,  no,"  said  Mr.  Teime,  editor  of 
the  German  paper,  "it  is  every  word  true,  and  you 
must  tell  us  how  it  is."  Teime  was  a  man  of  remark- 
able character,  a  materialist  because  circumstances  held 
him  there,  but  kindly  disposed  toward  the  possibility 
of  life  after  death.  Dr.  Buechner  made  no  attempt  at 
explanation,  for  he  evidently  preferred  to  think  it 
a  joke;  but,  during  the  dinner  he  turned  to  me  and 
said :  "  If  spirits  do  all  this,  what  is  spirit  ? "  I  replied, 
"You  claim  matter  is  the  foundation  of  everything, 
and  has  within  itself  all  possibilities ;  hence  you  should 
first  tell  us  what  matter  is ;  then  will  I  define  spirit. ' ' 
As  no-one  can  define  matter,  as  its  ultimate  component 
atoms  exist  by  hypothesis,  utterly  unrecognized  and  un- 
recognizable by  any  of  the  senses,  the  listeners  at  once 
appreciated  the  dilemma  of  the  Doctor,  and  a  broad 
German  laugh  followed,  by  which  he  was  greatly  dis- 
concerted. At  the  close  of  the  banquet,  he  came  behind 
my  chair  and  began  a  phrenological  examination,  in 
which  science  he  claimed  to  be  an  adept.  He  closed 
by  curtly  saying,  "It  is  all  there,  right  in  his  head, 
and  there  is  no  occasion  for  calling  in  the  spirits." 

The  Arcana  was  among  the  first  (if  not  the  first) 
work  on  spiritual  thought  introduced  to  the  German 
public;  and  strange  to  say,  in  the  hands  of  Buechner 
it  was  made  to  support  his  materialism.  Some  wise 
critics  in  this  country  said  it  was  strictly  pagan. 

As  an  episode  in  my  experience,  I  may  mention  a 
painting  illustrating  the  geological  history  of  the 
Earth.  After  I  had  perhaps  half  finished  the  first 
draft  of  the  Arcana,  I  began,  under  the  same  general 
influence,  but  a  different  personality,  the  painting  of 
a  panorama  covering  the  same  field.  It  was  on  canvas 


60  INTRODUCTION. 

six  feet  wide  and  reached  the  length  of  six  hundred 
feet.  It  was  painted  with  the  usual  distemper  colors. 
Prior  to  this  time,  I  had  never  seen  a  panorama,  and 
the  preparation  of  the  canvas  and  paints  was  done 
under  the  direction  of  my  guide.  The  first  scene  was 
a  glowing  fire  mist,  the  next  a  condensing  nebula. 
Then,  the  molten,  heaving,  lava  surface  was  repre- 
sented, and  the  painting  was  thenceforth  continuous 
to  the  end.  The  surface  grew  dark,  black  clouds  ap- 
peared, watery  vapors  condenst,  falling  into  boiling 
seas;  vegetation  came  on  the  coast  lines,  wonderful 
forests  of  the  Coal  Age  covered  land  and  water;  the 
atmosphere  cleared  and  reptiles  came,  gigantic  sau- 
rians  of  hideous  shape  basked  on  the  shores  and  sported 
in  the  waves ;  these  again  giving  place  to  equally  huge 
animals  of  the  Tertiary  Age.  Then  Man  came — the 
hair-clad  Adam  of  the  pre-Stone  Age.  It  was  painted 
with  great  rapidity,  directly  with  the  brush,  without 
preliminary  sketching.  Professor  Brainerd,  who  held 
the  chair  of  chemistry  and  toxicology  in  the  Cleveland 
Homeopathic  Medical  College,  came  to  see  the  paint- 
ing, and,  as  he  was  about  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures 
on  the  then  new  theme  of  Geology,  he  desired  the  loan 
of  it  to  illustrate  his  discourses.  He  used  it  for  several 
courses  with  great  success,  but  its  origin  was  not  men- 
tioned; it  past  for  the  highest  expression  of  scien- 
tific discovery.  Afterwards,  another  lecturer*  secured 
the  loan  of  this  scenery  for  an  indefinite  time,  and 
used  it  as  an  advertisement  of  his  lectures.  Its  source 
was  again  kept  concealed.  Unfortunately,  while  in  this 
service,  it  was  caught  in  a  flood  and  the  paint  washed 
from  the  canvas. 

*See  Statement  of  Prof.  Leland  in  Appendix. 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  61 

% 

The  engravings  in  both  volumes  of  the  Arcana  were 
made  by  the  same  influence  that  wrote  them.  There 
was  some  objection  raised  to  the  expense  of  these,  and 
they  said,  "  Bring  the  blocks  and  we  will  engrave 
them."  I  had  never  seen  an  engraved  block  or  a 
graving  tool,  but  set  to  work  under  their  guidance,  and 
the  result  was  the  chart  and  the  other  cuts  as  they  ap- 
pear. I  do  not  contend  that  the  merit  of  the  engrav- 
ings is  notable  in  any  way,  but  they  are  certainly  much 
beyond  my  normal,  unaided  powers. 

I  had  not  finished  the  Arcana  before  the  Philosophy 
of  Spirit  and  the  Spirit  World  was  begun.  It  was  in- 
tended as  a  second  volume,  and  it  was  proposed  to  treat 
the  world  of  spirits  as  the  first  volume  had  the  realm 
of  matter.  It  was  inspired  by  an  entirely  distinct  in- 
fluence, the  first  being  materialistic,  the  second  spir- 
itualistic. I  have  often  thought  it  difficult  to  harmonize 
the  two,  the  viewpoint  of  the  authors  is  so  different. 
William  White  &  Co.,  Boston,  published  this  volume. 

I  also  began  and  completed  The  Origin  and  An- 
tiquity of  Man,  which  was  published  by  the  same 
house.  This  was  followed  by  the  Career  of  the  God 
Idea,  Career  of  the  Christ  Idea,  Ethics  of  Spiritualism, 
Studies  in  the  Outlying  Realms  of  Psychic  Science, 
Mediumship  and  its  Laws,  and  The  Arcana  of  Spirit- 
ualism. In  the  meantime,  by  different  spirit  authors, 
many  tracts,  stories  and  articles  on  a  wide  range  of 
subjects  were  written. 

When  Studies  in  the  Field  of  Psychic  Science  was  fin- 
ished, my  guides  advised  me  to  publish  it  myself.  As 
then  situated,  I  dared  not  take  the  risk.  Then  they 
advised  me  to  publish  by  subscription  and  I  might 
rely  on  them  to  sustain  the  venture.  With  hesitation 
I  followed  their  advice  and  secured  about  five  hundred 


62  INTRODUCTION. 

subscribers.  Owing  to  crop  failures,  the  subscriptions 
did  not  come  in  promptly,  the  printer's  bill  was  due 
and  my  receipts  did  not  equal  more  than  half  the 
amount  required.  The  last  night  I  was  too  nervous 
to  sleep.  The  only  way  out  was  a  loan,  and  as  the 
book  was  apparently  a  failure,  how  would  I  be  able  to 
meet  the  loan  ?  In  the  morning  a  man  who  worked  for 
me  stopt  at  the  post  office  for  my  mail.  In  crossing 
a  deep  creek  he  slipt  into  the  water  and  when  he 
gave  me  my  letters  they  were  a  sorry  looking  lot, 
saturated  and  covered  with  mud.  One  forlorn  envelop 
bore  the  postmark  of  London,  England.  It  contained 
a  hundred  pound  note  of  the  Bank  of  England.  There 
was  not  a  line,  word  or  mark  on  the  sheet  in  which  it 
was  wrapt.  I  never  learned  from  whom  it  came.  This 
I  know,  it  paid  the  bill. 

I  have  related  the  above  experience  in  the  hope  that, 
even  at  this  late  date,  it  may  meet  the  attention  of  the 
unknown  benefactor  to  whom  I  would  like  to  express 
my  gratitude. 


HUDSON   TUTTLE.  63 


Emphasis  has  been  laid  on  the  lives  of  Swedenborg 
and  Davis  because  of  their  phenomenal  and  evidential 
value  and  spiritual  significance  rather  than  on  the  orig- 
inal contributions  to  science  and  philosophy  which 
their  writings  may  reveal.  Tuttle's  record  is  not  less 
significant.  While  his  statements  in  the  Arcana  are 
not  all  in  conformity  with  present  day  science,*  his 
life  discloses  characteristics  so  phenomenal,  and  is 
fraught  with  such  pregnant  meaning  that  some  ade- 
quate explanation  is  imperatively  called  for. 

At  first  glance,  it  may  appear  that  the  phenomena 
attending  the  induction  of  these  seers  into  the  clair- 
voyant state  are  very  different.  A  closer  analysis 
shows  that  the  essentials  are  the  same  in  each.  Swe- 
denborg  was  inducted  into  communication  with  the 
great  fountain  of  knowledge  thru  mental  concentration 
and  thru  a  peculiar  process  of  breathing.  Davis  was 
thrown  into  the  clairvoyant  state  by  passes  from  a 
hypnotist.  Tuttle  was  inducted  into  a  similar  state 
by  making  one  of  a  circle  of  persons  arranged  about  a 
table,  while  the  minds  of  these  persons  were  in  a 
state  of  expectancy  concerning  occult  phenomena. 

*For  example,  in  Sec.  61  of  the  Arcana  of  Mature  may  be 
found  the  query,  "Why  did  the  Creator  give  rings  to  Saturn 
which,  surrounded  by  six  moons,  can  have  little  need  of  them, 
while  Mars  is  left  in  total  darkness?"  Again,  in  Sec.  105:  "But 
why  *  *  *  was  a  moon  given  to  the  Earth  and  not  to  Mars, 
which  is  twice  the  distance  from  the  Sun?"  In  1853,  when 
the  Arcana  was  written,  science  knew  nothing  of  the  two  moons 
which  we  now  know  revolve  round  Mars.  This  would  seem 
to  demonstrate  that  whatever  the  source  from  which  Mr.  Tut- 
tle's  inspiration  came  it  was  limited  to  the  knowledge  which 
men  of  science  at  that  time  possest. 


UNIVERSITY 


64  INTRODUCTION. 

Davis  was  at  first  thrown  into  a  profound  trance; 
Swedenborg  and  Tuttle  were  usually  only  partly 
entranced;  but  the  essential  results  were  reached  by 
each  of  the  three  in  a  similar  manner,  namely,  the 
mind  of  each,  when  conditions  were  favorable,  received 
instantaneous  and  far-reaching  illumination.  Davis 
names  this  state  the  Superior  Condition,  and  explains 
that  when  entering  it  the  clairvoyant  becomes  sufficiently 
exalted  to  associate  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  spirit 
world,  and  to  come  into  sympathetic  relation  with  the 
accumulated  intelligence  and  wisdom  of  its  inhabitants ; 
and  furthermore,  that  the  clairvoyant's  mind  is  so 
uplifted  and  illuminated  by  this  contact  with  "the  ac- 
cumulated intelligence  and  wisdom"  that  a  feeling  is 
produced  as  of  living  in  the  state  after  death,  and  of 
being  a  spirit  like  those  in  the  spirit  world. 

If  this  explanation  of  the  Superior  Condition  be 
accepted  as  a  working  hypothesis,  the  phenomenal  fea- 
tures of  Swedenborg 's  life  are  easily  understood;  and 
we  at  once  perceive  how  a  wholly  uneducated  and  unso- 
phisticated boy  of  nineteen  years  of  age  could  have 
dictated  Nature's  Divine  Revelations,  and  how  at  about 
the  same  age,  another  equally  unlettered  youth  could 
have  written  the  Arcana  of  Nature  with  absolutely  no 
access  to  books,  and  no  assistance  from  any-one  except 
from  his  spirit  guides  who  were  at  the  same  time  his 
collaborators.* 

*Additional  particulars  pertaining  to  the  life  of  Mr.  Tuttle 
may  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 


CORA  L.  V.  RICHMOND." 

Mrs.  Cora  L.  V.  Richmond  (nee  Scott)  was  born  in 
1840,  near  Cuba,  Allegany  County,  N.  Y.  Her  father, 
David  W.  Scott,  was  a  mathematician  and  inclined  to 
philosophic  studies.  Her  mother,  Lodensy  Butterfield, 
had  psychic  gifts.  Both  parents  were  interested  in 
new  truth  and  reform  work.  Cora  was  neither  pre- 
cocious nor  over-studious.  She  attended  the  local 
school.  When  eleven  years  of  age  she  was  asked  to 
prepare  a  composition  and  took  her  slate  and  pencil 
into  an  arbor  in  the  garden,  expecting  first  to  write 
the  essay  on  the  slate  and  then  copy  it  on  paper.  In 
a  little  while  she  took  the  slate  to  her  mother,  saying 
she  had  fallen  asleep  and  somebody  had  been  writing 
on  her  slate.  The  writing  began:  "My  dear  sister/' 
and  was  from  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Scott  who  had  past 
away  in  childhood.  A  few  days  later  Cora  was  seated 
at  the  feet  of  her  mother,  when  sleep  again  overtook 
her,  and  the  mother  thinking  she  had  fainted,  applied 
restoratives.  Noticing  a  trembling  motion  of  the  hand, 
she  placed  the  slate  and  pencil  in  the  child's  hand, 
which  immediately  began  to  write.  In  this  way,  sev- 
eral messages,  signed  by  different  members  of  the 
family  who  had  gone  to  spirit  life  were  written,  each 
of  them  testifying  to  their  existence  in  another  sphere. 
Neighbors  at  once  became  interested  in  the  phenome- 
non, and  called  to  ask  questions  and  receive  communi- 
cations. 

18.  I  am  indetted  to  H.  D.  Barrett's  Life  and  Work  of  Cora 
L.   V.   Richmond,   Chicago,    1895,  for  these  facts   and  for   par- 
ticulars and  quotations  hereinafter  given,  E.  D. 
5                                             65 


66  INTRODUCTION. 

A  few  months  after  the  first  writing  on  the  slate, 
Cora  was  controlled  by  what  purported  to  be  the  spirit 
of  a  German  physician,  but  who  withheld  his  name. 
For  some  four  years  the  German  physician,  at  a  given 
hour  every  day,  controlled  Cora  to  diagnose  and  give 
medical  advice  to  those  who  came  to  her  father's  house 
for  that  purpose.  This  occupied  two,  three,  and  some- 
times six  hours  a  day.  Under  the  direction  of  this  phy- 
sician she  drest  wounds,  and  sometimes  performed 
minor  surgical  operations.  Cora  had  no  knowledge  of 
any  other  language  than  English,  but  the  influence  con- 
trolling her  sometimes  spoke  thru  her  in  German. 
From  the  beginning  of  her  mediumship,  it  was  stated 
thru  the  child  that  her  mission  was  to  be  a  public 
speaker,  and  that  her  efforts  in  the  art  of  healing  were 
experiences  to  fit  her  for  her  lifework. 

During  much  of  the  four  years  of  preparation,  Cora 
once  a  week  devoted  some  time  to  a  private  circle  of 
friends  at  her  father's  house,  and  as  her  development 
progrest,  meetings  were  held  at  her  home  for  such 
neighbors  and  friends  as  chose  to  listen  to  her 
addresses. 

When  twelve  years  of  age,  Cora  was  directed  by 
her  guides  to  cease  attending  school  and  since  that 
time  has  never  pursued  any  studies  save  while  en- 
tranced by  her  guides.  As  before  stated,  Cora's  public 
work  began  when  she  was  eleven  years  old,  but  it  was 
not  until  she  was  fifteen  that  she  began  to  give  lectures 
before  large  audiences.  Previous  to  this  time,  she  was 
engaged  in  the  smaller  towns  and  villages,  or  where 
local  circles  had  been  formed  for  the  purpose.  She 
sometimes  spoke  upon  subjects  selected  by  her  audience 
after  she  had  taken  the  platform,  and  sometimes  her 
guides  selected  their  own  topics.  At  first  she  did  not 


CORA  L.   V.   RICHMOND.  67 

usually  speak  for  more  than  thirty  minutes,  but  the 
time  was  soon  extended  to  forty  and  fifty,  and  some- 
times an  hour  or  more.  The  phenomenon  of  a  child 
twelve  years  of  age  discoursing  to  people  on  the  most 
abstruse  questions  in  ethics,  theology,  science  and  phi- 
losophy, in  a  scholarly  manner,  and  on  subjects  se- 
lected by  the  audience,  attracted  wide  attention. 

Cora  went  to  Buffalo  in  1854  to  minister  to  a  spiri- 
tualist society  that  had  been  formed  in  that  city.  Prof. 
J.  J.  Mapes,  a  scientist  of  New  York  City,  whose  atten- 
tion had  been  called  to  the  child's  phenomenal  work, 
came  to  Buffalo  in  1854  to  attend  some  of  the  lec- 
tures. Prof.  Mapes  was  asked  to  name  a  subject  for 
an  address,  which  he  gave  in  two  words:  " Primary 
Rocks."  After  the  lecture,  the  professor  was  called 
upon  to  speak  on  the  same  subject.  He  rose  and  said : 
"I  am  a  college-educated  man,  and  have  been  all  my 
life  an  investigator  of  scientific  subjects  and  associated 
with  scientific  men,  but  I  stand  this  afternoon  dum  be- 
fore this  young  girl." 

In  1856,  Cora  took  up  her  residence  in  New  York 
City.  The  Hon.  J.  W.  Edmunds,  Horace  Greeley,  Prof. 
J.  J.  Mapes,  Prof.  Robt.  Hare  (then  of  Philadelphia) 
had  become  much  interested  in  her  work,  and  aided  in 
the  movement  to  give  her  an  opportunity  to  reach 
audiences  in  the  larger  cities.  In  New  York,  her  lec- 
tures at  once  became  so  popular  that  it  was  necessary 
to  secure  the  most  commodious  halls.  On  different  occa- 
sions the  largest  theater  in  the  city  was  secured,  and 
even  this  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Many 
prominent  ministers  attended  these  meetings,  and  the 
daily  papers — notably  the  N.  T.  Herald — gave  a  ver- 
batim report  of  the  lectures,  and  frequently  indulged 
in  comparisons  to  the  discomforture  of  the  ministers 
who  engaged  in  the  discussions. 


68  INTRODUCTION. 

N.  P.  Willis,  poet  and  litterateur,  gave  his  impres- 
sions in  the  Home  Journal  of  which  he  was  then  edi- 
tor, and  from  which  the  following  is  quoted: 

"The  lady  speaker  was  introduced  to  the  audience 
a  few  minutes  after  we  took  our  seats  in  a  pew  of  the 
Tabernacle — a  delicate  featured  blonde  of  seventeen  or 
eighteen,  with  flaxen  ringlets  falling  over  her  shoulders, 
movements  deliberate  and  self-possest,  voice  calm  and 
deep,  and  eyes  and  fingers  no  way  nervous.  The  sub- 
ject being  given  her  by  a  gentleman  in  the  audience 
(*  Whether  Man  is  a  part  of  God')  she  commenced  with 
a  prayer — and  very  curious  it  was  to  see  a  long-haired 
young  woman  standing  alone  in  the  pulpit,  her  face 
turned  upward,  her  delicate  bare  arms  raised  in  a 
clergyman's  attitude  of  devotion,  and  a  church  full  of 
people  listening  attentively  while  she  prayed.  A  pas- 
sage in  the  Bible  occurred  to  me:  'Let  your  women 
keep  silence  in  your  churches,  for  it  is  not  permitted 
unto  them  to  speak'. .  .But  my  instinctive  feelings,  I 
must  own,  made  no  objection  to  the  propriety  of  the 
performance.  The  tone  and  manner  were  of  an  abso- 
lute sincerity  of  devoutness  which  compelled  respect; 
and  before  she  closed  I  was  prepared  to  believe  her  an 
exception — either  that  a  male  spirit  was  speaking  thru 
her  lips  or  that  the  relative  position  of  the  sexes  is  not 
the  same  as  in  the  days  of  St.  Paul . . .  Upon  the  plat- 
form, in  the  rear  of  the  pulpit,  sat  three  reporters ;  and 
the  daily  papers  have  given  outlines  of  the  argument 
between  the  fair  medium  and  an  antagonist  clergyman 
who  was  present.  No  report  can  give  any  fair  idea 
of  the  '  Spirit  presence/  however, — I  mean  of  the 
self-possest  dignity,  clearness,  promptitude  and  un- 
deniable superiority  of  the  female  reasoner.  I  am 
perhaps,  from  long  study  and  practice,  as  good  a  judge 
of  fitness  in  the  use  of  language  as  most  men,  and  in  a 
full  hour  of  close  attention  I  could  detect  no  word 
which  could  be  altered  for  the  better — none  indeed 
(and  this  surprized  me  still  more)  which  was  not  used 
with  strict  fidelity  to  its  derivative  meaning.  The 
practist  scholarship  which  this  last  point  usually 


CORA   L.   V.   RICHMOND.  69 

requires,  and  the  curious,  unhesitating  and  confident 
fluency  with  which  the  beautiful  language  was  deliv- 
ered was  (critically)  wonderful.  It  would  have 
astonished  me  in  an  extempore  speech  by  the  most 
accomplished  orator  in  the  world... My  experience  in 
Spiritualism  has  always  been  unsatisfactory.  The  Fox 
girls  and  others  have  tried  their  spells  upon  me  in 
vain.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  one  of  those  to 
whom  was  not  given  the  'discerning  of  spirits.'  But 
it  would  be  very  bigoted  and  blind  not  to  see  and 
acknowledge  the  wonderful  intellectual  demonstration 
made  by  this  young  girl ;  and  how  to  explain  it  with  the 
her  age,  habits  and  education,  is  the  true  point  at  issue. 
I  think  we  should  at  least  look  at  it  seriously,  if  only 
in  obedience  to  the  Scripture  exhortation  which  closes 
the  chapter  on  this  very  subject:  ' Covet  earnestly  the 
best  gifts.'  ' 

In  the  autumn  of  1857,  Cora  was  engaged  in  lec- 
turing in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  At  Cambridgeport, 
the  subject  was  given  her  by  Prof.  Felton  of  Harvard 
University.  He  chose  a  Bible  text  from  the  book  of 
Ecclesiastes,  9th  chapter,  10th  verse:  "Whatsoever  thy 
hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might;  for  there  is 
no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in 
the  grave,  whither  thou  goest."  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  lecture,  Prof.  Felton  rose  and  with  deep  emotion 
exprest  his  appreciation  of  the  discourse,  stating  that  it 
had  made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  on  his  mind. 

As  has  been  said,  Cora's  first  work  was  done  while  she 
was  really  but  a  child,  and  the  phenomenal  spectacle 
naturally  attracted  the  widest  attention.  She  visited 
England  the  first  time  when  she  was  thirty-two  years 
old,  and  the  receptions  tendered  her  both  in  London 
and  the  great  manufacturing  centers  of  Lancashire  and 
Yorkshire,  were  only  a  little  less  enthusiastic  than  those 
given  her  in  America,  at  the  beginning  of  her  work. 
The  first  important  course  of  lectures  was  given  at  St. 


70  INTRODUCTION. 

James'  Hall,  London,  a  bilding  seating  over  2,000  per- 
sons, and  so  keen  was  the  general  interest  that  many 
were  turned  away  after  the  house  was  filled.  Later, 
when  lecturing  in  the  northern  cities  and  towns,  nota- 
bly in  Birmingham,  Nottingham,  Manchester,  Leeds, 
Rochdale,  Bradford,  Oldham,  Halifax,  Liverpool,  Dar- 
lington, York,  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  the  most  marked 
enthusiasm  was  shown  by  her  audiences,  and  the  local 
newspapers  gave  considerable  space  to  reports  of  her 
lectures  and  discussions  of  the  noteworthy  features  of 
her  addresses. 

In  1880,  five  years  after  the  close  of  her  first  stay 
in  England,  she  again  visited  that  country  for  a  short 
time,  and  was  met  by  large  audiences  both  in  London 
and  the  provinces.  At  the  close  of  her  first  discourse 
in  St.  James'  Hall,  on  the  subject  of  "Body  and 
Spirit,"  the  Rev.  Sir  William  Dunbar,  Bart.,  who  occu- 
pied a  place  on  the  platform,  rose,  and  after  making 
some  commendatory  remarks,  said:  "I  certainly  have 
been  very  much  edified  by  the  address  to  which  I  have 
listened  this  evening  and,  but  that  the  rules  of  my 
church  forbid,  I  would  ask  the  lady  to  address  a  con- 
gregation from  my  pulpit." 

Mrs.  Richmond  began  her  Chicago  work  in  1876,  and 
this  led  to  her  appointment  as  Pastor  of  the  First  So- 
ciety of  Spiritualists  in  that  city.  Subsequently,  she 
became  Pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Soul,  and  this 
pastorate  has  remained  unbroken  to  the  present  time. 
The  interest  aroused,  and  her  position  there,  may  be 
gauged  by  the  fact  that  for  several  years,  the  Times, 
of  that  city,  on  each  Monday  morning,  published  a  full 
stenografic  report  of  her  address  delivered  the  previous 
evening. 

Mrs.  Richmond  has  published  several  volumes  of  dis- 


CORA  L.  V.  RICHMOND.  71 

courses,  the  first  of  which  was  entitled  The  Sciences 
and  their  Philosophy,  and  were  given  in  New  York 
in  1859.  In  1871,  she  published  a  poem  entitled 
Hesperia,  treating  in  a  highly  allegorical  manner  the 
history  of  America,  its  present,  and  a  prophecy  of  ideal 
days  to  come.  More  recently  she  has  published  a  vol- 
ume entitled  Psychopathy,  or  Spirit  Healing,  and  The 
Soul  in  Human  Embodiments.  The  latter  is  based 
upon  the  hypothesis  of  pre-existence  and  embodiments 
— in  contradistinction  to  the  re-incarnation  theory  as 
taught  by  Alan  Kardec  and  later  by  the  Theosophists — 
and  affirms  that  the  soul  is  uncreate,  without  beginning 
and  without  end. 

The  phenomena  of  Mrs.  Richmond's  life  and  work 
are  explainable  on  the  hypothesis  that  her  mind,  when 
entranced,  passes  into  a  superior  condition  analogous 
to  that  experienced  by  Swedenborg,  Davis  and  Tuttle. 
This  is  confirmed  by  the  following  quotations  from  her 
autobiografy  :19 

"From  the  very  first  of  my  control,  that  is,  the 
writing  on  the  slate  in  the  arbor,  at  Lake  Mills,  Wis- 
consin, to  the  present  time,  I  have  never  been  conscious 
of  anything  that  transpired  in  the  outward  world  dur- 
ing the  time  I  was  under  control.  This  state  or  condi- 
tion has  not  changed  since  I  became  a  medium.  I 
could  not  thru  my  own  knowledge  state  or  testify  in 
court  that  I  had  ever  spoken  in  public,  ever  delivered 
an  address  or  poem  in  my  life.  While  passing  under 
control,  I  do  not  experience  any  peculiar  sensations  or 
physical  changes.  Unconsciousness  to  physical  sur- 
roundings and  consciousness  of  spiritual  presence  are 
almost  simultaneous.  The  added  or  larger  consciousness 

19.  Barrett's  Life,  Pp.  726,  728,  735. 


72  INTRODUCTION. 

of  spirit  being  accompanied  by  a  seeming  expansion 
of  all  the  powers,  and  by  great  freedom  of  mind." 

''From  the  first  I  always  saw  (as  soon  as  outward 
objects  ceased  to  be  visible,  and  without  any  thought 
that  outward  things  were  passing  from  me)  spirit  pres- 
ences. As  soon  as  I  became  aware  of  these  spirit 
presences  and  companions,  they  were  as  real  to  me 
as  tho  in  human  form.  They  seemed  to  me  as  natural, 
in  the  sense  of  true  being,  nothing  uncanny  or  ghostlike 
about  them,  but  certainly,  if  as  natural,  they  never 
seemed  the  same  as  if  in  human  form.  Whether  I 
saw  .or  perceived  them,  I  did  not  know,  nor  did  I  try 
to  know  in  my  younger  years. ' ' 

"Not  only  did  I  see  or  perceive  spirits  every  time 
I  was  entranced  and  the  controls  were  using  my 
organism  to  write  or  speak,  but  I  was  distinctly  aware 
of  being  a  separate  consciousness,  out  of,  or  not  acting 
upon  or  thru  my  own  body.  I  went  away  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  having  only  a  sympathetic  psychic  con- 
tact with  my  organism.  I  visited  people  whom  I  knew, 
and  places  with  which  I  was  familiar,  also  persons  and 
localities  I  had  never  seen  in  my  normal  state ;  but  my 
experiences  were  especially  with  those  in  spirit  life. 
I  was  as  one  of  them;  my  father,  grandparents,  rela- 
tives, friends,  many  of  whom  I  had  never  seen  in  earth 
life,  were  my  companions  in  these  seasons  of  inner 
consciousness ...  I  have  often  noted  that  those  of  whom 
I  had  previously  been  thinking  and  concerning  whom  I 
was  most  anxious  when  in  my  outward  state,  were  those 
whom  I  first  visited  in  spirit  (when  entranced).  Yet 
I  have  also  been  aware  of  having  visited  people  yet  in 
earth  form,  whom  I  had  never  met  in  human  form,  and 
have  afterward  recognized  on  being  introduced  for 
the  first  time  outwardly  as  those  whom  I  had  seen  in 


CORA  L.   V.   RICHMOND.  73 

spirit.  There  are  others  whom  I  have  seen  in  vision, 
yet  have  never  met  in  person,  and  whom  when  we  do 
meet,  here  or  hereafter,  I  shall  know,  I  am  sure. 
Nothing  could  better  prove  how  spirit  annihilates  time 
and  space;  and  may  we  not  look  forward  to  the  time 
that  my  guides  assure  us  is  coming,  when  the  written 
word,  often  so  long  delayed  and  so  anxiously  looked 
for,  shall  no  longer  be  necessary?" 


W.  J.  COLV1LLE. 

W.  J.  Colville  was  born  in  England  in  1860.  The 
following  facts  of  his  life  are  gleaned  from  a  recently 
published  autobiografy.20 

My  mediumship  originally  declared  itself  in  early 
childhood.  I  was  practically  an  orphan  from  birth. 
My  mother  past  to  spirit  life  in  my  infancy,  and  I 
was  left  in  charge  of  a  gardian.  I  was  separated 
from  children  altogether  and  compelled  to  associate 
exclusively  with  persons  of  mature  age. 

How  I  first  came  to  see  my  mother  clairvoyantly  I 
do  not  know,  but  I  distinctly  remember  becoming  con- 
scious, at  frequent  intervals,  of  the  gentle,  loving  pres- 
ence of  a  beautiful  young  woman,  who  invariably  ap- 
peared to  my  vision  attired  in  garments  of  singular 
beauty ...  I  cannot  recall  any  occasion  when  this  lady 
spoke  to  me  as  one  ordinary  human  being  converses 
with  another,  but  I  recollect  that  when  I  saw  her  most 
plainly  and  felt  her  presence  most  distinctly,  I  was 
conscious  of  information  flowing  into  me.  I  can  only 
liken  my  .experience  to  some  memorable  statements  of 
Swedenborg  concerning  influx  of  knowledge  into  the 
interiors  of  human  understanding. 

I  should  probably  never  in  those  early  days  have 
thought  of  such  a  problem  as  clairvoyance,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  surprizing  fact  that  what  I  saw  perfectly 
other  people  did  not  see  at  all.  I  was  first  led  to 
realize  the  unusual  character  of  my  vision  when  I 
mentioned  the  presence  of  the  "  beautiful  lady  in 

20.  Universal  Spiritualism,  Fenno  &  Co.,  New  York,  1906. 

74 


W.    J.    COLVILLE.  75 

white"  to  two  persons  who  were  with  me.  I  saw  her 
very  distinctly,  yet  they  declared  that  we  three  were 
the  only  occupants  of  the  apartment.  The  mystery  of 
the  fourth  inmate  was  for  me  greatly  intensified,  when 
it  appeared  to  me  that  the  other  two  persons,  besides  her 
and  myself,  could  pass  thru  her  and  she  thru  them, 
while  they  appeared  completely  unconscious  of  each 
other 's  presence . . .  The  first  evidence  of  my  own  clear 
vision,  which  came  to  me  so  spontaneously  that  for  a 
considerable  season  it  caused  no  astonishment,  related 
to  beholding  a  form  existing  on  another  plane  of  be- 
ing than  the  one  usually  termed  terrestrial.  This  form 
was  seemingly  human  in  every  detail,  and  was  attired 
in  artistic  dress . . .  The  second  evidence  of  clairvoyance 
did  not  refer  to  sight,  as  ordinarily  understood,  but 
to  mental  enlightenment,  and  this  not  only  of  a  gen- 
eral but  of  a  particular  character,  going  deeply  and 
precisely  into  manifold  details  of  private  family  his- 
tory, and  including  many  revelations  which  brought 
consternation  to  the  hearers  when  I  reported  my  ex- 
periences. The  people  among  whom  I  was  being  reared 
were  desirous  of  hiding  from  me  many  facts  concerning 
my  parents  of  which  my  spirit  mother  evidently 
wished  me  to  become  aware.  The  third  feature  in 
my  clairvoyance  was  the  actual  predicting  of  coming 
events ...  A  single  example  will  illustrate :  My  grand- 
mother's  sister  in  Lincolnshire  had  decided  to  visit 
Sussex,  but  had  not  communicated  her  intention  to 
any  one,  altho  her  mind  was  fully  made  up.  I  had 
never  seen  my  great-aunt,  and  had  rarely  heard  her 
mentioned,  yet  I  distinctly  saw  her  in  the  house  where 
I  was  then  living,  and  accurately  described  her  appear- 
ance, even  to  the  strings  of  the  cap  which  she  wore 
when,  a  few  days  later,  she  paid  her  sister  a  visit. 


76  INTRODUCTION. 

As  I  grew  from  childhood  to  riper  age,  and  in  the 
meantime  attended  schools  and  became  interested  in 
many  external  pursuits  and  objects,  my  mediumship 
became  less  prominent  and,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  prophetic  dream  of  rare  lucidity,  which  al- 
ways came  as  a  needed  warning,  I  gradually  drifted 
into  a  more  prosaic  state  of  life. 

When  I  was  nearly  fourteen  years  old  and  a  mem- 
ber of  a  church  choir,  I  went  to  hear  Mrs.  Cora  L.  V. 
Richmond,  who  was  lecturing  in  Brighton  where  I 
was  then  residing,  and  was  aroused  by  her  stirring  dis- 
courses to  my  true  vocation.  Altho  my  public  career 
as  a  lecturer  and  globe-trotter  did  not  begin  until 
nearly  three  years  later,  it  was  on  the  evening  of  Whit- 
Sunday,  May  24th,  1874,  that  I  experienced  the  first 
thrill  of  consciousness  that  it  was  to  be  my  principal 
lifework  to  travel  nearly  all  over  the  earth,  guided  by 
unseen  but  not  unknown  inspirers,  who  would  carry 
me  safely  if  I  would  but  be  faithful  to  the  mission  en- 
trusted to  me.  When  I  was  walking  home,  after 
greatly  enjoying  Mrs.  Richmond's  eloquence,  I  regis- 
tered a  vow  that  if  good  and  wise  intelligences  in  the 
unseen  state  would  inspire  me  as  they  were  wont  to  in- 
spire this  marvelous  woman,  I  would  most  gladly  take 
service  with  them  and  go  whithersoever  their  counsels 
led  me.  I  earnestly  desired  and  confidently  expected 
that  inspiration  would  come  to  me,  and  come  it  did 
that  very  evening  and  within  an  hour  from  the  time 
I  invoked  it.  Had  no  obstacles  been  placed  in  my 
way,  I  should  have  assumed  the  role  of  public  speaker 
before  my  14th  birthday;  but  my  legal  gardian  re- 
fused to  grant  permission  until  I  was  at  least  two  years 
older,  tho  she  did  not  prevent  my  occasionally  appear- 
ing at  private  gatherings,  nor  was  she  able  to  deprive 


W.    J.    COLVILLE.  77 

me  of  some  wonderful  experiences  of  a  mesmeric  or 
hypnotic  character  which  opened  my  eyes  in  my  early 
teens  to  many  of  the  marvels  of  psychology. 

From  the  beginning  of  my  public  work  I  could  not 
be  influenced  by  any  professional  mesmerist  or  practis- 
ing physician  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  jiypnotic 
experiments. 

I  can  remember  sitting  on  the  platform  of  a  London 
hall  one  Sunday  evening,  March  4th,  1877,  and  gazing 
out  upon  a  large  concourse  of  people  gathered  to  hear 
me.  A  hymn  was  sung  and  I  rose  and  offered  a  prayer 
the  words  of  which  formed  themselves  in  my  mouth 
without  forethought  or  conscious  volition.  After  a 
second  hymn,  the  presiding  officer  announced  that  the 
youthful  occupant  of  the  platform  was  prepared  to 
discourse  under  inspiration  on  any  theme  the  audience 
might  think  proper  to  suggest.  I  heard  this  without  the 
slightest  trepidation.  I  had  become  tense,  callous,  self- 
assured,  and  completely  confident  that  an  intelligence 
beyond  my  normal  would  render  me  equal  to  the  occa- 
sion. A  subject  was  decided  upon  by  show  of  hands, 
and  I  rose  to  lecture.  I  spoke  unfalteringly  for  fully  an 
hour  and  resumed  my  seat  unexcited  and  unfatigued. 
.  . .  Three  or  four  subjects  were  then  given  by  the 
audience  for  an  impromptu  poem,  and  no  sooner  was 
a  decision  reached  as  to  which  topic  had  received  the 
greatest  show  of  hands  than  I  rose  for  a  third  time 
and  heard  myself  reel  off  a  number  of  verses  as  easily 
and  fluently  as  tho  I  had  learned  them  by  heart,  tho 
I  am  certain  they  were  nowhere  in  print,  and  I  was 
listening  to  them  for  the  first  time.  The  report  of 
these  meetings  attracted  considerable  attention  at  the 
time. 

Soon  after  my  appearance  in  London  I  was  called 


78  INTRODUCTION. 

to  various  parts  of  England.  I  went  as  an  inexperi- 
enced child  to  places  rough  and  smooth,  aristocratic  and 
uncouth,  religious  and  atheistic;  and  wherever  I  went 
I  found  my  unseen  prompters  ready  to  help  me  in  all 
emergencies. 

In  the  nineteen  months  between  March,  1877,  and 
October,  1878,  I  toured  as  a  lecturer  in  England;  and 
near  the  close  of  October,  1878,  I  left  England  for 
America. .  .No  sooner  had  I  landed  than  I  felt  quite  at 
home  on  what  was  in  no  sense  to  me  a  f  oren  soil . . . 
In  Boston,  my  work  grew  apace;  then  I  was  called  to 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago  and  other  leading 
cities.  Nearly  five  years  had  sped  when,  in  1883,  I 
found  myself  again  in  England.  The  following  year 
I  returned  to  the  United  States  and  in  1885  revisited 
England.  In  1886  I  visited  California  for  the  first 
time,  and  spent  five  months  on  the  Pacific  slope,  ad- 
dressing audiences  daily ...  I  had  already  been  greatly 
interested  in  mental  therapeutics,  or  spiritual  healing, 
and  had  devoted  a  considerable  portion  of  my  time  to 
its  advocacy  by  means  of  lectures  and  classes.  At  the 
close  of  a  lecture  delivered  on  a  camp  ground  border- 
ing on  Lake  Merritt,  Oakland,  California,  a  lady  (Mrs. 
Lily  Bothwell)  who  had  long  been  a  cripple,  handed 
her  crutches  to  her  husband,  walked  home  and  did 
not  resume  the  use  of  artificial  support.  This  "mir- 
acle" of  healing  took  place  unknown  to  me  at  the  time, 
for  I  was  not  aware  there  was  a  crippled  woman  in 
the  assembly.  I  do  not  claim  any  part  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  marvel  except  that  I  declared  at 
the  end  of  a  discourse  on  the  philosophy  of  mental 
healing:  "You  can  use  your  limbs  if  you  determine 
to  use  them,  no  matter  how  long  they  have  failed  to 
serve  you."  I  had  no  idea  I  was  addressing  anybody 


W.    J.    COLVILLE.  79 

in  particular,  and  no  member  of  the  audience  was  more 
astonished  than  myself  when  the  ' i  miracle ' '  occurred. 

During  that  summer  of  1886,  I  received  pressing 
invitations  to  visit  Australia.  Nine  years  previously, 
at  the  very  outset  of  my  public  work,  I  had  been  as- 
sured by  my  unseen  preceptors  that  there  was  a  great 
work  for  me  to  do  at  the  Antipodes . .  For  ten  years  I 
saw  nothing  of  England . . .  Those  ten  years  had  been 
busy  and  eventful ...  I  had  traversed  America  from 
Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico... I  had  produced  a 
number  of  books,  edited  several  periodicals  and  con- 
tributed many  articles  to  magazines  and  newspapers 
...  It  was  a  psychic  or  telepathic  incident  that  led  me 
in  the  winter  of  1894  to  turn  my  attention  back  to 
Europe.  I  well  remember  December  8th,  1894.  On 
that  day,  between  2 :30  and  3  p.  m.,  I  was  seated  at  a 
desk  in  New  York  writing  an  article  for  a  periodical. 
I  was  scribbling  away  at  full  speed,  when  I  was  sud- 
denly arrested  by  a  vision  of  Lady  Caithness,  at  whose 
house  in  Paris  I  had  lectured  in  1884-5,  and  whom 
I  had  not  seen  for  over  nine  years.  She  appeared 
to  be  sitting  at  a  desk  writing  a  letter  addrest  to  me, 
and  in  which  I  was  informed  of  many  interesting 
events  connected  with  the  erection  of  her  new  resi- 
dence, "Holyrood,"  to  which  she  had  recently  moved 
from  an  older  quarter  of  Paris.  The  letter  further 
embodied  a  request  that  I  should  contribute  an  article 
for  a  periodical  she  was  then  editing,  and  also  exprest 
a  hope  that  I  should  be  able  to  accept  her  offer  of  an 
engagement  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  at  Holyrood 
during  the  ensuing  June.  For  nearly  thirty  minutes 
this  vision  continued  with  me,  and  then,  before  the 
letter  appeared  finished,  it  suddenly  vanished,  and  I  re- 
sumed my  interrupted  article.  I  went  to  Boston  for 


80  INTRODUCTION. 

Christmas,  and  while  there,  on  December  24th,  I  re- 
ceived, among  other  letters  from  New  York,  the  identi- 
cal letter  from  Lady  Caithness,  dated  Paris,  Dec.  8th, 
which  I  had  beheld  in  my  vision.  In  the  course  of  the 
letter  I  learned  that  it  was  written  between  7:30  and 
8  p.  m.,  Paris  time,  which  is  five  hours  ahead  of  New 
York,  and  therefore  the  time  coincidence  was  as  nearly 
exact  as  it  well  could  be .... 

Nearly  two  years  were  spent  south  of  the  Equator  in 
my  platform  mission,  among  the  cities  visited  being 
Adelaide,  Melbourne,  Sydney,  Brisbane,  Newcastle,  in 
Australia,  and  Auckland,  Wellington  and  Christchurch, 
in  New  Zealand.  During  all  these  antipodean  wander- 
ings I  found  my  psychic  faculties  fully  as  clear  and 
as  much  in  evidence  as  in  other  lands.21 

Altho  I  am  an  inspirational  speaker  and  am  fre- 
quently conscious  of  the  presence  of  individual  spirit 
friends,  whilst  I  am  on  the  platform  and  also  when 
engaged  in  literary  work,  I  should  be  deliberately  men- 
dacious did  I  claim  that  I  had  read  nothing  and  that 
my  library  was  a  pack  of  cards. .  .Nevertheless,  it  is  a 
bald  fact  that  I  do  on  frequent  occasions  make  state- 
ments that  are  quite  beyond  my  normal  waking  knowl- 
edge, and  many  of  these  statements  are  made  thru  my 
lips  and  thru  my  pencil  when  I  am  conscious  that  my 
lips  and  hands  are  being  guided  by  unseen  spiritual 
prompters . . .  My  own  conviction  is  that  much  is  lost 
and  nothing  gained  by  denying  spiritual  cooperation 
and  insisting  on  absolute  spirit  control;  my  experience 
being  that  invisible  helpers  supplement  the  knowledge 


21.  The  remaining  paragrafs  are  from  a  letter  by  Mr.  Col- 
ville  to  Emmet  Densmore,  dated  Alameda,  California,  April 
14th,  1908, 


W.    J.    COLVILLE.  81 

I  possess  and  very  often  give  me  new  information  which 
I  have  never  derived  from  reading.  It  is  often  my  ex- 
perience that  if  I  have  a  book  with  me  for  a  few  min- 
utes and  get  into  its  psychic  atmosphere,  I  can  write 
an  intelligent  review  of  it,  or  give  a  lecture  upon  it. . . 
I  was  in  Perth,  West  Australia,  in  1896,  when  Marie 
Corelli's  novel,  The  Treasure  of  Heaven,  a  Romance 
of  Riches,  reached  Australian  shores.  The  book  had 
been  widely  advertized  before  its  arrival,  and  a  com- 
mittee of  arrangements  had  secured  my  consent  to 
include  a  review  of  that  book  in  a  course  of  lectures  I 
was  then  delivering  in  the  Town  Hall.  The  local  book- 
sellers expected  the  books  to  arrive  several  days  earlier 
than  they  came,  and  I  had  anticipated  reading  the 
book  thoroly,  and  quoting  from  it  verbatim  on  the 
public  platform.  Somewhat  to  my  consternation,  I 
could  not  get  hold  of  a  copy  until  the  evening  on  which 
I  was  to  speak,  and  as  the  book  contained  nearly  500 
pages  I  gave  up  hope  of  reviewing  it  in  my  lecture 
and  decided  to  treat  the  topic  from  my  own  standpoint, 
merely  mentioning  the  fact  that  Marie  Corelli's  novel 
had  just  reached  the  city.  My  surprize  and  pleasure 
were  both  great  when  at  the  close  of  the  lecture  I  was 
personally  congratulated  upon  my  exhaustive  review 
of  the  entire  story  and  complimented  on  my  amazing 
memory,  for  I  was  told  that  I  had  quoted  passage  after 
passage,  in  almost  the  exact  words  of  the  author,  and 
had  given  a  full  synopsis  of  the  entire  tale,  as  tho  I 
had  digested  its  every  detail.  I  have  often  had  experi- 
ences similar  to  the  above  and  am  therefore  fully  as- 
sured that  it  is  quite  possible  to  speak  intelligently 
upon  matters  with  which  in  my  ordinary  state  I  have 
merely  the  most  superficial  acquaintance;  but  it  does 
seem  necessary,  in  my  case,  that  there  should  be  some 

6 


82  INTRODUCTION. 

starting  point  in  my  mentality  from  which  the  thread 
of  discourse  shall  consistently  proceed. 

To  bring  my  narrative  very  near  the  present  day, 
I  select  for  special  mention  one  of  the  most  impressive 
evidences  of  supernormal  intelligence  which  it  has 
ever  been  my  good  fortune  personally  to  receive.  One 
night  in  February,  1906,  I  made  one  of  a  small  group 
of  psychic  students  assembled  at  a  friend's  house  in 
Newark,  New  Jersey.  The  party  consisted  of  only  four 
persons,  namely,  my  hostess,  her  son  and  daughter  and 
myself.  It  was  nearing  midnight,  and  we  were  quietly 
discussing  telepathy  and  clairvoyance  in  a  well-lighted 
room.  Our  conversation  drifted  toward  European 
travel,  when  a  request  was  made  to  me  to  experiment 
with  a  phase  of  concentration  of  attention  on  a  crystal 
or  other  glittering  object  as  mentioned  by  Prof.  F.  W. 
H.  Myers,  and  other  investigators.  "We  all  four  of  us 
sat  without  speaking  for  fully  ten  minutes;  then  sud- 
denly I  beheld  in  the  air  of  the  room,  the  vision  of  a 
large  ocean  steamship  and,  near  it,  the  date  March  29th. 
Not  having  the  least  idea  that  the  vision  concerned  me 
individually,  I  took  it  for  granted  that  some  of  the 
other  members  of  the  party  were  about  to  take  an 
unexpected  trip  across  the  Atlantic,  and  for  some 
little  time  we  talked  together  on  the  beauties  of  Europe 
and  the  excellent  accommodation  afforded  by  French 
and  German  steamers,  having  first  ascertained,  by  ref- 
erence to  a  newspaper,  that  a  French,  also  a  German 
vessel,  were  to  leave  New  York  on  the  date  indicated. 
After  retiring  to  my  room,  I  was  imprest  to  try  my 
hand  at  automatic  writing,  an  exercise  which  I  had 
occasionally  conducted,  usually  with  indifferent  results. 
On  this  occasion,  however,  I  felt  strongly  impelled  to 
let  the  pencil  move  just  as  it  would  without  taking 


W.   J.    COLVILLE.  83 

notice  of  what  was  being  written.  The  writing  ceased 
suddenly  and  I  felt  no  inclination  to  handle  a  pencil 
again  that  night,  or  even  to  read  what  had  been  writ- 
ten until  the  following  morning.  My  astonishment 
was  indeed  great  when  next  day  I  found  written  in 
full  detail  the  substance  of  what  here  follows:  "Your 
friends  in  Australia  have  decided  to  request  you  to 
leave  San  Francisco  on  the  Oceanic  steamer  'Sierra/ 
due  to  sail  March  29th.  You  must  and  will  go  then. 
There  are  several  grave  reasons  for  your  so  doing. 
Among  them  an  event  of  great  importance  in  Cali- 
fornia, the  details  of  which  you  will  learn  in  due  sea- 
son. This  is  an  important  crisis  in  your  life,  and  when 
you  realize  all  it  signifies,  you  will  indeed  know  that 
unseen  watchers  gard  diligently  your  pathway. "  No 
name  was  signed  to  this  communication  except  the 
cryptic  signature,  "One  who  knows.'* 

I  was  expecting  to  go  to  the  Pacific  Coast  for  the 
month  of  April,  and  thought  it  possible  that  I  might 
take  a  steamer  from  Vancouver  to  Sidney  some  time 
during  May,  but  far  from  having  any  expectation  of 
leaving  San  Francisco  before  March  had  ended,  I  had 
written  to  parties  there  to  make  arrangements  for  a 
lecture  course  to  extend  to  the  close  of  April.  So  im- 
prest was  I,  however,  with  the  forceful  influence  that 
accompanies  the  writing  which  I  have  substantially 
quoted,  that  I  allowed  myself  to  follow  its  leading  to 
the  letter,  and  I  soon  had  occasion  to  know  that  the 
first  part  of  the  information  was  accurate,  for  within 
a  few  weeks  I  received  a  letter  from  the  editor  of  a 
magazine  in  Sydney,  urging  me  to  comply  with  the  re- 
quest of  a  committee  of  friends  who  had  signed  their 
names  to  a  letter  requesting  me  to  leave  San  Fran- 
cisco, March  29th,  on  the  "Sierra/'  I  hastily  can- 


84  INTRODUCTION. 

celled  engagements  and  reduced  my  stay  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  vicinity  to  only  five  days  in  order  to  obey 
that  unlocked  for  mandate.  The  second  portion  of 
the  writing  I  did  indeed  soon  come  to  understand. 
Reaching  Sydney  April  19th,  1906,  passengers  and  crew 
were  shocked  by  the  awful  tidings  of  earthquake  and 
fire  in  San  Francisco,  which  was  the  first  news  that 
greeted  us  on  arrival.  Altho  I  have  had  numerous 
proofs  of  telepathy  and  clairvoyance,  I  cannot  select 
another  instance  more  remarkable  and  convincing  than 
those  above  submitted. 

Whatever  theories  may  suggest  themselves  to  intelli- 
gent readers  calculated  to  throw  light  on  the  mystery 
of  such  predictions,  I  can  only  add  my  testimony  to 
that  of  others  to  the  effect  that  unseen  intelligences 
frequently  'give  us  correct  and  useful  information, 
thereby  proving  to  every  unprejudiced  student  of 
psychology  that  there  are  ways  of  receiving  knowledge 
quite  beyond  the  scope  of  those  commonly  acknowl- 
edged avenues  of  information  which  alone  are  accepted 
by  the  materially  minded. 

I  have  often  been  asked  to  describe  the  difference 
between  telepathic  and  spiritual  messages,  and  I  have 
rarely  been  able  to  distinguish  clearly  between  them .  . . 
My  experience  in  countless  instances  has  satisfied  me 
that  while  psychic  communion  between  friends  can 
be  clearly  demonstrated,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  dis- 
criminate between  a  message  received  from  a  communi- 
cant on  earth  and  from  one  who  has  past  to  the  other 
side  of  existence.  What,  indeed,  is  that  * '  other  side ' '  but 
the  side  to  which  telepathy  is  indigenous.  And  can 
we  afford  to  be  sure  that  when  we  are  functioning 
telepathically  we  are  not  behaving  just  as  we  should 
continue  to  behave  were  we  suddenly  divested  of  our 


W.   J.    COLVILLE.  85 

material  envelopes?  If  the  physical  frame  be  but  a 
sheath  or  vehicle  of  the  abiding  entity,  which  is  the 
true  individual,  then  all  these  fascinating  evidences  of 
thought  transference,  or  mental  telegrafy  or  telefony, 
constantly  accumulating,  are  but  so  many  convincing 
proofs  of  the  reality  of  our  spiritual  nature  in  the 
earth  life,  and  which  will  prove  continuous  in  the 
hereafter. 

Now  that  I  have  rounded  out  nearly  thirty  years  of 
public  service,  I  feel  it  a  solem  duty,  as  well  as  a  high 
privilege,  to  bear  unequivocal  testimony  to  the  always 
beneficial  effect  which  mediumship  has  had  on  me  from 
all  standpoints.  Mentally  and  physically  I  owe  much 
to  those  very  endowments  and  experiences  which  mis- 
taken people  imagine  are  weakening  to  mind  and  body. 
That  there  are  dangers  and  drawbacks  I  do  not  deny, 
but  thru  all  my  varied  and  protracted  experiences  on 
and  off  the  platform,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  I  have  invariably  found  that  the  directions 
given  me  from  unseen  helpers  have  been  sound,  eleva- 
ting and  truthful  to  the  letter  in  all  particulars ;  while 
the  telepathic  incidents . . .  have  always  been  interesting 
and  helpful,  never  mischievous,  and  invariably  cal- 
culated to  throw  a  bright  light  on  many  a  mystic 
problem. 

This  account  of  Mr.  Colville's  life  is  added  to  that 
of  the  preceding  psychics,  both  for  its  intrinsic  interest 
and  for  the  added  force  of  its  testimony.  Other  lives, 
similar  in  character  and  familiar  to  students  of  psychi- 
cal research  could  readily  be  added;  but  enough  have 
been  given  to  show  that  the  ''Superior  Condition"  ap- 
plies to  many,  is  not  confined  to  one  sex  and  is  mani- 
fested by  persons  of  varying  peculiarities. 


86  INTRODUCTION. 

Mr.  Colville's  experience  regarding  the  beneficence 
of  psychic  influences  is  particularly  interesting;  and, 
taken  together  with  Swedenborg 's  long  and  fruitful 
career — continuing  to  produce,  as  he  did,  important 
works  almost  to  the  day  of  his  death — together  with 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Davis,  Mr.  Tuttle  and  Mrs.  Rich- 
mond are  each  in  mature  age,  efficiently  following  use- 
ful vocations,  ought  effectually  to  dispose  of  a  some- 
what prevalent  notion  that  the  condition  of  the  psychic 
is  necessarily  associated  with  weakness  of  intellect  or 
character,  or  debilitating  to  the  physical  organism. 

Among  those  in  whom  the  Superior  Condition  has 
been  induced,  who  have  made  contributions  to  science, 
Swedenborg  takes  first  place.  The  nebular  theory 
of  the  origin  of  the  physical  universe,  now  so  widely 
accepted  by  physicists,  was,  in  its  fundamental  prin- 
ciple, first  presented  to  the  world  by  Swedenborg  in 
his  Principia.  He  there  declares  that  the  solar  sys- 
tem was  formed  out  of  a  single  chaotic  substance  which 
was  first  collected  in  the  form  of  a  colossal  sphere  and 
afterward  hy  rotation  threw  off  a  ring,  which  in  turn, 
during  continued  rotation,  divided  into  separate  parts, 
these  finally  assuming  spherical  form  and  evolving 
into  planets.  Kant's  great  work  on  the  Heavens,  elab- 
orating this  theory,  was  not  published  until  1755, 
or  twenty-one  years  later.  The  conception  of  an 
etheric,  interstellar  medium,  the  atomic  theory,  the 
vortical  magnetic  element  and  the  uniformity  of  law 
thruout  space  from  atom  to  sun,  are,  among  other 
doctrines  far  in  advance  of  his  age,  to  be  found  in- 
corporated in  the  various  writings  of  the  Swedish  seer, 
and  this  fact  goes  far  to  sustain  the  claim  that  Sweden- 
borg had  access  to  exalted  sources  of  knowledge. 
Further,  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  German  writers 


KANT  AND   SWEDENBORG.  87 

that  the  metaphysics  of  Kant  bear  the  impress  of 
Swedenborg's  influence,  notably  in  the  former's  view 
of  the  two  worlds.22  This  is  the  more  remarkable  since 
Kant's  first  discovery  of  the  similarity  of  his  conclu- 
sions with  certain  of  Swedenborg's  writings  filled  him 
with  disdain,  but  which  in  after  years  was  turned  to 
admiration  and  esteem.  The  following  quotation  from 
Kant23  shows  his  attitude  when  he  began  the  study 
of  Swedenborg's  works: 

"The  system  of  Swedenborg  is  very  similar  to  my 
own  philosophy.  It  is  not  impossible  that  my  own 
rational  views  may  be  considered  absurd  by  reason 
of  that  affinity.  As  to  the  offensive  comparison,  I  de- 
clare, we  must  either  suppose  greater  intelligence  and 
truth  at  the  basis  of  Swedenborg's  writings  than  first 
impressions  excite,  or  that  it  is  a  mere  accident  when 
he  coincides  with  my  system — a  lusus  naturae.  Such 
a  wonderful  agreement  exists  between  his  doctrines  and 
the  deepest  results  of  reason,  that  there  is  no  other 
alternative  whereby  the  correspondence  can  be  ex- 
plained." 

Kant  is  thought  to  have  exerted  more  influence 
than  any  other  writer  in  saving  science  and  philosophy 
from  being  overwhelmed  by  the  tide  of  scepticism.2* 
This  result  was  brought  about  by  very  simple  means 
— the  structure  being  erected  on  a  few  fundamental 
postulates.  It  is  this :  a  sense  of  duty  is  a  primal  mo- 
tive of  human  nature,  and  in  order  that  there  may  be 
life  in  accordance  with  duty,  there  must  be  freedom, 
which  thus  becomes  a  postulate  of  our  moral  nature. 
As  progress  toward  harmony  is  gradual,  and  can  never 

22.  Prof.  Heinze,  quoted  in  Introd.  to  Dreams  of  a  Spirit 
Seer,  P.  28. 

23.  Leipsic,  1838,  iii.  95. 

24.  Ency  Brit.     9th  ed.,  also  Lewes'  Biogr.  Hist,  of  Philos- 
ophy. 


88  INTRODUCTION. 

be  absolutely  reached,  there  must  be  infinite  progress 
towards  harmony  (happiness)  and  this  involves  im- 
mortality as  another  postulate  of  the  moral  nature. 
There  must  be  a  cause  able  to  connect  happiness  with 
the  moral  life,  and  since  God  is  the  only  conceivable 
cause,  we  have  freedom,  immortality  and  God  as  postu- 
lates of  our  moral  nature.  This  is  a  sane  and  hopeful 
philosophy,  and  has  done  much  to  change  the  pessi- 
mism and  scepticism  of  Hume  into  optimism  and  hope ; 
at  the  same  time,  the  hypothesis  of  the  Superior  Con- 
dition— a  direct  connection  between  the  seer  and  the 
illuminated  denizens  of  the  spirit-world — which  ex- 
plains the  phenomenal  lives  given  in  preceding  pages 
— is  for  many  persons  a  far  more  direct  pathway  to 
a  knowledge  of  immortal  life. 

Three  of  the  seers  whose  lives  are  sketched  in  the 
foregoing  present  a  theory  accounting  for  the  forma- 
tion of  worlds,  and  an  explanation  of  the  cosmic  laws 
governing  such  evolution.  Such  presentation  might 
reasonably  have  been  expected,  if  the  alleged  source 
of  the  seers'  illumination  be  accepted  as  the  true  one. 
Swedenborg's  Principia  was  written  in  middle  life, 
whereas  Davis 's  Divine  Revelations,  and  Tuttle's  Ar- 
cana of  Nature  were  contributed  by  uneducated  boys, 
not  yet  out  of  their  teens.  If,  however,  these  seers 
were  en  rapport  with  cosmic  principles,  and  illumi- 
nated to  perceive  the  laws  by  which  such  evolution 
proceeds,  it  would  be  reasonable  to  expect  considerable 
similarity  in  their  respective  versions;  and  a  striking 
resemblance  in  their  fundamental  aim  is  noticeable. 
Mrs.  Richmond's  Soul  in  Human  Embodiments  deals 
more  with  the  spiritual  than  the  material  universe,  but 
it  also  manifests  the  firm  grasp  on  first  principles  ex- 
ihibited  in  the  writings  of  the  above  named  authors. 


CONFLICTING  TEACHINGS.  89 

It  should  go  without  saying  that  none  of  these  reve- 
lators  ought  to  be  accepted  as  a  final  authority.  While 
each,  if  the  hypothesis  of  the  " Superior  Condition" 
be  accepted,  sustained  sympathetic  and  illumined  rela- 
tion with  the  accumulated  knowledge  of  the  spirit  world, 
it  was  always,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  as  human  be- 
ings, hampered  by  human  limitations.  Therefore,  tho  we 
accept  the  hypothesis  of  a  spirit  world  to  which  various 
seers  may  be  intromitted,  and  have  converse  with  its 
inhabitants,  their  limitations  and  peculiarities  might 
be  such  that  each  account  of  what  is  seen  or  otherwise 
experienced  in  that  world  will  differ  so  radically  in 
some  important  respects  that  one  or  the  other  must  be 
in  error.  Dr.  Davis  and  Mr.  Tuttle  teach  that  the 
spirit  has  been  evolved  from  primal  forms  of  life,  so 
has  had  a  beginning,  and  that  each  spirit,  or  conscious 
ego,  thru  material  processes  is  developed,  not  only  to 
moral  existence,  but  that  the  self -consciousness  so 
evolved  is  destined  to  continue  forever.  Mrs.  Rich- 
mond and  Mr.  Colville,  on  the  other  hand,  teach  that 
the  essential  ego — which  they  call  soul — is  uncreate  and 
never  had  a  beginning,  and  as  both  these  views  can- 
not be  true  one  must  be  in  error.  However,  as  to  the 
all-important  matter  of  immortal  life,  all  are  in  accord ; 
and,  except  to  the  philosophic  mind,  the  question 
whether  the  immortal  spirit  had  a  beginning  or  not  is 
of  comparatively  small  moment.  When  Swedenborg 
reports  upon  the  important  facts  of  his  visits  to  the 
spirit  world  and  of  his  converse  there  with  spirits 
and  angels,  he  agrees  in  essentials  with  the  other  seers 
who  give  their  testimony.  The  main  purpose,  he  says, 
is  that  we  may  know  "that  man  lives  after  death  a  man 
as  before ;  and  that  thus  no  more  douts  may  flow  into 
his  mind  in  respect  to  his  immortality. "  In  this 


90  INTRODUCTION. 

he  agrees  with  the  other  seers.  But  when  Swedenborg 
visits  the  spirit  world  and  reports  that  good  spirits  are 
there  cleansed  of  all  evils,  while  evil  human  spirits 
are  purged  of  all  good  qualities  that  they  may  enjoy 
every  degree  of  depravity,  he  disagrees  with  all  the 
others;  both  he  and  they  cannot  be  right,  and  the  in- 
dependent thinker  is  stimulated  thereby  to  consider  and 
determine  for  himself  the  reasonableness  or  unreason- 
ableness of  the  varied  teachings. 

Science  has  not  yet  given  an  explanation  of  genius. 
Lombroso25  speaks  of  "numerous  men  of  genius  who 
at  some  period  of  their  lives  were  subject  to  halluci- 
nations "  and  exclaims:  "How  many  great  thinkers 
have  shown  themselves  all  their  lives  subject  to  mono- 
mania or  hallucinations. ' '  Many  of  the  contemporaries 
of  Swedenborg  believed  him  to  be,  if  not  insane,  at 
least  a  monomaniac,  and  Lombroso  concurs  in  this 
opinion,  and  among  many  others,  places  Loyola, 
George  Fox,  Savonarola  and  Luther  in  the  same  cate- 
gory. In  the  case  of  Swedenborg,  the  Madame  Marte- 
ville  and  like  incidents  can  only  be  explained  on  the 
supposition  that  Swedenborg  was  intromitted  into  the 
spirit  world ;  and  the  hypothesis  of  delusion  to  account 
for  them  is  an  assumption. 

If  the  hypothesis  of  a  spirit  world  be  accepted,  and 
it  is  shown  that  psychics  are  able  to  come  into  sympa- 
thetic relation  with  the  inhabitants  of  that  world,  and 
with  their  accumulated  knowledge,  the  problem  of 
genius  becomes  less  difficult;  and  we  have  no  need  to 
resort  to  the  assumption  that  greatly  gifted  men  and 
women  are  more  or  less  affected  with  insanity.  There 
is  plausibility  in  Davis 's  explanation  of  the  spiritual 

25.  The  Man  of  Genius. 


VARIOUS   MYSTICS.  91 

state,  and  this  explanation  may  apply  to  the  manifes- 
tation of  genius  in  every  field  of  higher  human 
achievement.  History  and  biografy  are  rich  in  in- 
stances that  would  seem  more  adequately  accounted  for 
on  the  above  theory  than  by  any  other  known  hypoth- 
esis. Socrates'  own  testimony  that  he  was  guided 
thru  life  by  an  inner  voice  connects  him  definitely 
with  this  solution.  Joan  of  Arc  had  visions  and  heard 
voices.  She  had  absolute  faith  in  her  spirit  directors 
and  instructors  and  claimed  that  St.  Michael  was  her 
gardian  and  that  it  was  under  his  leadership  that  she 
accomplished  the  delivery  of  her  country  from  the 
English  yoke.  Jacob  Boehme,  the  untaught  shoemaker- 
philosopher,  born  in  Lusatia  in  1575,  "  always  profest 
that  a  direct  inward  opening  or  illumination  was  the 
only  source  of  his  speculative  power.  He  actually  be- 
held the  mysteries  of  which  he  discoursed.  Nature 
lay  unveiled  before  him;  he  was  at  home  in  the  heart 
of  things.  Such  was  his  own  account  of  his  qualifica- 
tion. If  he  failed  it  was  in  expression ;  he  conf est  him- 
self a  poor  mouthpiece,  tho  he  saw  with  a  sure  spiri- 
tual eye. ' ' 26  He  experienced  three  illuminations,  pro- 
gressively illuminating,  the  first  of  which  lasted  seven 
days.  As  with  Swedenborg,  the  operation  of  the  supe- 
rior or  interior  consciousness  did  not  prevent  the  nor- 
mal functioning  of  his  external  or  bodily  faculties. 
From  1612  to  his  death  in  1624  he  wrote  out  what  had 
been  revealed  to  him,  and  published  some  thirty  books 
treating  on  the  profoundest  problems — the  origin  of 
the  universe,  the  nature  of  God  and  of  evil — whilst  his 
devotional  writings  are  comparable  only  with  those 
of  Thomas  a  Kempis. 

26.  Ency.  Brit.     9th  ed. 


92  INTRODUCTION. 

There  are  numerous  examples  to  which  this  expla- 
nation may  apply.  Mozart,  at  the  age  of  four  could 
play  minuets;  at  five  began  composing;  at  the  age  of 
seven  published  two  sonatas  for  piano  and  violincello, 
and  at  the  same  age  gave  public  concerts  in  which  he 
played  on  both  the  harpsichord  and  violin.  William 
Blake,  poet  and  artist,  born  1757,  of  whom  Swinburne 
says :  "  He  was  the  single  Englishman  of  supreme  and 
simple  poetic  genius  of  his  time,"  was  as  distinctly 
clairvoyant  as  any  of  the  psychics  mentioned  herein. 
He  beheld  visions  daily,  and  believed  himself  to  be  in 
frequent  intercourse  with  the  great  personages  of  the 
past.  We  have  already  seen  how  vividly  Wordsworth 
depicts  the  divine  afflatus  that  overtook  him  in  privi- 
leged moments,  and  noted  how  closely  it  corresponds 
with  the  Superior  Condition  as  defined  by  Mr.  Davis, 
while  his  entire  Ode  on  the  Intimations  of  Immortality 
is  luminous  with  a  knowledge  of  the  spirit. 

"Just  as  George  Sand  says,  the  very  great  writers, 
and  some  besides  who  have  spoken  to  the  point,  confess 
to  inspiration.*  They  rarely  feel  the  need  of  a  stimu- 
lant, for  to  them  the  exercise  of  the  imagination  is 
of  itself  an  intense  emotion  of  pleasure  or  pain.  They 
rarely  keep  fixed  times  for  their  work,  but  wait  for  the 
inspired  moments  'sleeping  and  trifling  away/  in 
Goethe's  phrase,  'all  unprofitable  days  and  hours/ 
The  inspired  moments,  it  is  held  by  all,  come  without 
the  slightest  premonition.  'The  artist/  so  Balzac  puts 
it,  'is  not  in  the  secret  of  his  intelligence.  He  works 
under  the  empire  of  certain  circumstances,  the  union 
of  which  is  a  mystery... On  one  day,  without  his 

*These  extracts,  are  taken,  by  permission,  from  "The  Act  of 
Composition,"  by  Wilbur  L.  Cross,  in  Atlantic  Monthly,  May, 
1906. 


PHASES   OP   INSPIRATION.  93 

knowing  it,  an  air  is  stirring,  and  all  is  relaxed.  For 
an  empire,  for  millions. .  .he  could  not  write  a  line. . . 
Then  some  night  in  the  street,  some  morning  on  rising, 
or  in*the  midst  of  a  joyous  revel,  a  coal  of  fire  touches 
that  brain . . .  that  tongue ;  suddenly  a  word  awakens 
ideas;  they  are  born,  they  grow,  they  ferment.'  The 
experience  of  Balzac's  was  also  Ibsen's.  "Writing  to 
Bjornson  from  Italy  back  in  1865,  Ibsen  said  that  for 
a  year  or  more  he  had  not  known  which  way  to  turn, 
for  his  literary  work  would  not  advance  at  all.  'Then 
one  day,'  to  quote  him  exactly,  'I  went  into  St.  Peter's 
. . .  and  there  all  at  once  there  dawned  upon  me  a  strong 
and  clear  form  for  what  I  had  to  say.'  What  dawned 
upon  Ibsen  on  that  day  was  the  motif  of  the  most 
impressive  tragedy  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He  be- 
gan writing  at  once,  both  forenoon  and  afternoon, — 
which  he  had  never  before  been  able  to  do, — and  within 
two  months  Brand  was  complete.  In  explaining  how 
he  was  able  to  maintain  thru  five  acts  his  uncompromis- 
ing attitude  toward  modern  civilization,  Ibsen  said  at  a 
later  date,  most  curiously:  'In  the  time  when  I  was 
writing  Brand  I  had  standing  on  my  table  a  scorpion 
in  an  empty  beer  glass.  From  time  to  time  the  animal 
fell  sick ;  and  I  used  to  throw  down  to  it  a  bit  of  soft 
fruit,  upon  which  it  would  cast  itself  with  frenzy,  and 
poured  out  its  venom  therein;  and  so  it  grew  well 
again. ' 

"As  writers  have  recalled  some  period  of  inspira- 
tion such  as  came  to  Ibsen,  they  have  felt  that  there 
was  a  mysterious  power  working  in  and  thru  them  at 
the  time,  wholly  apart  from  their  ordinary  conscious- 
ness. Horace  called  the  power  the  Deus  in  nobis.  So 
did  George  Eliot.  This  great  novelist  was,  as  we  all 
know,  an  agnostic.  On  a  visit  to  Cambridge,  she  once 


94  INTRODUCTION. 

took  the  occasion  to  declare  with  terrible  earnestness, 
as  she  stood  there  in  the  presence  of  the  historic  church, 
her  disbelief  in  God  and  mortality.  But  when,  some 
years  later,  she  described  how  'the  creative  effort  af- 
fected her/  she  could  find  nothing  better  than  the  old 
language  of  supernatural  direction.  'She  told  me/ 
says  the  account  by  her  husband,  'that  in  all  her  best 
writing,  there  was  a  ' '  not-herself  "  which  took  posses- 
sion of  her,  and  that  she  felt  her  own  personality  to  be 
merely  the  instrument  thru  which  this  spirit,  as  it  were, 
was  acting.  Particularly  she  dwelt  on  this  in  regard  to 
the  scene  in  Middlemarch  between  Dorothea  and  Rosa- 
mond, saying  that,  altho  she  always  knew  they  had 
sooner  or  later  to  come  together,  she  kept  the  idea  reso- 
lutely out  of  her  mind  until  Dorothea  was  in  Rosa- 
mond's drawing-room.  Then,  abandoning  herself  to 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  she  wrote  the  whole  scene 
exactly  as  it  stands,  without  alteration  or  erasure,  in  an 
intense  state  of  excitement  and  agitation. ' . . . 

. .  ."So  real  was  the  presence  of  fate  to  Hawthorne 
that  he  once  thought  of  making  it  the  subject  of  a 
short  story.  When  the  idea  came  to  him,  he  wrote 
out  this  remarkable  memorandum:  'A  person  to  be 
writing  a  tale,  and  to  find  that  it  shapes  itself  against 
his  intentions;  that  the  characters  act  otherwise  than 
he  thought ;  that  unforeseen  events  occur ;  and  a  catas- 
trophe occurs  that  he  tries  in  vain  to  avert.'  As  if  to 
confirm  by  fact  what  Hawthorne  only  imagined,  Thack- 
eray wrote  about  himself  some  thirty  years  later.  After 
complaining  that  his  Pegasus  refuses  the  bit,  and  goes 
as  he  pleases  at  slow  or  swift  pace,  the  humorist  adds : 
'I  wonder,  do  other  novel-writers  experience  this  fatal- 
ism? They  must  go  a  certain  way,  in  spite  of  them- 
selves. I  have  been  surprized  at  the  observations  made 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF   GENIUS.  95 

by  some  of  my  characters.  It  seems  as  if  an  occult 
Power  was  moving  the  pen.  The  personage  does  or 
says  something,  and  I  ask,  how  the  dickens  did  he  come 
to  think  of  that  ? . .  We  spake  anon  of  the  inflated  style 
of  some  writers.  What  also  if  there  is  an  afflated  style, 
— when  a  writer  is  like  a  Pythoness  on  her  oracle  tri- 
pod, and  mighty  words,  words  which  he  cannot  help, 
come  blowing,  and  bellowing,  and  whistling,  and  moan- 
ing thru  the  speaking  pipes  of  his  bodily  organ?' 

"When  the  great  writers  go  on  to  describe  the 
psychic  states  they  are  in  during  the  process  of  compo- 
sition, we  come  to  most  interesting  phenomena.  To  the 
ancients,  the  inspired  writer  was  a  madman;  but  to 
distinguish  his  state  from  ordinary  madness,  it  was 
called  'amiable  madness/  Shakespeare  but  repeated 
Horace  and  Plato  when  he  spoke  of  'the  poet's  eye  in 
a  fine  frenzy  rolling/  Macaulay,  Balzac  and  Disraeli 
also  insist  on  an  unsoundness  of  mind  in  the  poet  just 
short  of  insanity.  And  Schopenhauer  tried  to  deter- 
mine the  exact  line  between  the  two  states.  But  nearer 
the  truth  are  probably  more  pleasing  analogies. 
Thackeray,  on  finishing  The  Newcomes,  told  his  chil- 
dren, as  he  was  walking  with  them  in  the  fields  near 
Berne  in  Switzerland,  that  the  story  had  all  been  re- 
vealed to  him  somehow,  as  in  a  dream.  George  Sand, 
when  writing  a  novel,  was  under  the  spell  of  a  hallu- 
cination, wherein  a  crowd  of  half-distinct  characters 
hovered  about  her,  separated  from  her,  as  it  were,  by  a 
transparent  veil,  and  speaking  in  thin  voices.  And 
when  the  novel  was  completed,  they  all  vanished,  leav- 
ing no  trace  behind.  So  apart  from  her  ordinary  self 
were  they,  that  not  even  the  names  she  gave  them  were 
afterward  remembered.  Of  her  first  novel,  she  says: 
'!  felt,  on  beginning  Indiana,  an  emotion  of  a  very 


96  INTRODUCTION. 

definite  and  intense  kind,  resembling  nothing  that  I 
had  experienced  in  my  preceding  literary  work.  But 
that  emotion  was  rather  painful  than  agreeable.  I 
wrote  continuously  and  without  plan,  and  literally 
without  knowing  whither  I  was  going, — even  without 
being  aware  of  the  social  problem  I  was  elaborating.' 
The  swords  of  George  Sand  would  seem  incredible, 
were  it  not  for  the  testimony  of  Goethe  to  the  uncon- 
sciousness of  much  of  his  own  work.  Some  of  his 
lyrics,  Goethe  told  Eckerman,  he  carried  about  in  his 
head  for  many  years  as  beautiful  dreams  that  came 
and  went,  and  finally  wrote  them  out  for  Schiller,  who 
wanted  them  for  publication.  '  But  others  of  them, '  he 
added,  in  the  most  extraordinary  confession  I  have  to 
relate,  'have  been  preceded  by  no  impressions  of  fore- 
bodings, but  have  come  suddenly  upon  me,  and  have  in- 
sisted on  being  composed  immediately,  so  that  I  have 
felt  an  instinctive  and  dreamy  impulse  to  write  them 
down  on  the  spot.  In  such  a  somnambulistic  condition, 
it  has  often  happened  that  I  have  had  a  sheet  of  paper 
lying  quite  askew  before  me,  and  I  have  not  discovered 
it  till  all  has  been  written,  or  I  have  found  no  room  to 
write  any  more. ' . . .  Shakespeare  may  have  known,  as 
Freytag  neatly  explains  him,  that  to  a  drama  is  neces- 
sary a  rise  and  fall  in  the  action,  cut  by  a  climax  and 
leading  on  to  a  catastrophe;  but  he  svas  not  thinking 
of  that  when  he  wrote  Macbeth.  He  was  there  and 
elsewhere  guided  by  an  inward  and  unconscious  logic 
more  rigorous  than  any  critic's  formal  account  of  it, 
illustrated  by  diagrams.  'What  he  thought,'  said  his 
first  editors,  who  knew  him,  'he  uttered  with  that 
easiness,  that  we  have  scarce  received  from  him  a  blot 
in  the  papers.'. .  .So  rapidly  did  Macaulay  write,  that 
the  first  draft  of  the  History  of  England  looks  like 


SPONTANEITY  OF  GENIUS.  97 

colums  of  dashes  and  flourishes,  says  Trevelyan. 
There  was  only  one  manuscript  of  Gibbon 's  Decline  and 
Fall;  and  the  same  is  true  of  Johnson's  Lives  of  the 
Poets.  'I  appeal,'  says  Shelley,  'to  the  greatest  poets 
of  the  present  day,  whether  it  is  not  an  error  to  assert 
that  the  finest  passages  of  poetry  are  produced  by  labor 
and  study.  The  toil  and  the  delay  recommended  by 
critics  can  be  justly  interpreted  to  mean  no  more  than 
a  careful  observation  of  the  inspired  moments,  and  an 
artificial  connexion  of  the  spaces  between  their  sugges- 
tions, by  the  intertexture  of  conventional  expressions/ 
" . .  .Not  all  minds  move  with  the  unconscious  logic 
of  Shakespeare's,  Gibbon's,  or  George  Eliot 's.  Eossetti, 
the  most  fastidious  of  writers,  illustrates  the  point 
exactty.  There  are  extant  three  versions  of  The  Blessed 
Damozel,  separated  by  the  extremes  of  a  quarter 
century.  The  first  version  was  made  in  Rossetti 's 
youth,  long  before  the  period  of  opium  and  chloral. 
For  the  idea  of  it,  he  did  not  '  cudgel  his  brains/  says 
his  brother;  it  came  to  him  in  the  course  of  his  read- 
ing in  Dante.  But  when  the  poem  was  once  written 
out  under  the  sway  of  a  clear  inspiration,  Rossetti 
spared  no  pains  'in  clarifying  and  perfecting'. .  .As 
Rossetti  first  published  it,  The  Blessed  Damozel  is  a 
poem  of  entrancing  but  irregular  beauty ;  as  he  finally 
left  it,  every  detail  has  been  weighed  and  considered 
with  reference  to  every  other  detail,  that  its  art  may 
be  faultless.  And  yet,  after  all  that  may  be  said  in 
praise  of  the  execution,  The  Blessed  Damozel  remains 
in  all  prime  essentials  what  it  was  when  first  printed 
in  an  amateur  art  journal.  Had  not  the  original  con- 
ception been  a  'thing  of  beauty,'  no  superadded  labor 
could  have  availed;  the  manuscript  would  have  gone 
into  the  fire.  One  must  first  have  the  diamond  before 
he  can  polish  it." 


98  INTRODUCTION. 

It  would  require  volumes  to  enumerate  the  men 
and  women  of  genius  to  whom  this  hypothesis  of  di- 
rect inspiration  might  apply.  It  is  but  recently  that 
a  poet  past  from  us  whose  spiritual  insight  and  lofty 
ideals  are  only  equalled  by  the  melodious  phrase  in 
which  they  are  clothed.  The  author  of  The  Holy  Grail 
and  In  Memoriam  was  transcendently  inspired,  and  the 
following  statement  in  his  own  words  is  suggestively 
significant:  "Yes,  it  is  true  that  there  are  moments 
when  the  flesh  is  nothing  to  me,  when  I  feel  and  know 
the  flesh  to  be  the  vision,  God  and  the  Spiritual  the 
only  real  and  true." 2T 

For  more  than  a  hundred  years  scepticism  has  gradu- 
ally but  steadily  increased.  It  has  now  become  wide- 
spread and  has  even  invaded  the  church.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  facts  recorded  in  the  foregoing  biografies — 
prominent  among  which  is  the  phenomenal  production 
of  the  Arcana  of  Nature — may  aid  in  the  work  of 
checking  prejudice  and  of  spreading  enlightenment. 

27.  Alfred,  Lord  Tennyson:  A  Memoir,  by  his  son.  (Mac- 
Millan,  1897)  P.  90. 

His  son  also  states  (P.  92) :  "Of  all  the  Idylls  of  the 
King  "The  Holy  Grail"  seems  to  me  to  express  most  my 
father's  highest  self.  Perhaps  this  is  because  I  saw  him,  in 
the  writing  of  this  poem  more  than  in  the  writing  of  any 
other,  with  that  far  away,  rapt  look  on  his  face,  which  he 
had  whenever  he  worked  at  a  story  that  touched  him  greatly." 

As  a  further  example  of  the  poet's  strong  spiritual  percep- 
tions, the  following  is  taken  from  a  letter  he  wrote  to  a 
bereaved  friend  as  quoted  in  his  Memoir  (P.  105) :  "I  dout 
whether  I  can  bring  you  any  solace,  except  indeed  by  stating 
my  own  belief  that  the  son,  whom  you  so  loved,  is  not  really 
what  we  call  dead,  but  more  actually  living  than  when  alive 
here.  You  cannot  catch  the  voice  or  feel  the  hands,  or  kiss 
the  cheek,  that  is  all;  a  separation  for  an  hour,  not  an 
eternal  farewell." 


ANDREW  JACKSON  DAVIS  99 

ANDREW  JACKSON  DAVIS'S  CLAIRVOYANCE 

Method  of  quoting  from  books  he  has  never  seen.  In 
the  foregoing  Introduction  it  is  seen  that  Mr.  Davis, 
Mr.  Tuttle  and  Mr.  Colville  are  able  to  make  verbatim 
quotations  from  books  which  they  have  never  seen  and 
to  which  they  have  had  no  access — except  thru  clair- 
voyance or  by  impression.  Deeming  this  matter  of 
general  interest,  I  wrote  Mr.  Davis  after  the  publica- 
tion of  the  first  edition,  requesting  some  information 
on  the  subject.  Following  is  an  extract  from  this 
inquiry,  together  with  Mr.  Davis 's  reply  in  full : 

(Letter  from  E.  Densmore  to  A.  J.  Davis) : 
"Your  writings  are  very  frequently  embellisht  with  quota- 
tions from  various  authors.  On  Page  110  of  The  Seer  (Vol. 
Ill  of  The  Great  Harmonia)  is  a  poem  quoted  from  George 
Herbert.  It  is  delightfully  appropriate  and  explanatory  of 
your  text  and  an  unusually  beautiful  gem  in  itself.  My 
inquiry  is  as  to  whether,  when  you  used  such  quotations  in 
your  various  works,  you  obtaind  them  from  the  books 
themselves,  or  whether  you  were  enabled  by  the  aid  of  your 
'Superior  Condition'  to  write  them  without  having  the 
books  before  you.  Your  works  are  replete  with  these  quota- 
tions, both  in  prose  and  poetry.  On  Page  241,  for  instance, 
of  the  same  work,  you  have  made  extended  quotation  from 
the  writings  of  Dr.  Hufeland.  I  am  presuming  that  you 
did  not  have  access  to  cyclopedias  and  libraries  and  that  you 
were  enabled  to  make  the  quotations  from  Hufeland  and  like 
cases  by  aid  of  your  illumination.  If  you  will  enlighten  me 
on  this  point  I  will  feel  under  great  obligation." 

(Letter  in  reply  to  above,  from  A.  J.  Davis,  Jan.  9,  1909): 

"Dear  Friend  Densmore: 

Your  interesting  questions  I  find  very  difficult  to 
plainly  elucidate.  And  why?  Because  it  is  intrinsi- 
cally impossible  for  the  human  mind  to  rise  above  its 


100  INTRODUCTION 

own  comprehending  attributes.  Perfect  self-compre- 
hension is  therefore  impossible.  A  fountain  can  send 
aloft  its  spray  only  as  high  as  its  inherent  propulsive 
power  can  uplift  the  water.  'The  Superior  Condition' 
is  incomprehensible  to  one  who  has  lived  all  his  life 
in  the  sphere  of  the  ordinary  and  commonplace.  To 
such  a  mind  the  Superior  Condition  is  an  imaginary 
mental  state.  Therefore,  it  seems  impossible  to  eluci- 
date what  seems  absolutely  impossible.  But  what  or 
where  is  the  line  of  least  resistance  between  a,  certainty 
and  an  impossibility?  Is  it  not  in  the  space,  between 
the  little  known  and  the  boundless  universe  of  the 
unknown  ?  But  what  seems  now  to  be  impossible  is  this 
moment  being  tunneled  by  some  intrepid  engineer,  and 
forthwith  the  stakes  of  the  seemingly  impossible  are 
driven  by  some  self-satisfied  agnostic  farther  in  the 
misty  distance. 

Grant  me,  my  dear  friend,  the  full  benefit  of  the 
foregoing,  and  I  will  attempt  to  answer  your  puzzling 
interrogatories. 

Hav  you  a  few  moments,  in  this  hurry-up  state  of 
the  world,  to  glance  over  Cyrus  Oliver  Poole's  remarks 
in  the  Preface  to  The  Thinker — otherwise  Great  Har- 
monia,  Vol.  V. — wherein  you  will  find  Mr.  Poole's 
testimony  that  there  were  'no  books'  in  the  room 
where  I  was  writing  ' The  Pantheon  of  Progress.'* 

*At  the  time  this  was  written,  Mr.  Poole  was  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  a  man  of  wealth  and  good  standing 
in  the  community.  The  following  quotation  is  taken  from 
his  letter  dated  Buffalo,  Sept.  12th,  1859 :  "A  little  over  two 
months  ago,  Mr.  Davis  took  possession  of  his  writing  room 
in  my  house.  No  book  was  in,  or  has  been  used  in,  the  room 
except  Webster's  dictionary.  He  has  only  been  engaged  in 
writing  about  four  hours  of  each  twenty-four,  invariably 
in  the  early  or  positiv  part  of  the  day.  And  now,  lying1 
upon  his  table,  are  many  hundreds  of  his  manuscript  pages, 
with  quotations  from  the  writings  of  the  most  ancient  authors 

down  to  the  present  time During  this  short  visit,  Mr. 

Davis  has  written  and  prepared  for  publication  the  fifth 
volume  of  The  Great  Harmonia  (entitled  The  Thinker,  a  work 
of  over  400  pages). 


ANDREW  JACKSON  DAVIS  101 

Now  mark!  In  the  Pantheon  you  will  find  the  per- 
sonal history  and  mental  productions  of  many  of  the 
leading  deities  of  mankind.  Also,  many  quotations 
from  the  sacred  writings.  And  yet  in  the  Cook  resi- 
dence, which  was  hired  by  him  as  a  summer  cottage, 
only  20  miles  from  the  Falls  of  Niagara,  there  were 
no  books,  save  the  light  literature  of  novels  and  maga- 
zines. And  yet  I  made  many  extracts  from  publisht 
volumes — all  seemingly  impossible.  But  all  at  once 
the  impossible  vanisht,  and  the  certainty  comes  plainly 
to  the  senses. 

Here  I  ask  you  to  consider  my  experiences.  I  find 
that  whenever  my  orbit,  so  to  speak,  intersects  the 
orbit  of  any  other  mind,  also  in  the  line  of  my  special 
investigations,  the  thoughts  and  the  actual  words  of 
that  mind,  seem  as  familiar  to  me  as  are  my  own!  So 
perfectly  plain  and  so  familiar  are  the  thoughts  and 
verbal  clothing  of  the  other  mind  that  I  can,  as  it  were 
from  memory,  quote  the  very  living  sentences  and 
reflections  of  the  other  personality.  This  experience 
is  what  I  term  an  intersection  of  individual  orbits. 
Let  me  further  explain  this  experience.  Suppose,  for 
example,  I  am  'imprest'  to  investigate  the  world's 
growth  in  Architecture.  In  the  early  morning  I  begin. 
By  special  concentration  (in  which  I  am  remarkably 
gifted)  I  enter  upon  the  Superior  Condition,  and  com- 
mence (by  perfectly  excluding  every  other  line  of 
human  interest)  to  search  out  all  tribes,  races,  nations, 
etc.,  who  hav  developt  caves,  cabins,  huts,  mounds, 
mansions,  palaces,  etc.,  until  I  arrive  at  the  most  mag- 
nificent structures  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  This 
searching  I  continue  morning  after  morning,  week 
after  week,  until  I  am  full — until  I  feel  impregnated 
— enlarged  in  my  whole  body — my  bosom  seems  swolen 
with  the  myriad  germs  of  thought.  But  not  with 
thought :  with  the  germs  of  thought.  When  I  feel  thus 
pregnant  with  the  movements  of  approaching  parturi- 
tion, then  I  commence  to  write  every  morning.  I  seem 
to  write  from  memory!  Distinguisht  architects,  when 
my  orbit  intersects  their  orbits,  seem  like  familiar,  old 


102  INTRODUCTION 

friends;  and,  now  and  then,  what  they  had  written 
(their  very  words)  I  can  remember  and  quote  if  they 
seem  appropriate. 

You  say  this  does  not  explain  the  facts.  True ;  there 
are  occasions  (when  writing)  when  the  wise  physician, 
Galen;  or  the  lawgiver,  Solon;  or  Swedenborg,  the 
revelator;  or  some  other  exalted  mind  (unsolicited) 
yield  me,  by  distinct  impression,  the  aid  I  need  at  that 
moment;  whereby  errors  are  corrected,  or  some  mis- 
take effaced  from  my  chapters.  And  yet,  doutless,  I 
continually  make  mistakes  or  something  equivalent, — 
and  thus  '  I  live  and  learn. ' 

"Fraternally, 

"A.  J.  DAVIS." 

Dr.  Davis 's  plain  statement  speaks  for  itself  and  has 
the  ring  of  truth  even  to  those  who  know  nothing  of 
his  integrity  and  sincerity.  None  the  less  is  Mr.  Poole's 
clear  and  positiv  testimony,  in  the  foregoing  foot- 
note, valuable  as  corroboration  of  the  circumstances 
attending  the  production  of  Vol.  V  of  The  Great  Har- 
monia,  known  as  The  Thinker.  Perhaps  in  no  other 
work  of  Dr.  Davis 's  is  manifest  so  copius  an  erudition 
within  the  compass  of  'a  few  hundred  pages ;  and  it  is 
therefore  fortunate  to  hav  this  independent  and 
definit  statement  concerning  its  composition.  In 
Part  II  of  this  volume  the  author  gives  a  summary  of 
the  lives,  characters  and  tenets  of  over  thirty  great 
world  teachers — from  Brahma,  Confucius,  Plato,  Epi- 
curus, Jesus,  down  to  Wesley,  Swedenborg,  Channing, 
Emerson — to  mention  a  few  of  the  most  notable  names 
— and  from  many  of  their  writings  verbatim  quotations 
are  made.  Even  on  the  supposition  that  Davis  had 
secret  access  to  an  encyclopedia  whilst  writing  this 
book,  it  would  in  no  way  explain  how,  with  his  almost 
entire  lack  of  education,  he  could  construct  -a  philo- 


ANDREW  JACKSON  DAVIS  102A 

sophical  synthesis  of  human  progress,  based  upon  a 
chronological  sequence  of  the  chief  religious  'and  ethical 
influences  extending  from  the  remote  past  to  the  present 
age.  In  this  work  the  author  not  only  exhibits  -a 
familiarity  with  the  distinctiv  features  of  each 
upward  step  of  the  human  race,  but  what,  in  literature, 
is  more  rare,  he  is  able  to  view  this  progression  as  a 
whole,  to  assign  to  each  stage  its  proper  value,  and 
from  this  data  to  bild  up  an  inspiring  philosophy.  I 
quote  a  characteristic  passage  summarizing  the  ideas 
and  ideals  of  what  Davis  terms  the  Hannonial  Philos- 
ophy: 

It  teaches  by  the  laws  of  cause  and  effect,  by  clairvoyance 
in  the  thinking  faculties,  and  by  reasonings  intuitiv  and 
correspondential,  that  omnipresent  and  immutable  Progress 
is  Heaven's  first  law;  that  the  so-called  "imperfections"  of 
the  globe  and  the  discords  of  nations  will  be  eventually 
overcome  by  the  perfect  workings  of  our  universal  Father 
God;  that  immortal  Truth  livs  and  will  prevail  everywhere, 
and  is  the  only  "light"  which  can  dispel  mental  darkness 

and  unite  humanity ; That  there  never  was  and  can 

not  be  a  "miracle"  in  the  popular  theological  understanding 
of  the  term;  that  all  religions,  creeds,  sects,  theories  of  man, 
laws,  institutions,  and  governments,  are  of  human  origin, 
and  (to  the  Harmonial  thinker)  indicate  the  wants  of  the  age 
and  the  status  of  the  different  minds  in  which  they  appeared ; 
that  man's  only  infallible  authority,  or  "rule  of  faith  and 
practice,"  is  the  divine  Light  which  ever  shines  in  the  highest 
faculties  of  his  mental  organization;  that  in  proportion  as 
man's  affections  become  refined  and  his  thoughts  harmoni- 
ously exalted,  so,  in  the  same  proportion,  will  the  world  be 


102B  INTRODUCTION 

visited  with  holier  conceptions  of  God,  with  sentiments  of 
Brotherhood  more  sacred,  and  with  contemplations  of  the 
universe  more  enlarged  and  worthy;  that  the  conditions  and 
experiences  of  the  individual  after  death  will  be  in  accord- 
ance with  the  development  of  sentiments  and  the  intellect 
before  leaving  the  earth;  and,  lastly,  that  human  character 
is  the  effect  of  causes  both  interior  and  circumstantial, 
is  ever  susceptible  to  ab  extra  influences,  and  will  ultimately 
be  harmonized * 

*The  Thinker,  Vol.  V.,  Gr.  Har. 


ARCANA  OF  NATURE; 

OR, 

THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF 
CREATION. 

OUR  BARK  IS  REASON,  NATURE  IS  OUR  GUIDE. 

By  HUDSON  TUTTLE. 


BOSTON: 
BERRY,  COLBY  AND  COMPANY, 

"BANNER  OF  LIGHT"  OFFICE. 
1860. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1859,  by 

HUDSON  TUTTLE, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


STEREOTYPED  AT  THE 
BOSTON  STEREOTYPE  FOUNDRY. 


DEDICATION. 


FOB  years  I  have  been  led  through  the  paths  of  science  by 
invisible  guides,  who  have  manifested  the  earnest  zeal  of  a  father 
for  a  feeble  and  truant  child.  They  have  upheld  my  faltering 
footsteps;  they  have  supported  my  weary  frame,  and  in  darkest 
hours  thrown  their  sacred  influence  around  me.  Like  the  reader 
of  these  pages  I  am  a  student  in  their  portico,  receiving  my 
mental  food  from  their  hands.  From  these  invisible  authors  I 
draw  the  concealing  veil,  and  to  them  dedicate  this  volume. 

H.  T. 

WALNUT  GROVE  FARM, 
Oct.  25,  1859. 


103 


PREFACE. 


LONG  and  patiently  have  we  labored  on  this  volume,  which 
is  now  consigned  to  the  public,  although  we  are  deeply  conscious 
of  its  many  imperfections. 

Our  purpose  has  been  honest.  We  have  endeavored  to  trace 
received  facts  to  their  legitimate  sources,  and  found  by  their 
light  as  perfect  a  system  as  possible. 

We  do  not  present  our  work  as  a  finished  volume,  but  one 
as  perfect  as  the  present  plane  of  science  will  admit;  and 
every  new  discovery,  which  bears  on  any  subject  it  investigates, 
will  find  a  niche  for  its  reception  in  future  editions. 

We  shall  profit  by  the  criticism  which  it  will  provoke,  and 
endeavor,  at  some  future  period,  to  bring  it  up  to  the  high 

ideal  we  framed  when  we  first  sat  down  to  compose  it. 

105 


106  PREFACE. 

If  the  facts  we  have  gleaned,  and  the  theories  drawn  from 
them,  afford  interest  or  pleasure  to  the  reader, — if  thought  is 
awakened  on  the  mighty  problem,  How  and  Why  Nature  exists, 
— we  shall  feel  that  our  task  has  not  been  wholly  in  vain.  • 

THE  AUTHORS. 


PLAtf. 

I.  To  show  how  the  universe  was  evolved  from  chaos,  by 
established   laws    inherent   in    the   constitution   of   matter. 

II.  To  show  how  life  originated  on  the  globe,  and  to  detail 
its  history  from  its  earliest  dawn  to  the  beginning  of  written 
history. 

III.  To    show    how    the    kingdoms,    divisions,    classes,    and 
species  of  the  living  world,  originated  by  the  influence   of  con- 
ditions operating  on  the  primordial  elements. 

IV.  To  show  how  man  originated  from  the  animal  world, 
and  to  detail  the  history  of  his  primitive  state. 

V.  To  show  how  mind  originates,  and  is  governed,  by  fixed 
laws. 

VI.  To  prove  man  an  immortal  being,  and  that  his  immortal 
state  is  controlled  by  as  immutable  laws  as  his  physical  state. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  1. 

CHAPTER    I. 


Page 
A  GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MATTER.  .   .      .   .  113 


CHAPTER    II. 


THE  ORIGIN   OF  WORLDS. 

Nebular  Theory  of  the  Creation  of  the  Universe.  —  Geological 
Testimony.  —  Increase  of  Temperature.  —  The  central  Ocean 
of  Fire.  —  Volcanoes  sympathetically  related.  —  Earthquakes. 

—  Torridity  of  Climate  of  the  Ancient  Eras.  —  Figure  of  the 
Earth   and  Planets.  —  Geography  of  the  Moon.  —  Lunar  Vol- 
canoes. —  Physical     Constitution     of     the     Sun.  —  Rings     of 
Saturn.  —  The     Asteroids.  —  Intimate    Relation    between    the 
Members     of     the     Planetary     System.  —  Size.  —  Distance.  — 
Density.  —  Direction    of    Revolution     and    Rotation.—  Eccen- 
tricity  and  Obliquity  of  Orbit.  —  Planetary  Laws.  —  Comte's 
Calculations.  —  Nebulae.  —  Herschel's      Conclusions.  —  Refuta- 
tion of  the  prevailing  Theory.  —  Nebulae  of  Andromeda,  Argo, 
and  Orion,  Change  of  Form  in  ;  Distance  of ;  Constitution  of. 

—  Magel lanic    Clouds,    Constitution    of.  —  A    Review    of    the 
Heavens,   and   Conclusions 134 

107 


108  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  THEORY  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  WORLDS. 

Cometary  Vapor.  —  Primordial  Nature  of  Nebulous  Vapor.  — 
Origin  of  Comets.  —  Production  of  Planetary  Zones.  —  Ex- 
periment. —  Cause  of  Revolution  and  Rotation.  —  Form  and 
Size  of  a  Stellar  System ;  Centre  of ;  Motions  of.  —  Special 
Design,  &c 160 

CHAPTER    IV. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  EARTH,   FROM  THE  GASEOUS   OCEAN 
TO    THE    CAMBRIAN. 

It  becomes  liquid.  —  Law  of  cooling  Bodies.  —  Creation  of  Water. 

—  Deposition  of  the  Metals.  —  Scenery,  &c 174 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER    V. 

LIFE  AND  ORGANIZATION. 

Relations  of  Life  to  the  physical  World.  —  Impenetrability  and 
Extension.  —  Elasticity.  —  Gravity.  —  Electricity.  —  Heat.  — 
Light.  —  Affinity.  —  Absorption.  —  Capillary  Attraction.  —  En- 
dosmosis.  —  Catalysis.  —  Cause  of  the  Ascension  of  Sap.  — 
Of  the  Circulation  of  Blood.  —  Secretion.  —  Respiration.  — 
Nervous  Power.  —  Digestion.  —  Creation  of  Life  by  Electric 
Currents.  —  Author's  Experiments.  —  Conclusion 183 

CHAPTER    VI. 

PLAN    OF    ORGANIC    BEINGS. 

Blending  of  all  organic  Beings  in  the  Cell.  —  Vegetable  and  animal 
Lines  of  Advance.  —  Embryonic  Growth.  —  Four  Archetypes 
of  Creation.  —  Four  Types  of  the  Vertebrata.  —  The  Plan  of 
Living  Beings.  .  199 


CONTENTS.  109 

CHAPTER    VII. 

INFLUENCE    OP    CONDITIONS. 

Definition  of  Species.  —  Hybridization. —  In  the  Horse.  —  Ox.  — 
Sheep.  —  Deer.  —  Dog.  —  In  Plants.  —  Influence  of  Conditions. 

—  Of   Domestic.  —  Of   Natural.  —  Design    in   Structure.       .      ,   216 

CHAPTER    VHI. 

DAWN    OF    LIFE. 

The  primitive  States.  —  The  primitive  Ocean.  —  Dawn  of  Life. — 
Gestation  of  the  Globe.  —  Difference  of  the  great  Divisions. 

—  Progress    of    Life.  —  Preservation    of    Organic    Remains.  — 
Traces  of.  —  Mingling  of  the  Extremes  of  Classes.  —  Perma- 
nency of  Type.  —  Reproduction  of 263 

CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  LIFE  THROUGH  THE  SILURIAN 
FORMATION. 

The  Age  of  Mollusca.  —  Conformity  of  all  living  Beings  to  one 
Archetype.  —  Silurian  Life.  —  Sea  of  the.  —  Graptolites.  — 
Polypes.  —  Corallines.  —  Crinoidians.  —  Lily  Encrinite.  —  Mol- 
lusks.  —  Cephalopods.  —  Crustaceans.  —  Trilobites.  —  Nauti- 
lus. —  Vertebrata.  —  Silurian  Scenery 268 

CHAPTER    X. 

THE   OLD  RED    SANDSTONE    SERIES. 

Blending  of  the  Formations.  —  Definition  of  the  Term  Period.  — 
Duration  of.  —  Disappearance  of  Species.  —  Reign  of  Fishes. 
Ganoids.  —  Cephalaspis.  —  Pterychthys.  —  Coccocteus.  —  Pla- 
coidians.  —  Devonian  Scenery.  —  The  Law  of  Progress.  .  .  278 

CHAPTER    XL 

CARBONIFEROUS  OR  COAL  FORMATION. 

Conditions  of.  —  Origin  of  the  Coal.  —  Lepidodendron.  —  Stigmaria. 

—  Arborescent   Ferns.  —  Calamites.  —  Norfolk   Island   Pine.  — 
Carboniferous    Scenery.  —  Luxuriance  of  Vegetation.  —  Islands 


110  CONTENTS. 


of  the  South  Sea  represent  the  Coal  Era.  —  The  marine 
Depths.  —  Fucoids.  —  Orthoceras.  —  Cephalopods.  —  Tere- 
bratula.  —  Productus.  —  Ammonites.  —  Fishes.  —  Ganoids.  — 
Sharks.  —  Sauroids.  —  Terrestrial  Reptiles 284 

CHAPTER    XII. 

PERMIAN  AND  TRIAS  PERIODS. 

Changes  of  Conditions.  —  Permian  Flora.  —  Magnesian  Limestone. 
—  Fishes.  —  Reptilian  Fishes.  —  Plants.  —  The  Sea.  —  Grand 
Convulsions,  and  Change  of  Level.  —  Inference  and  Proof.  — 
Confirmed  by  the  Trias.  —  Ideas  of  Perfection.  —  Mollusks.  — 
Sauroids.  —  Petrified  Sea  Beaches.  —  Office  of  the  Ocean.  — 
Sand  Rock  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  —  Nature  ever  the 
same.  —  Chelonians.  —  Birds.  —  Ornithorhynchus.  —  Laby- 
rinthodon.  —  Saurians.  —  Rhinochosaurus.  —  Extinction  of  the 
Coal  Flora.  —  Distribution  of  Plants  and  Animals.  —  Convul- 
sions the  Exception.  —  Gypseous  Deposits.  —  Salt  Beds.  — 
Scenery  of  the  Trias 290 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

OOLITE.  —  LIAS.  —  WEALDEN. 

Llas.  _  Pentacrinite.  —  Cuttle        Fish.  —  Belemnite.  —  Sauroids.  — 
Lepidoteus.  —  Port  Jackson  Shark.  —  Rays.  —  Marine  Reptiles. 

—  Nothosaurus.   —  Ichthyosaurus.   —  Plesiosaurus.  —   Oolite 
Proper.  —  Corals.  —  Description     of     a     Coral    Isle.  —  Tere- 
bratula.  —  Insects.  —  Gavial.  —  Cetiosaurus.  —  Megalosaurus. 
Plan  of  Vertebral   Articulation.  —  Pterodactyle.  —  The  Weal- 
den.  —  Iguanodon.  —  Heliosaurus.  —  Dawn     of     Mammals     in 

the  Marsupials.  —  The  Saurian  Age.  —  Scenery  of  this  Era.  .  307 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  CRETACEOUS  OR  CHALK  PERIOD. 

A  Transition  Age.  —  Existence  of  Species.  —  Origin  of  the  Chalk. 

—  Now    forming.  —  Of    Flints.  —  Birds    like    the    Albatross.  — 
The    Polyphychodon.  —  Mososaurus.  —  Ichthyosaurus.         .      .   319 

CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    TERTIARY. 

Eocene.  —  Miocene.  —  Pliocene.  —  Drift.  —  Climatic    Changes.  — 
Zones   of  Temperature.  —  Origin  of  Flora   and  Fauna.  —  Eo- 


CONTENTS.  Ill 

cene  Fauna.  —  Lophiodon.  —  Palaeotherium.  —  Rhinoceros.  — 
Anoplotherium.  —  Gracilis.  -  -  Cetaceans.  —  Zeuglodon.  — 
Scenery.  —  Approach  to  the  Present.  —  European  Fauna.  — 
Mastodon.  —  Mammoth.  —  Dinotherium,  &c.  —  Indian  Fauna.— 
Sivatherium,  &c.  —  South  American  Fauna.  —  Gigantic  Sloths 
—  Megatherium.  —  Mastodon.  —  Glyptodon,  &c.  —  Theory  of 
Drift.  —  Causes  of.  —  Now  forming.  .  .  .  ....  322 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

A   CHAPTER   OF   INFERENCES.       ..';.-.      .      .      .    •'•*      .331 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

ORIGIN    OF   MAN. 

Embryonic  Growth  of.  —  His  Relations  to  the  Animal  World.  — 
From  whence  derived.  —  A  Savage.  —  Human  Fossils.  —  Their 
Testimony.  —  Caucasian  Civilization.  —  Its  Origin.  —  Dissem- 
inated from  the  Highlands  of  Asia.  —  Earlier  Period  still.  — 
Number  and  Origin  of  Races.  —  Primitive  History  of.  .  .  338 


PART  III. 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    HUMAN    BRAIN. 
Comparative  Anatomy.  —  Embryonic  Growth  of  the  Brain.      .      .   361 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

STRUCTURE  AND  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  BRAIN  AND  NERV- 
OUS SYSTEM,  STUDIED  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  THE 
ORIGIN  OF  THOUGHT.  .'.  373 

CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  SOURCE  OF  THOUGHT  STUDIED  FROM  A  PHILOSOPHI- 
CAL STAND-POINT.  ....,,,,,  ,393 


112  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXL 

RETROSPECT  OF  THE  THEORY  OF  DEVELOPMENT,  AS 
HEREIN  ADVANCED.  —  CONCLUSIONS.  —  FACTS  FOL- 
LOWED FROM  THEIR  SOURCE  TO  THEIR  LEGITIMATE 
RESULTS.'  .  400 


CHART  OF  THE  PROGRESS  OF  LIFE. 


THE 

ARCANA  OF  NATURE 


PART  I. 

CHAPTER    I. 
A  GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MATTER. 

1.  WE  are  placed  in  the  midst  of  a  blooming  crea- 
tion, surrounded  by  constantly  changing  scenes  and 
phenomena,  exciting  our  admiration  by  loveliness,  or 
awe  by  their  sublimity.    Within  and  without,  wherever 
the  mind  turns,  it  meets  the  stern  play  of  mysterious 
forces.     We  know  creation  exists,    and  that   we   are 
its  components;  that  is  all  the  child  or  the  savage, 
who  stands  on  the  plane  of  observation,  can  compre- 
hend.    The  why  and  the  wherefore  are  veiled  from 
our  ken,   and  we   know  not  how,   or  by  whom,   the 
mighty  fabric,  creation,  was  set  in  motion.     The  scaf- 
folding has  been  removed,  and  the  manner  in  which 
the   edifice  was   constructed   obscured.     The  creation 
of  to-day  covers  up  that  of  yesterday,  from  which  it 
was  born. 

2.  It  is  not  strange  that  man  in  his  savage  state 
should  gaze  with  mingling  adoration  and  awe  on  the 
mutations  around  him.     He  was,  and  is,  the  represen- 
tative of  the  childhood  of  the  race.    His  mind  has  the 

8  113 


114  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

child 's  understanding;  his  reflection  is  shallow,  his  ob- 
servation superficial.  Not  able  to  deduce  laws,  and 
trace  effect  to  its  cause,  he  believes  that  invisible  beings 
control  the  elements;  that  their  being  good  and  evil 
exposes  him  to  the  whirlwind  and  tornado,  as  well  as 
gives  him  the  sunshine  and  the  harvest.  He  supposes 
that  he  can  change  their  purposes  by  prayer;  and 
hence  arise  his  theological  and  religious  ideas.  As 
these  dogmas  advance,  the  multitudinous  array  of 
spirits  become  concentrated  in  a  good  and  an  evil 
Deity,  to  whom  the  act  of  creation  and  its  mainte- 
nance are  referred. 

3.  Such  is  the  theological  age  of  mankind.  It 
views  God  as  the  Author  of  nature,  standing  outside 
of,  and  independent  of,  his  works,  and  acting  on  mat- 
ter as  a  mechanic,  moulding  and  fashioning  as  pleases 
his  despotic  fancy.  It  is  a  sad  belief  which  places  us 
in  the  hands  of  an  unaccountable  master — mere  toys 
to  dance  to  this  tyrannic  will.  Yet  the  greater  portion 
of  mankind  prefer  the  stagnation  of  thought  it  en- 
genders, to  the  restless  research  produced  by  its  denial. 
It  is  far  more  quieting  to  settle  all  questions  as  to  the 
origin  of  nature  by  reference  to  a  personal  God,  than 
to  enter  the  unsettled  realm  of  philosophical  specula- 
tion; yet  the  transition  has  been  made,  and  intelli- 
gent minds  have  been  thrown  into  the  middle  of  the 
vexed  ocean  of  observation  and  hypothesis.  The 
world  is  casting  off  its  chrysalis  shell,  and  with  it  its 
theological  state,  and  breathes  a  more  philosophical 
atmosphere.  Between  the  two  conditions  war  contin- 
ually prevails.  To  those  who  still  remain  in  the  at- 
mosphere of  theology,  no  amount  of  evidence  nor  force 
of  logic  can  prevail.  Their  armor  is  metallic  self- 
complacency,  impervious  to  light.  For  ages  the  battle 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  115 

has  been  waged  on  the  metaphysical  plane  with  uncer- 
tain success;  for  where  words  are  substituted  for 
ideas,  as  in  that  of  metaphysics,  which  is  the  out- 
growth of  theology,  complete,  exterminating  victory  is 
impossible. 

4.  The   champion*    of    theology   against   scientific 
views,  at  the  present  time,  boasts  of  the  successful 
issue  of  the  battles  wherein  metaphysics  have  been 
the  arena,  and  boastfully  invites  his  opponents  to  the 
arena  of  what  he  calls  science!     True,   science  has 
been  so  little  understood,  and  nature  so  wrongly  inter- 
preted, that  its  facts  could  not  previously  be  success- 
fully arrayed  against  the  prejudices  of  the  biassed 
mind.     But  every  day  has  brought  new  light,   and 
forced  the  conviction  that  the  last  battle  was  soon  to 
be   fought   on   strictly   scientific   grounds.      Theology 
has  been  constantly  frightened  by  the  revelations  of 
nature.     When  Galileo  contradicted  its  assertion  that 
the  world  was  flat  and  the  centre  of  the  system,  its 
throne  seemed  ready  to  crumble,  and  each  new  devel- 
opment of  mind  has  battered  it  with  unparried  blows. 

5.  Slowly  the  light  has  dawned,  and  men  of  unfet- 
tered minds  now  feel  that  the  true  philosopher  must 
not  be  guided  in  his  interpretations  of  nature  by  any 
theory  or  bias  of  others.     But  as  a  little  child,  free 
from  prejudice,  he  must  walk  out  into  the  fields  of 
causation,  and  observe  and  theorize  for  himself.  What 
has  been  said,  what  written,  before  his  day,  should 
appeal  to  his  judgment ;  if  true,  it  should  be  received ; 


*  Hugh  Miller,  who  wages  the  battle  through  three  volumes  — 
Footprints  of  the  Creator,  Old  Red  Sandstone,  and  Testimony  of  the 
Rocks,  through  all  of  which  he  has  been  much  more  ready  with  ridi- 
cule and  polemics  than  facts,  much  more  ready  to  misconstrue  and 
misunderstand,  and  to  compel  a  verdict  in  his  favor  than  to  arrive 
at  the  truth. 


116  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

if  not,  be  cast  away  as  worthless  trash,  no  matter  if  it 
bears  the  signet  of  a  God.  We  well  know  that  in 
nature  there  are  no  interpolations  or  misinterpretations. 
It  comes  to  us  fresh  and  new,  unsoiled  by  the  hands 
of  selfishness  or  deception.  If  we  read  aright  from 
its  pages,  and  it  clearly  contradicts  any  pretended  rev- 
elation, we  are  assured  that  such  revelation  is  an  im- 
posture, no  matter  if  descended  from  immemorial  time, 
and  half  the  world  bow  to  its  dictation. 

Nature  interpreted  liy  Reason  is  the  ultimate  test  of 
all  truth;  correct  observation  the  avenue  to  the  mys- 
teries of  causation.  Such  is  the  philosophical  code. 

6.  Now  the  philosopher  has  stepped  upon  this 
planet,  every  thing,  nursed  and  petted  in  the  past  as 
truth,  is  severely  scrutinized.  He  has  the  mental  cru- 
cible which  digests  solar  systems,  and  extracts  the 
pure  metal  from  the  dross.  He  calls  unprejudiced 
observation  to  his  aid,  and  by  it  unlocks  the  gates  of 
mystery.  First  he  observes  the  regularity  of  phe- 
nomena, which  tells  him  there  is  no  chance;  that  like 
causes  produce  like  effects,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever. All  idea  of  chance  is  utterly  excluded.  There 
is  an  observed  order  never  disturbed;  organic  and  in- 
organic matter  is  ruled  by  an  undeviating  method. 
That  method  he  terms  law,  because  it  is  similar  in 
its  tendency  to  artificial  enactments.  Still  no  force 
or  power  is  expressed;  the  modus  operandi  is  con- 
cealed; he  is  baffled  in  this  direction  by  the  porten- 
tous sentence,  "Thus  far,  and  no  farther. "  Turning, 
he  inquires,  What  is  matter?  Was  it  ever  created,  or 
is  it  eternal  ?  What  is  its  constitution  ?  After  survey- 
ing the  entire  field,  he  reasons  thus:  Matter  is  eternal, 
as  far  as  a  finite  mind  can  conceive.  This  is  an  axiom 
lying  at  the  very  foundation  of  nature.  It  is  to  him 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  117 

self-evident.  In  opposition  to  this  view,  the  theologian 
brings  the  creative  fiat  of  God.  But  what  does  he 
assume?  The  self -existence  of  God!  How  can  he 
answer  the  pertinent  question,  Whence  came  the  Om- 
nipotent Being  who  could  create  the  universe  from 
nothing?  The  mystery  said  to  involve  the  God-head 
has  little  weight  against  the  demonstrations  of  science. 
To  the  calm  mind  it  is  vastly  more  rational  and 
probable  that  the  universe,  with  all  its  suns  and  worlds 
teeming  with  living  beings,  is  the  result  of  blind, 
fortuitous  chance,  than  the  creation  of  a  Being  capable 
of  creating  it  by  an  effort  of  his  will;  for  it  is  axio- 
matic that  it  is  easier  to  create  the  lesser  than  the 
greater. 

7.  Beneath  all  the  ceaseless  changes,  and  the  state 
of  unrest,  there  is  that  which  never  changes.  The 
fundamental  constitution  of  matter  remains  eternal. 
Subjected  to  the  intensest  heat,  the  most  powerful 
re-agents,  the  most  corrosive  compounds,  its  form 
changes;  it  may  become  gaseous,  liquid,  or  solid;  it 
may  unite  in  new  combinations,  and  acquire  prop- 
erties it  did  not  previously  possess;  yet  it  is  never  de- 
stroyed ;  it  has  only  changed  states,  and  can  be  brought 
back  by  re-agents  to  nearly  its  original  form.  On  this 
principle  is  founded  the  splendid  compensations  which 
chain  together  the  kingdoms  of  nature.  In  the  great 
laboratory  of  nature  the  process  of  renovation,  of 
birth,  death,  and  resurrection,  is  constantly  going  on, 
but  there  is  no  annihilation.  The  assumption  of  the 
latter  is  uncalled  for,  and  whenever  entertained  be- 
comes a  shadowy  dogmatism.  Science  is  brought  to 
light  by  observation.  Generalizations  are  based  on 
facts.  There  are  facts  to  warrant  the  conclusion  pre- 
viously stated.  When  we  admit  that  a  single  atom 


118  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

has  been,  or  can  be,  created  or  destroyed,  at  any  past 
or  future  time,  by  any  means  whatever,  at  that  mo- 
ment the  basis  on  which  reason  rests  is  destroyed, 
and  we  wander  in  a  boundless  ocean  of  theological 
speculation,  involved  in  Egyptian  night,  without  pro- 
tection against  the  wildest  and  most  fanatical  system 
of  world-building.  By  what  evidence  can  it  be 
proved  that  matter  ever  has  been  created,  or  can  be 
destroyed?  Here,  on  the  threshold  of  our  investiga- 
tions, all  the  countless  systems  of  cosmology,  bearing 
presumptuous  titles  to  their  embodied  ignorance,  all 
metaphysical  subtilty  and  theological  cant,  must  alike 
be  discarded.  We  must  have  calm,  clear  data,  fresh 
from  the  realm  of  nature. 

8.  The  denned  order  observed  is  termed  law.     If 
laws  are  traced  upwards,  we  find  they  unite  in  prin- 
ciples.    Farther  on  still,  principles  become  attributes, 
which   are  the  primoidal  elements   of   force,    beyond 
which  it  is  impossible  at  present  to  reach.   In  this  series 
we  arise  by  gradations:  several  facts  define  a  truth; 
several  truths  become  a  law;  several  laws  a  principle; 
several  principles  determine  an  attribute. 

9.  The  eternity  of  matter  depends  on  the  eternity 
of  its  attributes.     There  is  no  reason  why  these  attri- 
butes should  be  separated  from  their  object,  and  termed 
spirit,   as   has  always  been   done.     On  the  contrary, 
there  are  emphatic  reasons  why  they  should  be  studied 
in  combination,  as  only  by  so  doing  are  mental  and 
physical  sciences  harmoniously  united.     How  can  we 
imagine  a  tangible  existence  without  impenetrability 
and  extension?    It  at  once  becomes  evident  that  these 
are   necessary   conditions,    as   a   thing   occupying   no 
space,  having  neither  breadth  nor  thickness,  is  nothing. 
What  idea  could  be  formed  of  it,  if  it  had  not  weight, 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  119 

and  was  unsusceptible  of  motion?  When  we  say  mat- 
ter, we  mean  also  its  properties;  for  common  sense, 
in  opposition  to  theories,  intuitively  knows  that  there 
can  be  no  separation  between  them. 

10.  Unlike  the  old  philosophers  who  considered 
matter  dead,  and  only  moving  when  acted  on  by  ex- 
ternal forces,  we  infer  from  observation  that  motion  is 
its  inseparable  constituent  or  companion.  Through- 
out the  labyrinth  of  creation  there  is  no  rest ;  all  matter 
is  in  motion.  It  is  superficial  observation  which  teaches 
that  matter  never  moves  unless  acted  on.  The  ship 
is  propelled  by  the  winds,  the  engine  by  steam,  and 
so  on  through  the  endless  manifestations  of  force. 
Hence  philosophers  have  concluded  that  matter  pos- 
sesses an  inherent  resistance  to  motion,  which  they 
have  called  inertia.  Superficially  considered,  bodies 
do  offer  resistance  to  forces  tending  to  move  them ;  but 
what  is  the  character  of  that  resistance?  Friction  is 
always  strongly  opposed  to  motion;  always  present  to 
chain  objects  to  their  present  locality.  The  rock,  which 
rears  its  gray  head  on  the  mountain,  has  remained 
without  perceptible  change  for  ages,  gravity  and  the 
opposition  of  the  soil  around  it  preventing  it  from 
perceptibly  moving ;  and  until  these  are  overcome,  it  is 
chained  there.  It  is  not  an  inherent  resistance  of  the 
rock  itself,  but  of  the  forces  which  are  exerted  on  it. 
Although  apparently  motionless,  it  has  been  in  per- 
petual circulation.  Time  after  time  it  has  rolled 
around  with  the  world,  oscillated  around  the  sun ;  and 
ceaseless  change  and  motion  have  gone  on  in  the  in- 
ternal arrangement  of  its  particles  through  all  time. 
"When  we  see  the  great  world  flying  through  space, 
rotating  on  its  axis,  and  revolving  around  the  sun,  im- 
pelled, as  by  an  omnipotent  breath,  wafting  onward 


120  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

whole  fleets  of  stars,  as  eddying  waters,  we  see  matter 
has  inherent  motion.  Here  no  resistance  from  other 
forces  is  offered,  and  matter  is  free  to  obey  its  strong- 
est impulse.  But  the  moss-grown  rock,  does  it  per- 
form a  function  in  these  gyrations,  or  is  it  a  passive 
object,  acted  on  by  a  mysterious  power?  Motion  be- 
longs to  the  atom.  The  world  is  but  an  aggregation 
of  atoms,  and  as  its  motions  are  just  what  those  of  a 
single  atom  placed  in  its  orbit  would  be,  each  atom 
must  be  its  own  motor,  and  the  combined  influence 
of  all  is  the  influence  of  the  earth.  The  power  which 
wafts  suns  and  worlds  on  their  orbits  must  reside  in 
themselves.  Mathematical  and  inductive  reasoning 
demonstrates  this  supposition.  The  agency  of  an  Al- 
mighty Being  constantly  propelling  them,  does  not 
meet  the  demands  of  science.  A  force  imparted  to 
the  planetary  systems  at  the  beginning,  without  being 
constantly  replenished,  would  at  length  become  ex- 
pended in  overcoming  the  resisting  medium  existing 
in  space.  That  motion  innate  in  matter  possesses  the 
simplicity  which  nature  demands,  and  we  can  trace 
its  operation  down  from  the  great  suns  wafted  on  its 
wings,  to  the  crystallization  of  a  solid  from  solution, 
and  the  infinite  movements  of  the  living  organiza- 
tion. Motion  is  ever  the  same,  directed  in  different 
channels  and  fulfilling  different  missions,  nevertheless 
the  same,  whether  aggregating  the  particles  of  salt  in 
a  cubic  crystal,  or  binding  with  iron  bands  world  to 
world,  and  sun  to  sun,  in  the  grand  network  of  solar 
and  stellar  systems. 

11.  Life  is  born  of  motion.  It  is  first  traceable 
in  the  mutual  attraction  between  atoms  in  solution 
arranging  them  in  definite  forms;  in  affinity,  the  at- 
traction and  repulsion  of  particles.  It,  perhaps,  may 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OP   CREATION.  121 

appear  startling  that  the  forces  which  create  the  crystal 
are  living  forces ;  but  the  data  are  many  which  support 
such  a  conclusion.  In  the  lower  order  of  animals, 
where  life  nearest  approaches  the  mineral,  the  form 
and  skeleton  of  the  animal  conform  to  the  laws  of 
crystalline  growth,  as  the  plates  of  the  sea  urchin,  the 
rays  of  the  asteria,  and  the  calcareous  framework  of 
the  coral ;  and  even  in  the  higher  mammalia  the  bones 
always  are  crystalline,  being  formed  of  elongated  crys- 
tals which  grow  in  their  cartilaginous  beds  precisely 
as  they  would  in  a  solution.  The  petrifaction  of  wood 
differs  not  materially  from  the  growth  of  bone. 

12.  The  mysterious  process   of   absorption  in   the 
plant  or  animal  does  not  differ  in  the  least  from  ab- 
sorption in  the  mineral.     The  same  force  which  takes 
up  a  fluid  through  walls  of  animal  membrane,  causes 
chalk  and  other  porous  minerals  to  absorb  a  fluid,  or 
a  capillary  tube  to  lift  it  higher  than  its  level. 

13.  The  process  of  secretion,   though  intricate  in 
character,  can  be  imitated  with  mineral  walls  instead 
of  living  tissue.    These  facts  may  be  regarded  as  faint 
proofs,  but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  they  furnish  the 
clew — the  footprints  to  the  law  binding  the   organic 
to  the  inorganic.     Life  of  necessity  depends  on  the 
mineral.    It  is  breathed  forth  and  sustained  by  it. 

14.  Admit  that  God,  by  a  special  act  of  creation, 
formed  man  out  of  the  dust ;  then  it  must  be  received 
as  a  correct  deduction  that  matter  has  the  capability 
of  becoming  a  living  being.      Then   it  must  possess 
an  inherent  principle  of  life,  the  development  of  which 
is  seen  in  every  living  organism.     Creation  is   con- 
stantly going  on  around  us,  and  we  see  comparatively 
inert  matter  awake  from  sleep  to  whirl  in  the  restless 
activity  of  sentient  organisms.    But  there  is  no  neces- 


122  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

sity  of  calling  to  our  aid  an  external  force.  We  see 
that  it  possesses  the  living  forces.  When  placed  in 
the  proper  circumstances,  its  before  dormant  powers 
awake  under  the  new  order,  and  the  so-called  inert 
matter  becomes  what  is  termed  living  matter.  Life  is 
not  necessarily  sentient.  The  lowest  animal  cannot 
be  distinguished  from  the  lowest  plant,  and  the  lowest 
plant  grows,  as  a  crystal  enlarges  in  solution,  by  the 
elongation  of  a  central  axis.  But  this  plant  lives,  and 
its  life  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  ox,  the  deer,  or  of 
man.  The  plant  is  simply  an  animal  without  a  nerv- 
ous system,  and  consequently  devoid  of  feeling.  All 
the  functions  of  the  animal,  except  that  of  the  nervous 
system,  are  strictly  vegetative ;  secretion  and  excretion, 
absorption  and  assimilation,  are  identical.  Some  phi- 
losophers claim,  that  an  impassable  chasm  exists  be- 
tween the  organic  and  inorganic  worlds;  but  where 
is  it  to  be  found?  If  life  in  its  general  aspect  is  but 
the  mutual  interchange  of  relations,*  then  matter  itself 
must  be  admitted  as  living.  Has  it  not  motion  in  the 
terrific  winds,  which  lash  the  heaving  billows  of  the 
ocean,  and  in  wild  magnificence  stalk  onward  amid 
ruin  and  desolation?  Has  it  not  its  sympathies  and 
antipathies  in  the  relations  existing  between  the  ele- 
ments of  the  chemist?  Has  it  not  its  attractions  in 
the  world  atoms  it  sends  on  their  mighty  orbits  ?  With 
what  anxiety  we  watch  the  agitated  needle  as  it 
trembles  beneath  the  concussions  of  the  northern  lights ! 
And  how  astonished  are  we  at  the  play  of  contending 
electric  and  magnetic  forces  between  bodies  differently 
charged!  Assuredly  if  this  is  not  life,  it  has  all  the 
appearance  of  being.  Life  is  individualization,  and 

*  JfeJarth  and  Man,     Guyot,  p.  23. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  123 

when  the  crystal  forms  from  solution  after  a 
definite  model,  is  it  not  an  attempt  at  individuali- 
zation?  Is  it  not  the  first  step  towards  an  organized 
being? 

15.  If  there  is  not  life  in  matter,  from  whence  is  it 
derived  ?    How  is  the  inorganic  material  rendered  capa- 
ble of  supporting  the  living  being  ?    These  are  questions 
which  must  be  met,  if  the  popular  idea  is  sustained. 
But  they  cannot  be  satisfactorily  answered.     There  is 
the  universal  life  of  creation  visible  in  the  heaving 
bosom  of  the  ebbing  sea,  the  flow  of  the  majestic  river, 
the  activity  of  the  silent  forces  which  support  on  their 
Atlas  shoulders  this  globe  of  ours;  that  scintillates  in 
the  stars  as  it  rolls  them  on  their  vast  revolutions ;  that 
pulsates  in  the  waves  of  light  and  heat,  and  sends  the 
vibrating  magnetic  current  on  its  swift  pathway.     An 
all-pervading  life  is  seen  in  the  wild  storm,  with  its 
brow  begirt  with  the  red  lightnings,   and  its  hoarse 
voice  of  thunder;  in  all  the  ceaseless  changes  of  the 
inorganic  world.    If  this  universal  life  is  concentrated 
and  unitized,  a  living  organism  is  the  result.     If  we 
rightly  study  the  origin  of  life  in  its  vegetable  or  ani- 
mal forms,  we  must  begin  at  its  dawn  in  the  low- 
est living  beings,  and  observe  its  affinities.    The  lowest 
form  of  life  is  a  simple  mass  of  jelly  floating  in  the 
waves  of  the  sea,  devoid  of  all  organs  whatever,  devoid 
almost  of  structure,  being  little  more  than  a  mass  of 
crystalline  cells.    It  is  closely,  very  closely,  allied  to  the 
mineral,  and  is  so  simple  in  its  structure,  as  seemingly 
to  be  propagated  without  parentage,  simply  by  spon- 
taneous development. 

16.  Such  is  the  first  specialization  of  universal  life 
above  the  crystal.    There  is  no  impassable  chasm  to  be 
passed  by  one  leap,  but  the  smoothest  transition,  and 


124  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

without  scarcely  any  change  in  the  governing  laws. 
The  principles  of  crystallization  still  remain,  and  the 
cellular  mass  is  but  a  higher  order  of  crystallization. 

17.  We  would  now  view  this  subject  from  another 
standpoint.     All  specialized  life  begins  with  the  CELL. 
The  CELL  is  the  basis  of  the  plant  and  of  the  animal. 
All  tissues  are  cellular,  and  tissue  is  the  material  of 
which  the  animal  is  constructed.    The  leaf  is  the  basis 
of  the  plant,  and  the  cell  of  the  leaf.     The  microscope 
has  proved  this  splendid  generalization.     The  neces- 
sary inference  from  this  is,  that  the  simplest,  or  pri- 
moidal  form  of  life  should  be  a  simple  cell,  or  mass 
of  cells ;  and  on  an  examination  of  the  secret  chambers 
of  the  great  deep,  this  proves  true.    There  we  find  the 
first  specialization  of  life  as  a  simple  cell,  a  nitroge- 
nous bag,  filled  with  an  aqueous  fluid,  so  feeble  the 
forces  which  hold  it  together  that  it  dissolves  at   a 
touch,  and  it  can  only  be  distinguished  from  the  water 
in  which  it  floats  by  the  strongest  light.     Is  it  not 
closely  allied  to  the  mineral?     Is  it  not  an  important 
step  in  this  investigation  to  prove  that  special  life  can 
be   supported  by  a    simple  nitrogenous   sack,   wholly 
mineral,  filled  with  fluid? 

18.  But  it  may  be  claimed  that  life  is  more  closely 
related  to  the  imponderable  agents,  light,  heat,   and 
electricity,  than  the  mineral.     True,  but  are  not  these 
agents   material?     Have  they  not  their  laws?     And 
though  we  admit  that  they  are  pulsations  in  an  ethe- 
real medium,  their  basis  is  material.     But  for  a  mo- 
ment admitting  that  they  are  not,  of  what  avail  is  it 
to  the   argument?     Do  not   the  same   forces   prevail 
throughout  the  whole  extent  of  nature?     All  the  ob- 
servable difference  is  their  greater  intensity  in  their 
specialized  form.    If  in  this  great  pyramid  the  apex  of 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  125 

individualized  life  pierces  the  higher  realm  of  greater 
laws,  does  that  cut  it  off  from  its  foundation,  or  sep- 
arate it  by  an  impassable  chasm?  Not  in  the  least; 
but  it  beautifully  illustrates  the  perfect  unity  which 
pervades  the  works  of  nature. 

19.  We  have  seen  life  around  us  in  the  organic 
world,  and  we  know,  that  should  all  living  forms  be 
taken  from  our  earth,  it  would  not  wheel  along  its 
orbit  dead  and  inert  matter,  but  would  be  all  alive,  as 
at  present,  with  the  unrest  of  the  stern  elements.     It 
was  the  same  in  the  primal  ages,  when  the  bald  earth 
turned  towards  the  sun  its  bleak  and  rugged  islands, 
floating  in  an  almost  universal  ocean,  over  which  the 
black  clouds  of  storm  and  whirlwind  constantly  low- 
ered, and  not  a  living  form  sported  in  the  waves ;  even 
then,  life  manifested  its  power,  and  like  a  great  intel- 
ligence, labored  in  perfecting  the  rude  and  imperfect 
world. 

Life,  then,  is  the  specialization  of  the  living  princi- 
ples of  matter. 

20.  Thus  far  we  have  considered  life  in  its  general 
aspect,  common  alike  to  all  forms  of  matter:  now  we 
will  trace  it  upwards,  and  observe  the  gradations  by 
which  it  arises  to  its  specialized  forms.     Its  specializa- 
tion was  produced  by  the  mutual  attraction  of  affini- 
tizing  particles.     As  each  crystal  in  a  solution  of  sev- 
eral salts  draws  to  itself  only  those  particles  which  will 
unite  with  itself,  so  each  tree  and  animal  only  uses  such 
portions  of  its  food  as  are  adapted  to  the  demands  of 
its  nature,  and  casts  the  remainder  aside.    A  moment's 
investigation  will  convince   the   reflecting  mind  that 
this  conclusion  is  true.     What  one  being  rejects  as 
poisonous  to   its  constitution,   another   assimilates   as 
most  nourishing  food.     The  deadly  nightshade  twines 


126  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

its  roots  among  those  of  the  farinaceous  corn,  drinks 
its  food  from  the  same  soil,  is  moistened  by  the  same 
drops  of  rain;  yet  one  is  poisonous  in  every  vein, 
while  the  other  is  nutrient  in  the  same  degree.  Why 
is  this,  unless  the  mutual  attraction  of  affinitizing  par- 
ticles be  admitted? 

21.  If  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  soda  and  common 
salt  be  made,  crystals  will  be  deposited,  but  they  will 
observe  a  defined  order.      On  one  projecting  point  of  the 
enclosing  vessel  an  atom  of  salt  will  be  thrown  down, 
on  another  an  atom  of  the  sulphate.     Each  of  these 
will  attract  such  particles  only  as  will  unite  with  itself, 
while  it  rejects  the  others.     Thus  two  widely  distinct 
substances  will  grow  out  of  the  mixed  solution,  each 
as  pure  as  if  formed  from  a  pure  solution  of  its  own. 

The  nightshade  and  corn  grow  in  a  similar  manner, 
each  assimilating  those  particles  adapted  to  its  own 
constitution,  and  rejecting  those  which  would  be  in- 
jurious. We  shall,  in  a  subsequent  volume,  find  the 
same  holding  good  in  the  domain  of  mind,  each 
mind  assimilating  food  which  corresponds  with  its 
development. 

22.  The  plant  is  destitute  of  a  nervous  system,  and 
consequently  cannot  feel.     The  same  is  true,  or  nearly 
so,  of  the  lowest  animals,  or  rather  beings  in  which 
animal  and  vegetable  unite.     The  animal,  as  it  arises 
from  the  primoidal  cell,  where  animal  and  vegetable 
are  confounded,  acquires  a  nervous  system,  and  by  its 
agency  the  new  faculty  of  sensation.     In  a  future  sec- 
tion the  relations  of  sensation  to  nervous  development 
will  be  fully  discussed:  here  we  will  assume  positions 
to  be  proved  hereafter. 

23.  The  development  of  the  nervous  system,  and  its 
concentration  in  the  brain,  produces  specialized  intel- 


THE  HISTORY  AND   LAWS  OP   CREATION.  127 

Hgence.  Here  we  must  not  confound  universal  and 
special  intelligence.  One  is  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
the  individual,  the  other  to  the  universe ;  and  although 
a  parallel  may  be  observed  between  them,  the  same 
term  should  not  be  used  to  express  so  widely  remote 
objects.  In  nature  we  observe  an  order  of  action — 
law — a  precision  and  appropriateness,  which  forces 
on  the  superficial  observer  the  conviction  of  the  exist- 
ence of  an  omnipotent,  independent  Being,  working 
on  inert  matter  by  the  force  of  his  despotic  will.  We 
have  seen  how  the  savage  personifies  the  cause  of  such 
phenomena,  and  worships  the  creature  of  his  fancy, 
which  is  a  principle,  or  at  most  an  attribute. 

24.  It  is  supposed  that  the  presence  of  such  a  being 
is  seen  in  the  beautiful  order  of  the  planets,  as  they 
move  harmoniously  in  their  orbits — in  their  rounded 
form,  and  the  order  of  their  arrangement.     The  pres- 
ence of  principles  is  seen.     Is  there  any  thing  more? 
Why  does  the  dew-drop,  trembling  on  the  petals  of 
the  flower,  always  become  a  globe?     Is  it  because  its 
atoms  strive  to  approach  the  centre,  and  produce  an 
equilibrium,  which  state  can  only  be  found  in  a  per- 
fect sphere?  or  does  it  require  a  special  act  of  Deity 
to   round   every  drop?     The   same  principles   which 
round   the    dew-drop    round    the    great   world.      One 
effect  requires  as  much  interference  as  the  other.     If 
such  principles  be  granted  to  matter,  then  the  rounding 
of  globes  from  matter  left  to  itself  does  not  show  in 
dependent  intelligence.     The  same  force  which  causes 
the  stone  to  fall  to  the  ground,  chains  the  moon  in  its 
orbit;  and  if  the  agency  of  an  independent  being  is 
required  for  the  latter,  it  must  be  employed  wherever 
a  particle  falls. 

25.  What  is  this  intelligence?     It  is  the  perfect 


128          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

adaptation  of  cause  to  effect.  It  is  seen  in  every 
flower  that  blushes  by  the  wayside  stream;  in  waving 
harvests  and  forest  trees ;  in  suns  and  planets,  and  the 
activity  of  life.  The  same  force  which  unites  an  acid 
and  an  alkali  separates  the  materials  of  the  world  in 
the  gaseous  ocean  of  the  beginning;  binds  its  strata, 
its  oceans,  rivers,  lakes,  and  mountains  together;  fixes 
with  certainty  the  size,  distance,  and  period  of  revolu- 
tion of  the  planets,  and  the  complicated  order  of  the 
universe.  We  call  it  an  intelligent  force,  because  such 
relations  of  cause  and  effect  present  an  analogy  to 
the  operations  of  an  intelligent  being;  but  this  is  only 
superficial  and  apparent.  The  phenomena  of  nature 
which  we  refer  to  intelligence  are  not  to  be  compared 
to  the  operations  of  the  human  mind.  The  two  are 
decidedly  different,  and  only  resemble  each  other  in  the 
harmony  each  induces  between  causes  and  effects. 
The  use  of  the  term  intelligence,  as  applied  to  nature, 
leads  to  confused  and  erroneous  views,  and  could 
another  word  be  substituted,  less  ambiguity  would  pre- 
vail in  this  disputed  realm. 

26.  A  survey  of  the  grand  history  of  creation 
deeply  impresses  the  progression  of  nature  on  the 
mind  of  the  student.  Nature  has  progressed  from 
age  to  age;  each  great  epoch  bears  witness  to  this 
fact.  Why  is  it  so?  Why  did  not  the  creation  of  to- 
day follow  the  turbulent  strife  of  the  igneous  ages? 
Was  it  not  because  the  crude  form  of  the  elements 
forbade?  They  were  only  capable  of  supporting  the 
lowest  forms,  and  only  the  lowest  were  produced. 
In  the  analogy  to-day  presented  by  the  soil  of  granitic 
mountains,  lichens  and  moss  first  appear;  and  not  till 
they  have  grown  for  a  time,  unless  organic  matter  be 
introduced,  can  higher  organized  plants  grow.  Pot- 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  129 

ash  obtained  from  wood  ashes  adds  greatly  to  the  fer- 
tility of  such  soils,  after  they  become  capable  of  sup- 
porting vegetation,  although  it  is  saturated  with  pot- 
ash from  granite.  Chemists  say  that  potash  from 
granite  rock  and  from  wood  ashes  is  identical;  the 
plant  says  emphatically  it  is  not.  It  becomes  dwarfed 
and  refuses  one,  it  luxuriates  when  supplied  with  the 
other.  Phosphate  of  lime  obtained  from  bones  is 
among  the  most  stimulating  fertilizers  known;  but 
phosphate  of  lime  obtained  from  the  lower  rocks  is 
worthless.  Chemistry  declares  the  element  the  same, 
whether  obtained  from  bones  or  from  stone;  the  plant 
makes  a  closer  analysis. 

27.  Here  we  see  an  actual  refinement  in  elementary 
matter,  inappreciable  to  the  rough  tests  of  chemistry, 
it  is  true,  but  detected  by  the  sensitive  rootlets  of  the 
plant.    Here  are  facts  which  unlock  the  great  mystery 
of  progression  from  age  to  age.     It  reaches  beyond 
effects,  down  to  the  constitution  of  matter.    Each  era 
was  as  perfect  as  the  then  existing  plane  of  refine- 
ment of  matter  would  allow. 

Chemistry  says  there  are  sixty-four  primary  ele- 
ments; this  chemistry  teaches  the  infinite  gradation 
of  elements;  or,  accepting  the  popular  method  of 
speaking,  the  number  of  elements  is  infinite.  There 
is  infinite  variety.  The  potash  that  has  passed  through 
the  organization  of  the  plant  is  not  the  same  potash 
that  existed  in  the  mineral.  It  has  a  higher  form.  It 
can  now  nourish  animal  life,  which  it  could  not  do 
before.  The  phosphate  of  lime  in  the  bones  of  the 
animal  is  not  that  of  the  mineral.  Both  potash  and 
lime  are  now  capable  of  intensifying  vegetation;  i.  e., 
supporting  higher  forms. 

28.  The  same  elements  nourish  the  animal  as  the 


130  THE  AECANA   OF  NATURE,  Oft 

plant;  but  the  plant  drinks  up  mineral  elements,  the 
animal  cannot.  Hence  the  plant  is  the  laboratory 
where  the  crude  elements  are  refined  for  the  produc- 
tion and  support  of  higher  forms  of  life.  The  same 
element,  or  what  is  so  considered,  changes  its  form  by 
each  assimilation ;  and  hence  the  infinite  variety  in  the 
form  and  properties  of  matter,  elements  being  but 
stages  of  progress,  between  which  there  is  ia  continu- 
ous series  of  steps. 

29.  As  change  is  limitless,  progression  is  infinite. 
Infinite  progress  and  the  infinite  divisibility  of  mat- 
ter presuppose  each  other.     If  there  are  limits  to  the 
divisibility  of  matter,  their  progress,  whenever  it  at- 
tains the  ultimate,  bounded  by  this  organic  limit,  must 
cease,  and  nature  fall  into  eternal  stagnation.     If,  as 
we  have  attempted  to  prove,  infinite  progress  is  a  law 
of  nature,  we  must,  according  to  the  present  system 
of  philosophy,  seek  the  cause  of  this  progress  in  the 
infinite  diversity  and  divisibility  of  matter. 

30.  The  unlimited  diffusion  of  musk,  the  minuteness 
and  perfectness  of  nutrient  fluids  in  the  microscopic 
infusoria,  the  impalpability  of  odors  of  all  kinds,  have 
been  catalogued  as  proving  the  infinite  divisibility  of 
matter;  but  these  sink  into  insignificance  when  com- 
pared with  the  so-called  imponderable  elements,  which 
by  their  ethereality  refuse  the  test  of  the  scales,  and 
only  indicate  their  presence  by  their  effects.     The  sub- 
tile elements,  heat,  light,  electricity,  and  magnetism, 
incomprehensible  as  they  appear,  are  exceeded  by  the 
still  more  sublimated  elements  of  spirit  and  of  thought. 
But  of  this  in  another  place. 

31.  The  eternal  mutation  of  the  elementary  constit- 
uents of  matter  produces  infinite  variety,  so  that  not 
an  atom  in  nature  is  like  another.     All  are  different. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  131 

This  is  beautifully  illustrated  by  the  prism.  A  ray  of 
light  passing  through  it,  is  divided  into  a  rainbow  of 
colors.  If  the  particles  composing  each  color  were 
identical  they  would  all  concentrate  in  a  distinct  band ; 
on  the  contrary,  although  concentrated  in  a  band  by 
itself,  scattered  particles  are  spread  over  the  whole 
spectrum.  Each  color  is  differently  constituted  from 
the  others,  and  each  component  particle  is  different 
from  all  the  others.  If  it  were  not  so,  no  scattered 
rays  would  be  found.  Thus  infinite  variety,  eternal 
permutation,  is  the  order  of  creation. 

32.  This  outline  will  be  filled  when  we  extend  the 
subjects  of  which  it  treats,  and  apply  to  facts  the  prin- 
ciples here  discussed. 

33.  Nothing  more  strongly  impresses  us  than  the 
necessity  which  drives  cause  to  its  effect.    Effects  are 
produced  by  absolute  necessity,  and  cannot  be  other- 
wise under  given  conditions.     There  is  an  iron  neces- 
sity, unyielding,  inflexible,  and  unheeding  prayer  or 
intercession.     It  sinks  the  ship  though  freighted  with 
saints.    It  turns  not  aside  for  an  archangel.    Fire  will 
burn  a  saint  as  well  as  a  demon.     Who  can  see  the 
storm  march  on  with  resistless  fury,  unheeding  the 
prayers  of  those  it  crushes,  the  mad  ocean  dash  over 
the  foundering  bark,  or  the  oscillations  of  the  stellar 
heavens,  without  becoming  deeply  impressed  with  the 
imperative  necessity  which  governs  nature?    We  can- 
not stay  our  breath,  assuage  the  storm,  calm  the  ocean, 
control  our  birth  or  death,  or  violate  the  least  estab- 
lished order.     It  is  the  same  to  fire  whether  it  burns 
living  or  dead  matter — the  wood  in  our  grates,  or  our 
dwellings.    It  is  the  same  to  gravity  whether  it  brings 
the  apple  to  the  ground,  chains  the  planet  in  its  orbit, 
or  drags  us  from  the  brink  of  the  precipice  to  destruc- 


132  THE  ARCANA   OF   NATURE,  OR 

tion.  Well  was  it  spoken  long  ago,  that  nature  could 
be  governed  only  by  obeying  her  laws.  Think  of  it 
as  we  will,  we  are  hedged  in  on  every  side  by  impera- 
tive necessity.  The  worm  which  crawls  along  the 
pathway,  the  world  rolling  in  its  orbit,  man  grasping 
at  the  solution  of  mysteries,  every  thing,  organic  and 
inorganic,  is  driven  on  by  destiny.  There  is  no  rev- 
ocation or  suspension  of  the  denned  order.  It  is  the 
property  of  steam  to  explode,  of  fire  to  burn;  and 
these  never  vary.  We  seek  to  understand  these  con- 
ditions and  properties,  and  are  happy  only  as  far  as 
we  conform  to  them. 

34.  We  would  not  array  this  course  of  reasoning 
against  the  existence  of  a  God.     We  have  not,  nor 
shall  not,  enter  the  domain  of  theology.     That  whole 
province  is  left  to  the  theologian,  who  may  prove  the 
existence  of  such  a  God  if  he  chooses,  and  show  how 
these  attributes  are  but  efforts  of  his  will.     We  are 
in  the  field  of  philosophy,  and  are  justified  only  in 
going  so  far  as  our  observations  lead  us.     We  have 
laid  aside  educational  prejudice  as  far  as  possible,  and 
sought  to  trace  facts  to  their  causes.     In  the  strict  ob- 
servance of  this  principle  we  cannot  go  farther  than 
the  attributes  of  matter,  until  new  light  is  shed  on  the 
pages    of   nature.     But    if   the    theologian,    pursuing 
another  path  of  inquiry,  meet  us  at  this  point,  then 
the  system  of  creation  is  complete,  and  we  cordially 
grasp  hands  as  brothers  in  the  study  of  divinity. 

35.  We  have  arisen  by  successive  steps  from  the 
first  manifestation  of  life,  in  the  attraction  of  atoms 
through  the  cell,  to  sensation  and  intelligence.     We 
do  not  bring  assumptions  of  the  metaphysicians  to 
our  aid;  we  rest  on  the  observation  of  nature  alone, 
far  above  cant  and  the  idle  play  of  words. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  133 

36.  It  is  admitted  that  the  physical  world  is  gov- 
erned by  fixed   and  immutable   law.     We   shall   en- 
deavor to  prove  the  same  true,  not  only  of  the  world 
of  life,  but  of  mind.     The  operations  of  law  in  the 
two  last  provinces  are  obscure,  and  hence  their  phenom- 
ena have  been  referred  to  the  direct  action  of  Deity; 
for  men  had  rather  refer  an  effect  they  do  not  under- 
stand to  miracle  than  to  confess  their  ignorance.    But 
slowly  the  domain  of  chance  and  mystery  has  been 
narrowed,  until  small  indeed  is  its  area ;  and  there  is 
hopeful  promise  that  it  will  become  absorbed  in  the 
sunny  land  of  science,  and  not  a  corner  of  creation 
left  for  the  goblins,  Chance  and  Miracle,  to  hide  their 
wretched  forms. 

37.  We  assume  what  we  shall  henceforth  endeavor 
to   prove:    that   every   cause   pursues   an   established 
path  to  its  effect ;  i.  e.,  every  phenomenon  is  produced 
by  established  law.    We  may  be  ignorant  of  the  modus 
operandi  it  pursues;  it  may  appear  mysterious;  yet 
we  are  assured  law  is  in  operation,  however  veiled. 
In  the  philosophical  study  of  nature  we  must  adhere 
strictly  to  facts  and  their  deductions,  nor  be  drawn 
aside  by  educational  prejudice,  or  received  religious 
ideas,  nor  be  frightened  from  conclusions  by  conse- 
quences.    We  must  reason  from  the  data  before  us 
with  boldness  and  decision.     In  so  doing  we  make  a 
sure  advance  in  knowledge,  for  every  step  taken  in  the 
right  direction  gives  us  a  more  comprehensive  view 
of  nature,  and  draws  us  nearer  to  the  Infinite  Mind. 


134  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 


CHAPTER    II. 
THE  ORIGIN  OF  WORLDS. 

Nebular  Theory  of  the  Creation  of  the  Universe.  —  Geological  Testi- 
mony. —  Increase  of  Temperature.  —  The  central  Ocean  of  Fire.  — 
Volcanoes  sympathetically  related.  —  Earthquakes.  —  Torridity  of 
Climate  of  the  ancient  Eras.  —  Figure  of  the  Earth  and  Planets. 
—  Geography  of  the  Moon.  —  Lunar  Volcanoes.  —  Physical  Consti- 
tution of  the  Sun.  —  Rings  of  Saturn.  —  The  Asteroids.  —  Intimate 
Relation  between  the  Members  of  the  Planetary  System.  —  Size.  — 
Distance.  —  Density.  —  Direction  of  Revolution  and  Rotation.  —  Ec- 
centricity and  Obliquity  of  Orbit.  —  Planetary  Laws.  —  Comte's 
Calculations.  —  Nebulae.  —  Herschel's  Conclusions.  —  Refutation  of 
the  prevailing  Theory.  —  Nebulae  of  Andromeda,  Argo,  and,  Orion, 
Change  of  Form  in ;  Distance  of ;  Constitution  of.  —  Magellanic 
Clouds,  Constitution  of.  —  A  Review  of  the  Heavens,  and  Conclusions. 

38.  IF  we  commence  an  excavation  on  a  level  plain, 
we  shall,  as  we  descend,  cut  through  various  layers  of 
clay,  sand,  and  gravel  reposing  horizontally  one  above 
the  other.     If  it  is  a  plain  bordering  a  river,  for  the 
first  hundred  feet  or  more,  we  shall  find  these  strata 
of  alluvial  formation  referable  to  floods  which  have 
occurred  during  long  centuries,   each  having  thrown 
down  a  deposit  of  clay,  mud,  or  sand,  borne  from  the 
distant  sources  of  its  tributaries. 

39.  After  descending  through  these  recent  deposits, 
containing  remains  of   existing  plants   and   animals, 
such  as  flourish  on  the  river  borders,  we  meet  with 
older  strata,  containing  forms  with  which  we  are  totally 
unacquainted.     As  we  continue  to  descend,  we  meet 
with  more  unique  forms,  and  these  in  rapidly  dimin- 
ishing numbers  until  we   come    down  to  the   primi- 
tive slates,  gneiss,   and  quartz,  when  'all  vestiges  of 
life  fade  out. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  135 

Lastly,  after  penetrating  through  these,  all  of 
which  present  unmistakable  evidence  of  having  been 
deposited  from  water,  we  meet  with  the  granite,  show- 
ing absolute  proofs  of  having  resulted  from  igneous 
causes.  Though  the  various  superincumbent  strata 
differ  widely  in  character  in  different  localities,  the 
granite  invariably  underlies  them.  It  is  the  founda- 
tion on  which  all  the  other  formations  repose;  it  is 
the  framework  of  the  globe;  it  is  not  only  the  uni- 
versal subjacent  rock,  but,  on  careful  inspection,  it  is 
found  to  be  the  common  parent  of  all  others,  how- 
ever widely  they  differ  from  it  in  their  various  char- 
acteristics. 

40.  The  primitive  fires  have  written  its  history  in 
its  composition  and  crystallization  too   clearly  to  be 
mistaken — spread  all  around  the  world;  torn  and  dis- 
torted,  overlapping  the  more   recent  strata;   thrown 
into  lofty  mountain  ridges,  cresting  the  Andes  and 
Himalayas,  by  the  terrific  grandeur  of  the  scenes  it 
produces,  it  ever  speaks  of  its  fiery  birth. 

What  lies  beneath  the  granite?  In  this  investiga- 
tion we  have  found  the  same  conditions  as  are  ob- 
served in  a  partially  cooled  lava-tide.  As  we  descend, 
the  temperature  constantly  and  rapidly  increases. 
This  remarkable  fact  has  been  long  observed,  and 
has  been  a  perplexing  problem  in  science.  The  increase 
varies  with  locality,  as  the  underlying  rock  is  a  better 
or  worse  conductor,  from  thirty  to  over  one  hundred 
feet  for  a  degree.  The  mean  of  all  observations  is 
about  fifty-four  and  one-half  feet  for  a  degree. 

41.  If  this  increase  is  constant,  as  stated  by  some 
authors,   it  is  a  problem  reduced  to   numerical   cer- 
tainty that  at   a  depth   of  less  than  fifty  miles  the 
most  refractory  substances  must  become  fluid.     Even 


136  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

if  Reiehe's  determination  of  one  degree  for  every 
seventy-six  and  three  tenths  feet  be  accepted,  or,  more 
liberal  still,  one  hundred  feet  for  a  degree,  the  thick- 
ness of  the  crust  above  the  melting  point  of  rock  is 
but  slightly  increased. 

42.  This  increase  of  heat  cannot  be  constant. 
Wherever  rocks  or  earth  are  of  like  character  for 
transmitting  heat,  it  is  certain  that  the  greatest  escape 
of  heat  must  be  at  the  surface  of  the  earth,  especially 
if  the  surface  is  covered  with  water.  If  forty  feet  at 
the  surface  of  the  earth  increases  the  heat  one  degree, 
it  will  require  more  than  forty  feet  to  produce  another 
degree.  The  ratio  will  increase  until  the  central  lava 
is  reached:  experiment  on  a  small  scale  will  prove 
this  position.  If  a  quantity  of  iron  rods  are  bound 
together,  and  one  end  of  these  rods  is  placed  in  a 
furnace,  and  the  other  end  in  water,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  heat  will  escape  much  the  fastest  from  the 
ends  that  connect  with  water  than  at  the  ends  con- 
nected with  the  furnace,  and  that  the  increase  of  heat 
will  be  less,  in  proportion  to  the  distance,  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  furnace.  If  iron  is  thus  affected,  all 
other  substances  must  be  in  a  similar  manner.  This 
proves  the  earth's  crust  to  be  much  thicker  than  has 
been  generally  calculated.  The  thickness  of  the 
earth's  crust  is  unquestionably  very  uneven.  In  some 
places  it  may  be  two  hundred  miles,  in  others,  espe- 
cially along  the  range  of  volcanic  action,  it  may  not 
be  ten  miles.  The  average  thickness  may  be  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  The  very  different  re- 
sults obtained  of  the  increase  of  heat,  as  a  given  depth 
is  reached,  is  owing  to  the  different  substances  hav- 
ing different  powers  of  transmitting  heat,  or  the  in- 
ternal lava  being  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  from 
the  surface. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  137 

43.  Is  this  crust  the  result  of  a  cooling  process  con- 
tinued through  decades  of  millions  of  years,  and  was 
the  earth  originally  a  globe  of  lava?    What  evidences 
have  we  in  answer  to  the  assertion  that  such  is  the 
truth?    The  records  of  geology  tell  a  plain  tale.   They 
could  relate  vastly  more  were  the  earth  quarried.    The 
form  of  the  globe  is  that  which  it  must  be  of  necessity 
were  it  originally  a  fluid  mass  rotating  in  space  with 
its  present  velocity.     Its  spheroidicity  holds  a  direct 
ratio  to  the  rapidity  of  its  rotation — a  relation  which 
is  inexplicable,  unless  its  rotation  determined  the  polar 
contraction,  which  it  could  not  do  unless  the  earth  was 
fluid. 

44.  If  the  centre  of  the  globe  yet  remains  fluid, 
as  the  increase  of  heat  as  we  descend  proves,  and  this 
ocean  of  fire  is  enclosed  by  a  thin  crust,  some  indi- 
cation of  this  internal  state  must  be  exhibited  on  the 
surface,  as  the  crust  contracts  by  cooling.     Volcanoes 
are  such  manifestations.     They  are  passage-ways  to 
this   deep-seated   fiery  sea.      That  they  do  not   arise 
from  local  causes  is  certain  from  the  fact  that  the 
volume  of  lava  thrown  out  often  exceeds  several  times 
the  mass  of  the  entire  mountain.     It  has  long  been 
known  that  the  power  of  volcanoes,  wherever  it  may 
be  located,   is  deeply  seated,   for   a  sympathy  exists 
between  widely-separated  vents.     Theories  world- wide 
have  been  framed  on  stupid  and  ignorant  assertions 
made  by  hobby-riding  philosophers,   and  received  as 
truth  by  learned  societies  because  supported  by  such 
men.     The  theories  of  subterranean  rivers  and  lakes 
of   fire   of   small   extent,   the   action    of   the   alkaline 
bases,    and    the    energy    of    electric    currents,    stand 
on    a    par    with    the    thousand    other    erratic    wan- 
derings of  befogged  reason  guided  by  diseased  fancy. 


138  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

Universal   effects   cannot   be   accounted   for  by  local 
causes. 

45.  The  situation  of  volcanic  vents  along   great 
fissural  lines,    as   on   the   crusts   of  mountain   chains 
where  great  distortions  of  the  strata  have  occurred,  is 
a  strong  indication  of  their  deep-seated  origin. 

46.  The  chain  of  the  Andes,  stretching  from  the 
Polar  Sea  along  the  western  shore  of  the  Americas, 
in  a  series  of  magnificent  crests,  and  ending  in  the 
terrific  fires  that  illumine  the  frozen  shores  of  the  ant- 
arctic continent,   is   the  external  manifestation   of   a 
great  fissure  which  extends   down  to  the  realms   of 
internal  fire.    If  the  theory  of  internal  heat  were  true, 
along  such  a  fissure  volcanoes  should  be  situated;  but 
if  not,  then  we  should  not  oftener  find  them  there 
than   isolated   on   the   plain,   for   all  these   mountain 
chains  running  in  the  same  direction  are  of  the  same 
age,   although  situated   in   different  hemispheres  —  a 
fact  illy  conforming  to  the  idea  of  local  causes. 

47.  Active  volcanoes   are   generally   situated  near 
the  sea  —  a  fact  which  strongly  supports  the  theory  of 
internal  fire;  for  there,  where  the  land  is  constantly 
removed  from  the  coast  line,  and  carried  away  by  the 
ocean,  the  established  equilibrium  of  the  pressure  of 
the  crust  on  the  subjacent  lava  is  disturbed,  and  along 
the    line    of   such   disturbance   volcanoes    and    earth- 
quakes would  be  expected.    Thus  the  inexplicable  phe- 
nomenon becomes  a  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence  here 
brought  together. 

48.  The  same  great  waves  which  produced  the  fis- 
sural  lines  determined   the  form   of  continents,   thus 
again  showing  the  sympathetic  relations  existing  be- 
tween remote  effects. 

49.  The   conclusions   derived   from  induction    are 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  139 

confirmed  by  observation.  Along  the  entire  range  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  the  remains  of  extinct  vol- 
canoes are  plainly  visible.  They  are  now  silent,  like 
those  of  Auvergne  in  France;  but  they  are,  perhaps, 
reposing  for  renewed  efforts.  In  the  Cordilleras  and 
Sierras  active  vents  are  met  with.  Popocatapetl, 
Casiguino,  and  others,  together  with  the  entire  length 
of  the  Andes  chain,  are  but  a  series  of  volcanic  ac- 
tivity. The  four  great  Mexican  volcanoes,  Colima, 
Jorullo,  Popocatapetl,  and  Orizaba  are  on  the  same 
fissural  line.  Jorullo,  when  it  broke  forth  in  1759, 
sprang  directly  over  the  linear  line  which  connects  the 
other  three.  On  the  same  night  that  Orizaba  was  in 
action,  four  hundred  and  eighty  miles  to  the  north- 
ward, Aconcagua  was  belching  forth  its  fires,  and  two 
thousand  seven  hundred  miles  still  farther  north, 
Casiguino,  which  had  remained  at  rest  for  twenty- 
six  years,  burst  forth  anew,  accompanied  by  an  earth- 
quake felt  over  an  area  of  more  than  one  thousand 
miles. 

50.  Such  phenomena  prove  the  cause  of  volcanic 
activity  to  be  deep  seated  and  wide  spread.  The 
earthquake  felt  at  Lisbon  traversed  the  Atlantic,  and 
was  plainly  perceptible  at  Quebec  and  on  the  great 
lakes  of  America,  and  from  Sweden  on  the  north, 
to  Africa  and  Martinique  on  the  south,  an  area  many 
times  the  size  of  Europe.  To  understand  phenomena 
of  such  magnitude  we  must  recognize  adequate  causes. 
Are  we  not  forced  to  admit  that  we  stand  on  a  thin 
crust,  beneath  which  the  primitive  fires  yet  burn  slowly 
and  dimly  in  their  expiring  hours  ?  A  thin  and  yield- 
ing crust,  which  bends  in  lightning  waves  to  the  earth- 
quake, sinks  and  rises,  forming  extensive  fissures; 
bends  and  contorts  under  the  energy  of  the  interior 


140  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,  OR 

forces  which  here  and  there  burst  forth  in  volcanic 
fury.  Lo,  all  beneath  is  fire,  the  fire  of  the  new-born 
world,  still  unsubdued! 

51.  Though  admitted  to  be  extremely  probable,  it 
may  be  objected  that  the  theory  of  the  earth's  former 
fluidity  cannot  be  demonstrated.  It  of  course  cannot, 
from  its  nature,  be  demonstrated  like  a  problem  in 
mathematics,  but  there  are  other  methods  of  arriving 
at  correct  results.  We  are  endeavoring  to  unite  the 
detached  links  of  evidence  in  a  perfect  chain  of  argu- 
ment. The  decrease  of  temperature,  caused  by  the  slow 
decrease  of  the  eccentricity  of  the  earth's  orbit,  has 
been  produced  as  sufficient  cause  for  the  high  tempera- 
ture of  ancient  times.  Admitting  that  such  variations 
cause  changes  of  temperature,  they  cannot  exceed  a 
few  degrees  without  endangering  the  safety  of  the 
system;  and  the  immense  forests  of  tropical  plants 
which  flourished  at  the  present  poles  during  the 
ancient  coal  period,  together  with  the  entire  flora  and 
fauna  of  the  early  epochs,  indicate  a  high  temperature 
in  those  localities.  This  warmth  of  climate  has  been 
referred  to  the  form  of  the  ancient  land  and  water. 
If  the  land  was  all  at  the  equator,  and  the  water 
at  the  poles,  it  is  evident  that  a  much  warmer  climate 
would  result.  The  elevation  of  arctic  lands,  or  moun- 
tains, greatly  depresses  the  warmth  of  climate,  and  the 
character  of  the  strata  reposing  on  the  summits  of 
these,  shows  that  they  are  of  comparatively  recent 
origin.  But  allowing  the  most  favorable  distribution 
of  land  and  water  possible,  it  would  fall  far  short 
of  producing  the  requisite  elevation  of  temperature 
which  is  well  known  to  have  existed,  especially  during 
the  coal  era,  at  the  present  location  of  the  poles.  Hence 
we  must  admit  that  a  more  than,  torrid 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION  141 

prevailed  at  the  poles,  or  that  the  poles  are  not  fixed, 
as  has  been  supposed,  but  have  removed  from  their 
former  position.  If  we  take  the  first  position,  we 
meet  with  unanswerable  objections.  If  the  temper- 
ature at  the  poles  exceeded  the  heat  of  the  tropics, 
the  then  existing  torrid  zone  must  have  been  a  desert, 
the  furnace  heat  of  which  no  living  being  could  en- 
dure; and  what  is  still  more  fatal  to  the  position  is, 
that  by  no  tenable  theory  can  this  astonishing  tem- 
perature be  accounted  for.  For  at  the  dawn  of  the 
coal  period  the  crust  of  the  earth  had  attained  at  least 
three  fourths  its  present  thickness;  and  if  at  present 
the  escape  of  internal  heat  is  not  sufficient  to  melt  a 
stratum  of  ice  one  millionth  of  an  inch  in  thickness, 
how  can  such  an  astonishing  temperature  be  accounted 
for  by  this  argument  ?  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  pre- 
suppose the  movement  of  the  poles,  no  great  elevation 
of  temperature  need  be  entertained;  for  if  we  remove 
the  poles,  we  also  move  the  equator  towards  their 
former  position.  Present  facts  point  towards  this 
theory.  It  is  readily  seen  that  the  ice  phenomena  of 
the  poles  must  leave  deep  traces  on  the  rocks.  Hence,  if 
the  poles  have  been  removed,  the  point  they  formerly 
occupied,  as  well  as  their  line  of  advance,  must  be 
plainly  traceable.  Investigations  to  determine  this 
point  have  not  yet  been  made,  both  from  the  char- 
acter of  the  region  in  which  these  phenomena  probably 
occurred,  and  also  from  the  vagueness  in  the  few  ob- 
servations which  have  been  made.  It  is  probable  that 
the  site  of  the  north  pole  in  the  tertiary  period,  was 
near  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  that  it  advanced  to  its  pres- 
ent locality  in  a  parabolic  line.  When  this  region,  to- 
gether with  Thibet  and  Northern  India,  is  carefully 
explored,  it  is  highly  probable  that  facts  having  a 


142  THE  AECANA  OF  NATURE,  OB 

strong  bearing  on  this  question  will  be  developed.  Of 
the  probable  cause  of  the  changing  of  the  poles,  mathe- 
matics would  suppose  that  it  was  a  poising  or  balan- 
cing of  the  earth,  to  induce  an  equilibrium  which  at 
first  was  not  established.  Conjecture  might  call  to  its 
aid  the  less  probable  causes  of  cometary  collisions  or 
planetary  attractions. 

52.  The  strata  of  the  terrestrial  spheroid  are  not 
only  concentric  and  elliptical,  but  the  lunar  inequalities 
show  that  they  increase  in  density  from  the  surface  to 
the  centre.    This  certainly  would  have  occurred  if  the 
earth  was  originally  fluid,  for  the  denser  parts  would 
subside  towards  the  centre,  and  the  lighter  remain  at 
the  surface.    The  pressure  of  the  superincumbent  mass 
contributes  to  this  result,  but  not  in  the  degree  phi- 
losophers have  supposed.     It  has  been  computed  that 
if  gravity  alone  exerted  its  influence,  steel  would  be 
compressed  into  one  fourth,  and  stone  into  one  eighth, 
of  its  volume,  if  placed  at  the  centre  of  the  earth. 
This  would  make  the  earth  much  too  dense  to  agree 
with  its  ascertained  influence  on  the  moon;  and  hence 
it  may  be  inferred  that  another  force  exists.    What  can 
it  be  but  the   antagonistic  expansion  caused  by  the 
earth's  central  heat  ?    This  conclusion  must  be  received, 
or   the   idea   of   the   earth's   cavernous   structure   be 
adopted  —  a  conclusion  worthy  only  of  the  dreams  of 
ignorance. 

53.  Every  contortion  of  the  earth's  strata,  every 
mountain  peak  and  gorge,  every  uplifting  or  depression 
of  continents  and  islands,  is  direct  testimony  of  the 
fiery  state  at  present  prevailing  in  the  central  regions 
of  the  globe.     The  composition  of  its  rocky  frame- 
work speaks  in  an  unmistakable  voice,  seconded  as  it 
is  by  the  structure  of  all  the  planets  and  stars  revealed 


THE   HISTOKY  AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  143 

by  the  telescope.  Planets  are  not  round,  in  the  form  of 
a  liquid  mass  freely  suspended  in  space,  but  spheroidal, 
a  form  necessarily  generated  by  the  revolution  of  a 
spherical  liquid  mass  on  its  axis;  but  to  the  telescope 
their  surfaces  reveal  the  jagged,  mountainous  surface 
produced  by  volcanic  action  on  their  crusts. 

54.  The  moon,   by   its  nearness,   affords   the   best 
opportunity    for    examination.      The    surface    shows 
mountainous  masses,  towering  to  a  great  height  from 
the  centre  of  vast  and  rugged  plains,  and  in  other 
places  several  long  chains  extend  in  a  remarkable  man- 
ner from  a  common  centre.     Dip  valleys  occur  abun- 
dantly.    They  are  known  to  be  such  by  the  manner 
in  which  the  light  of  the  sun  falls  into  them.     The 
height    of    the    mountains    have    been    estimated    by 
Schorceter,   a    German   astronomer,   to   be   five   miles, 
while   the   valleys   are   four   miles   deep.      The   same 
astronomer  affirms  that  in  proportion  to  its  size  the 
surface  of  the  moon  is  much  more  broken  than  the 
earth's.     Herschel  supposed  that  he  had  obtained  de- 
cisive evidence  of  the  existence  of  volcanoes  in  the 
moon.     Not  only  did  he  discover,  as  he  thought,  the 
light  of  their  fires,  but  accumulations  from  their  action, 
after  the  fires  were  extinct.     When  it  is  considered 
that  an  object  at  the  distance  of  the  moon  must  be 
a  mile  in  diameter  to  become  visible  to  the  highest 
magnifying  power,  we  can  scarcely  realize  the  extent 
of  convulsions  which  make  themselves  recognizable  to 
earth.      They,   at  least,   must   greatly  transcend  the 
most  terrific  the  earth  witnesses  at  present. 

55.  Thie  surface   is  torn   and   distorted   in   every 
conceivable  manner,  and  presents  a  very  rough  and 
jagged   aspect.     Such  is  the  condition  of  the  moon, 
almost  devoid  of  an  atmosphere,  and  with  but  little 


144          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

water  to  level  down  by  its  disintegrating  energy  the 
broken  surface,  it  remains  a  witness  of  its  own  fiery 
birth. 

56.  The  planets  are  too  far  removed  to  be  closely 
examined.     Venus    and   Mars,    the    only   ones    which 
can  present  any  proof,  speak  in  the  same  language  as 
the  moon.     Their  surface  presents  mountainous  ele- 
vations with  intervening  plains,  and  it  is  evident  that 
they  were  produced  by  similar  conditions. 

57.  The  sun,  by  its   constitution,  bears  according 
testimony.     If  it  is  the  residual  mass  remaining  after 
the  detachment  of  the  zones,  or  matter  which  formed 
its  planetary  system,   and  if  its  condition  originally 
was  gaseous  from  intensity  of  heat,  then  it  remains  as 
a  self-evident   deduction  that   a  mass  four  hundred 
times   larger  than   the    combined   volume   of   all   the 
planets  and  other  bodies  of  our  system  must  remain 
incandescent  for  a  much  longer  period  after  the  bodies 
thrown  from  it  have  cooled.    This  must  occur  from  two 
causes:  first,  the  superior  size  of  the  sun,  which,  ac- 
cording to  Galle,*  is  seven  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
times   greater   than  the   combined  volume   of   all   its 
planets;  and  second,  the  enormous  condensation  of  its 
superior  mass.     Now,  the  time  elapsing  between  the 
birth  of  Neptune  and  Mercury,  to  finite  comprehension 
is  inconceivably  great,  and  probably  the  first  planet 
was  inhabited  while  the  latter  was  yet  involved  in  the 
central  body.     The  superior  attraction,  and  hence  the 
greater  condensation,  of  the  atoms  of  so  large  a  body 
would  produce   a  much  higher  heat  than  would  be 
emitted  from  the  smaller  planetary  bodies.     The  tem- 
perature, at  the  sun's  surface,  at  present,  must  exceed 

*  Cosmos,  vol.   iv. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  145 

by  a  thousand  times  that  of  molten  iron.  If  the 
nebular  theory  be  true,  such  a  high  temperature  would 
necessarily  exist,  for  reasons  previously  stated.  I 
am  well  aware  of  the  conflicting  hypothesis,  which 
is  intended  to  sweep  away  this  proof  of  the  nebular 
origin  of  our  system,  and  am  prepared  briefly  to  state 
the  objections  which  array  themselves  against  it.  At 
most  it  is  merely  assertionary ;  and  in  the  absence 
of  antagonistic  explanations,  it  has  been  adopted  out 
of  deference  to  its  able  supporter,  Herschel.  This 
hypothesis  supposes  the  sun  an  opaque  body,  like  the 
planets,  but  surrounded,  several  hundred  miles  from 
its  surface,  by  a  light  and  heat-generating  atmosphere, 
or  protosphere.  The  solar  spots  are  breaks  in  this  pro- 
tosphere,  through  which  the  dark  body  of  the  sun  is 
revealed.  This  hypothesis  does  not  account  for  the 
existence  of  the.  penumbra  around  the  dark  nuclei  of  the 
spots,  for  the  depressions  or  shadows  so  frequently  ob- 
served, nor  the  mottled,  shagreen  aspect  of  its  surface. 
If  it  were  true,  the  nuclei  should  be  totally  dark; 
whereas  the  light  they  emit,  according  to  Herschel,  is 
two  thousand  times  that  of  the  full  moon.  When  we 
consider  that  Drummond's  dazzling  light  produces  a 
black  spot  when  projected  on  the  sun's  disk,  we  can 
realize  how  brilliant  these  spots  may  be,  and  yet  appear 
totally  black.  This  hypothesis  not  only  fails  to  account 
for  the  observed  phenomena,  but  its  foundation  is  mere 
conjecture.  A  light-producing  atmosphere  is  wholly 
a  fancy,  and  utterly  without  support.  It  simply  serves 
for  the  classification  of  facts  in  the  absence  of  any 
opposite  theory.  It  was  supposed  that  the  nebular 
theory  failed  to  account  for  the  facts  observed,  for  the 
polariscope  showed  that  the  sun's  light  emanated  from 

a  gaseous  body,  and  not  from  a  fluid  or  solid;  but  we 
10 


146  THE   AECANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

will  endeavor  to  explain  all  the  heretofore  unexplained 
phenomena  in  the  simplest  manner  by  its  application. 

58.  First,  let  us  inquire  what  conditions  must  pre- 
vail on  the  sun's  surface  if  it  is  a  molten  mass.     We 
can  arrive  at  an  approximate  conclusion  by  studying 
the  operation  of  like  causes  on  earth.     Increase  the 
heat  two  thousand  times  above  the  melting  point  of 
iron,   and  it  were  easy  to  infer  the  conditions  that 
would  prevail.     The  most  stable  elements  would  be- 
come fluid,  and  incandescent  with  a  light  equal  to  the 
rays  of  the  sun.     The  more  unstable  elements  would 
be  vaporized,  and  form  a  dense  atmosphere  around  the 
fluid  nucleus,  while  the   gaseous   elements  would  be 
driven  off  to  an  immense  distance.     These  materials 
would,  according  to  their  degree  of  attenuation,  form 
various    concentric    atmospheres,    all    luminous    from 
intensity  of  heat.     Apply  these  inferences  to  the  sun. 
We   shall   then  see   the   intensely   incandescent   fluid 
nucleus  surrounded  by  a  series  of  concentric  luminous 
atmospheres. 

59.  The  theory  of  a  protosphere,  as  advanced  by 
Herschel,  derived  its  chief  support  from  the  evidence 
of  the  polariscope.     This  instrument  made  the  light 
of  the  sun  tell  its  own  history.     It  proved  that  its 
light  was  derived  not  from  a  solid,  but  from  a  gaseous 
body.     So  far  as  this  fact  is  concerned,  it  is  equally 
applicable  to   one   as  the   other  theory.      The  proto- 
sphere  and   nebulous   atmosphere  would   affect  light 
identically  the  same.     So   far  both  theories   explain 
the  fact.     Now,  we  ask,  which  gives  the  most  rational 
explanation  of  solar  spots?     One  theory  presents  no 
cause  for  the  existence  of  the  protospheres ;  the  other 
goes  far  back,  to  the  beginning  of  things.    It  is  evident 
that  the  dense  stratum  lying  next  the  solar  nucleus, 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  147 

formed  of  vaporized  metals  and  metaloids,  would 
not  mingle  with  the  permanent  gases,  which,  greatly 
expanded  by  the  intense  heat,  would  tend  to  fly  to  an 
immense  distance.  If  otherwise,  from  well-known 
laws,  a  homogeneous  mass  would  result,  as  permanent 
gases  are  vacuums  to  each  other.  The  lower  stratum, 
formed  of  molten  gases  only  at  excessively  high  tem- 
peratures, would  constantly  arise,  until  it  reached  an 
elevation  where  it  could  rise  no  farther.  Then  con- 
densing, it  would  be  precipitated,  to  arise  again.  The 
still  more  attenuated  external  envelope,  constantly  sat- 
urated with  the  internal  heat,  would  refuse  to  mingle 
with  it,  and  thus  distinct  atmospheres  would  be  formed. 
Unsubstantiated  as  this  theory  may  appear,  it  has 
greater  support  than  the  gratuitous  assumptions  popu- 
larly received. 

60.  Sir  John  Herschel,  in  his  explanation  of  the 
solar  spots,  adhered  to  his  favorite  hypothesis  of  a 
"  protosphere, "  and  maintains  that  this  protosphere  is 
broken  through  by  hurricanes,  or  other  vast  aerial  com- 
motions, and  through  the  openings  thus  made  the 
dark  body  of  the  sun  is  revealed.  Granting  that  the 
body  of  the  sun  is  a  molten  mass,  from  which  his  light 
and  warmth  originate,  on  the  supposition  of  solar  hur- 
ricanes a  far  more  tenable  hypothesis  can  be  framed. 
Disturbances  in  the  dense  substratum  would  generate 
whirlpools  on  its  surface,  which,  by  well-known  laws, 
would  produce  deep,  cup-shaped  depressions,  such  as 
are  seen  in  the  solar  spots.  It  is  well  known  that  light, 
passing  from  one  medium  into  another,  is  greatly 
affected  by  the  limiting  surface  between  the  two 
mediums.  If  the  rays  strike  that  surface  at  a  large 
angle,  some  of  them  pass  through,  but  most  are  re- 
flected from  it.  If,  however,  the  limiting  surface  pre- 


148  THE  AECANA   OF  NATURE,  OB 

sents  an  acute  angle,  all  the  rays  will  be  refracted. 
Such  a  surface  is  presented  by  the  highly-inclined 
sides  of  the  solar  vertices,  and  hence  refracted,  all  the 
light  will  appear  black.  The  transition  from  partial 
reflection  to  partial  refraction  will  take  place  suddenly, 
as  a  given  angle  on  the  borders  of  the  vertex  is  reached, 
and  the  dark  nucleus  be  sharply  denned.  As  the  cur- 
rents will  be  smoother  around  its  border  than  farther 
removed,  the  light  of  the  penumbra  should  be  greatest 
there — an  inference  exactly  according  with  observation. 
If,  however,  the  spots  are  produced  by  whirlwinds,  they 
should  be  of  regular  form,  whereas  they  are  very  irreg- 
ular. Granted;  but  the  objection  is  equally  applicable 
to  both  theories,  and  while  one  totally  fails  to  account 
for  this  discrepancy,  the  other  offers  an  easy  solution. 
The  spots  are  seen  by  us  through  the  rarer  upper 
medium,  which,  agitated  by  currents,  must  greatly  dis- 
tort objects  seen  through  it,  and  though  the  spots  be 
perfectly  circular,  they  would  appear  jagged  and  dis- 
torted when  viewed  through  this  outer  envelope.  Com- 
plicated as  the  phenomena  are,  presented  by  the  solar 
disk,  this  theory  offers  a  rational  explanation  of  them 
•all.  The  luminous  mountains  observed  in  eclipses  of 
the  sun,  the  mottled  aspect  of  its  surface,  pores,  streaks 
of  light,  &c.,  are  all  explicable  by  varying  reflections 
and  refractions  of  light  produced  by  currents  'and  agi- 
tations in  the  sun's  aerial  envelope.  The  assumption 
of  hurricanes  may  be  considered  gratuitous;  yet  when 
it  is  considered  that  the  solar  spots  occur  almost  al- 
ways within  a  zone  extending  thirty  degrees  each  side 
of  the  equator,  a  region  corresponding  to  our  torrid 
zone,  in  which  whirlwinds  prevail,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  supposition  at  least  is  plausible. 

61.     Turning  now  to  the  individual  consideration 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  149 

of  the  planets,  we  find  the  facts  presented  pointing  in 
the  same  direction.  The  rings  of  Saturn  were  seized 
by  the  vigorous  intellect  of  Laplace,  and  brought  to 
the  support  of  his  theory.  If  the  idea  of  special 
creation  or  final  cause  be  supported,  well  may  it  be 
asked,.  Why  did  the  Creator  give  rings  to  Saturn, 
which,  surrounded  by  its  six  moons,  can  have  little 
need  of  them,  while  Mars  is  left  in  total  darkness? 
If  there  was  any  special  design  in  the  plan  of  the 
solar  system,  the  rings  should  be  given  to  a  moonless 
planet;  that  they  were  not,  teaches  the  reverse. 
What  is  remarkable,  Saturn's  rings  are  in  precisely 
that  position  they  should  be,  according  to  the  princi- 
ples of  mathematics.  If  the  nebular  theory  is  true, 
we  should  not  expect  rings  around  the  small  planets 
with  slow  diurnal  motion,  but  around  a  large  planet 
of  rapid  diurnal  revolution.  It  is  evident  that  a  ring 
thrown  off  from  a  dense  nucleus,  in  which  the  centrip- 
etal and  centrifugal  forces  are  balanced,  must  ulti- 
mately become  resolved  into  a  planetary  body,  from  its 
inability  to  maintain  its  equilibrium.  For  like  rea- 
sons we  should  not  expect  such  zones  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  system,  for  those  planets  were  formed  from 
gaseous  matter.  It  would  be  still  more  improbable 
to  find  them  at  a  great  distance  from  any  of  the 
planets.  The  rings  of  Saturn  occur  just  where  they 
would  be  expected  according  to  the  nebular  view. 
Surrounding  a  large  planet,  and  one  in  which  the  cen- 
tripetal force  is  extremely  great,  mark  the  coincidence 
that,  at  that  distance  from  the  planet,  theory  would 
indicate  that  zones  would  be  most  likely  to  occur; 
when  the  rapidly  condensing  nucleus,  still  half  gas- 
eous, half  fluid,  was  sufficiently  consolidated  to  give 
stability  to  the  detached  zone,  while  it  gave  it  mobility 


150         THE  AKCANA  0$  NATURE,  0& 

of  form.  Only  where  the  centrifugal  force  is  very 
great,  as  it  is  in  Saturn,  can  such  rings  be  preserved. 
This  relation  is  more  than  an  occurrence  of  chance; 
it  is  a  result  of  law,  in  accordance  with  which  the 
solar  system  was  created  and  is  sustained,  as  is  fully 
shown  by  the  result  of  Laplace's  calculations,  which 
make  Saturn's  rotations  to  that  of  his  rings  as  427 
to  438 — an  amount  of  difference  that  was  to  be 
expected.  Look  farther,  and  another  remarkable  coin- 
cidence occurs.  Between  Saturn  and  his  rings  an 
attenuated  zone  of  vapor  is  suspended,  which  some- 
times covers,  as  with  a  gauzy  veil,  the  face  of  that 
planet.  Such  a  phenomenon  is  not  presented  by  any 
other  planet;  and  a  moment's  reflection  will  serve  to 
convince  any  one  that  the  preservation  of  a  vapory 
zone  is  impossible,  unless  suspended,  like  this  one,  be- 
tween two  oppositely  attracting  forces. 

62.  In  further  support  of  the  theory  of  nebular  con- 
densation,  the   asteroids  speak   in   unmistakable   lan- 
guage.   If  creation  be  referred  to  a  final  special  cause, 
the  existence  of  a  swarm  of  very  small  bodies,  moving 
in  a  very  irregular  manner,  must  remain  involved  in 
mystery.     If,  however,  the  theory  here  presented  bo 
accepted,  their  existence  beautifully  harmonizes,  with 
its  inferences. 

63.  The  zodiacal  light,  that  twilight  zone  surround- 
ing the  sun,  may  be  considered  as  a  residual  product 
of  nebulous  condensation,  and  when  considered  in  this 
light  is  a  strong  evidence  in  its  support. 

64.  From  the  individual  consideration  of  the  bodies 
of  our  system,  we  pass  to  their  general  consideration. 
If  they  were  evolved  by  one  cause,  then  a  general 
similitude  must  pervade  the  entire  system.     Such  is 
a  legitimate  deduction;  but  if  they  were  created  by  a 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  151 

final  cause,  the  utmost  diversity  should  be  manifested. 
What  are  the  facts?  The  first  relation  we  will  dis- 
cuss is  that  of  distance.  If  we  take  the  distance  of 
the  earth  from  the  sun  as  1.0000,*  Mercury  will  be 
represented  by  0.38709,  Venus  by  0.72333,  Mars  by 
1.52369,  the  Asteroids  by  2.4500,  Jupiter  by  5.20277, 
Saturn  by  9.53885,  Uranus  by  19.18239,  Neptune  by 
30.03628.  We  perceive  here,  as  a  general  expres- 
sion, that  each  exterior  planet  is  twice  the  distance  of 
the  next  interior  one.  This  is  not  perfectly  true,  nor 
according  to  theory  should  it  be,  but  it  approximates 
closely  to  the  general  expression. 

65.  As  an  illustration  of  this  relation,  it  is  interest- 
ing to  learn  that  astronomers  predicted  the  existence 
of  a  planet  in  the  gap  between  Mars  and  Jupiter  long 
before  the  Asteroids  were  discovered,  and  also  the 
distance  of  Neptune  from  the  sun  before  that  body  was 
observed. 

As  respects  size,  the  planets  nearest  the  sun  are 
the  smallest,  and  there  is  a  gradual  increase  as  the 
distance  from  the  central  orb  increases.  The  zone 
from  which  Saturn  originated  was  vastly  larger  than 
that  which  gave  birth  to  Mercury,  and  consequently 
that  planet  must  be  proportionately  large.  Thus, 
as  a  general  expression,  the  size  rapidly  decreases 
as  we  approach  the  sun.  The  external  zones  must  have 
been  composed  of  rarer  material  than  the  internal, 
and  consequently  there  must  be  a  relation  of  densities. 
If  the  density  of  the  Earth  be  represented  by  1.00, 
the  density  of  Mercury  will  be  represented  by  1.12, 
Venus  by  0.92,  Mars  by  0.95,  Jupiter  by  0.24,  Saturn 
by  0.14,  Uranus  by  0.24,  Neptune  by  0.14.  These 

*  Humboldt's  Cosmos,  vol.  iv.  p.  107. 


152  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

numbers  are  presented  not  for  their  accuracy,  but 
because  they  give  an  approximation  to  the  truth.  The 
collateral  sources  of  error  are  so  many  and  great,  that 
it  would  be  absurd  to  pretend  that  these  were  more 
than  estimates;  yet  crude  as  they  are,  they  represent  a 
general  order.  Velocity  of  rotation,  degree  of  conden- 
sation, and  difference  of  elementary  constitution,  fully 
account  for  the  iregularities  observed. 

66.  If   the   solar   system    originated   from   an   ex- 
tremely flattened  spheroid  of  revolution,  all  the  zones 
thrown  off  must  of  necessity  rotate  in  the  same,  or 
nearly  the  same,  plane,  and  the  planets  evolved  from 
these  zones  must  pursue  pathways   corresponding  to 
the  orbits  of  their  parent  zones.    Apply  this  inference, 
deduced  from  purely  theoretical  grounds,  to  nature. 
We   find   that    the    planets    revolve    in   orbits    which 
almost    perfectly    coincide.       The    Asteroids    depart 
widely,  it  is  true;  but  other  causes  have  operated  on 
them  than  on  the  others,   and  they  cannot  be  intro- 
duced as  an  objection.     Mercury  departs  widest,  and 
its  inclination  is  scarcely  more  than  seven  degrees. 

67.  Kepler's  great  planetary  laws  must  not  be  for- 
gotten,   which    combine    the    elements    of    planetary 
motion  in  a  relative  proportion,  so  that  when  one  is 
given  the  others  can  be  deduced.     They  show  in  the 
most  beautiful  manner   the  intricate   network  which 
binds  the  solar  system  together,  and  prove,  of  them- 
selves   alone,    creation   by    law,    and    not    by    special 
design. 

68.  Thus  in  our  system  we  perceive  a  general  order 
pointing  to  one  great  source.     The  planets  all  move 
around  the  sun  in  the  same  direction,  and  almost  on 
the    same    plane.      The    satellites    move    round    their 
primaries  in  the  same  direction  as  the  planets;  with 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  153 

the  exception  of  those  of  Uranus,  their  diurnal  rotation 
corresponds  with  their  motion  around  the  sun,  and 
with  the  sun's  rotation,  and  their  orbits  have  small 
eccentricity.  Such  are  the  elements  of  planetary  re- 
lations. They  point,  not  to  a  creation  by  an  arbitrary 
power,  but  to  a  grand  law  of  evolution.  Those  who 
argue  the  theological  side  of  this  question  may  ad- 
vance in  its  support  that  the  revolution  of  the  planets 
around  the  sun  in  the  same  direction  is  necessary  for 
the  stability  of  the  present  order;  but  they  must  ac- 
knowledge that  so  far  as  stability  is  concerned,  it 
would  be  as  well  if  the  rotation  on  their  axes  were  in 
opposite  directions,  or  if  the  sun  did  not  revolve  in  the 
same  direction  as  the  planets. 

69.  Taking  for  granted  that  the  system  was  evolved 
from  a  vaporous  ocean,  and  that  the  volume  of  the 
sun  filled  the  entire  orbits  of  each  of  the  successive 
planets  when  they  were  eliminated,  M.   Comte  made 
a  mathematical  calculation  what  the  rotation  of  such 
a  mass  should  be,  and  the  results  he  thus  obtained 
very  nearly  coincide  with  observation.     Thus  the  sun, 
when  it  filled  the  earth's  orbit,  previously  to  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  earth,  should  rotate  on  its  axis  in  365  days. 
Comte 's  calculation  made  its  period  357  days — a  close 
approximation  in  so  intricate  a  problem.     The  moon's 
rotation  differed  from  the  results  of  his  calculations  by 
only  two  and  a  half  hours.     The  same  agreement  was 
found  with  all  the  planets,  in  no  case  differing  more 
than  one  forty -fifth  of  the  period.    If  Comte 's  calcula- 
tions are  received,  then  the  nebular  theory  becomes  a 
demonstration  of  mathematics.    If  they  are  erroneous, 
it  is  difficult  to  detect  the  source  of  error. 

70.  Having  glanced  at  the  mechanism  of  our  sys- 
tem, and  the  constitution  and  inter-relation  between 


154          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

its  members,  we  will  suspend  our  investigations  here, 
and  arise  to  the  contemplation  of  systems  outside  of 
our  own,  and  attempt  to  discover  the  relation  they  hold 
to  the  theory  we  are  discussing. 

71.  When  Sir  John  Herschel  directed  his  great  re- 
flector to  the  scattered  nebulae,  before  irresolvable,  and 
found  them  separated  into  countless  stars,  he  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  if  telescopic  power  were  sufficiently 
increased,  all  nebulae  could  be  resolved  into  stars. 
After  years  of  patient  and  conscientious  investigation, 
however,  he  reversed  his  previous  conclusions,  and 
maintained  that  "there  are  nebulosities  not  of  a  starry 
nature."  When  the  mammoth  telescope  of  Rosse  re- 
solved nebulae  which  Herschel  deemed  irresolvable, 
many  astronomers  returned  to  the  latter 's  first  conclu- 
sions, and  maintained  that  the  resolvability  is  solely  a 
question  of  distance;  that  all  nebulae  are  galaxies  of 
stars,  some  of  them  far  surpassing  in  splendor  our 
Milky  Way,  and  that  distance  alone  veils  their  beauty 
from  our  eyes.  Such  is  the  prevailing  supposition, 
and  by  assuming  it  as  demonstrated,  its  supporters 
consider  the  nebular  theory  demolished.  We  do  not 
attack  this  position  because  it  conflicts  with  our 

theory,  for  so  far  as 
it  militates,  if  all  the 
nebulae  were  blotted 
from  the  heavens,  the 
theory  would  stand 
unharmed ;  for  al- 
though nebulae  first 
suggested  the  idea  of 
cosmical  world  vapor  yet  uncondensed,  its  support  is 
derived  from  various  and  widely  separated  sources.  It 
were  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  cosmical  vapor  could 


THE  HISTOEY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  155 

be  observed,  as  the  same  causes  which  condensed  one 
mass  into  worlds  would  operate  with  equal  force 
on  all  others.  Its  discovery  is  a  remarkable  illustra- 
tion; its  denial  and  disproof  does  not  affect  the 
theory. 

72.  Contrary  to  the  idea  that  nebulae  are  vastly 
remote  star  clusters,  independent  of  our  stellar  system, 
we  hold  that  they  are  intimately  connected  members 
of  it.    In  support  of  this  heterodox  theory,  we  present 
the  stellar  mechanism.     Their  distribution  in  space, 
and  relation  to  surrounding  stars  fully  maintain  our 
position.     "The  spaces  which  precede  or  which  fol- 
low  simple    nebula?,"   says   Arago,    "and    a   fortiori, 
groups  of  nebulae,  contain  generally  few  stars."    Her- 
schel  found  this  rule   invariable.     Thus   every  time 
that,  during  a  short  interval,  no  stars  approached,  in 
virtue  of  the  diurnal  motion,  to  place  themselves  in  the 
field  of  his  motionless  telescope,  he  was  accustomed 
to  say  to  the  secretary  who  assisted  him,  "Prepare  to 
write;  nebulae  are  about  to  arrive." 

73.  If  there  were  no  physical  connection  between 
nebulae  and  our  stellar  system,  it  would  be  a  singular 
occurrence  for  a  nebula  to  be  thus  situated  in  a  star- 
less space;  that  two  should  be  thus  situated  would  be 
highly  improbable,  and  that  thousands  should  corre- 
spond in  such  a  remarkable  manner  would  be  infinitely 
improbable.     This  law  applies  still  farther.     In  those 
regions  where  stars  are  sparsely  distributed,  nebulae 
abound.     In  the  zone  where  stars  are  very  numerous, 
they  are  extremely  rare;  while  clustered  around  the 
poles  of  this  zone,  they  are  abundant.     Scarcely  any 
nebulae  lie  near  the  plane  of  the  Galaxy,  but  they  are 
crowded  around  the  galactic  poles.     Such  evidence  is 
overwhelming,  and  cannot  be  regarded  otherwise  than 


156  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

as  clearly  demonstrating  nebulas  to  be  integral  members 
of  our  system. 

74.  Distance  is  not  the  veil  which  renders  nebulae 
irresolvable.    It  is  taken  as  an  approximate  datum  that 
the  stars  are  remote  inversely   as  their  magnitude. 
Thus  a  star  of  the  eighth  magnitude  is  vastly  farther 
removed  than  one  of  the  first.     This  assumption,  of 
course,  is  based  on  the  supposition  that  all  stars  are  of 
the  same  magnitude,  but  this  is  sufficiently  accurate 
for  our  purpose.     Of  course  the  same  will  apply  to 
nebulae,  and  those  scarcely  discerned  by  the  telescope 
must  be  considered  more  remote  than  those  discernible 
by  the  naked  eye.     Hence,  if  all  nebulae  are  clusters 
of  stars,  the  largest  should  be  resolved,  while  the  diffi- 
culty of  resolution  should  increase  as  the  magnitude 
diminishes.     Such  are  not  the  facts.     While  the  indi- 
vidual stars  of  a  nebula  of  the  eighth  magnitude  are 
clearly  seen,  the  great  nebula  in  Andromeda,  two  and 
a  half  degrees  long  and  one  degree  wide,  appears  as  a 
diffused  mass.     According  to  the  popular  theory,  the 
instrument  which  fails  to  reveal  a  star  when  near, 
renders  it  plainly  perceptible  when  removed  to  eight 
times  the  distance. 

75.  According  to  astronomers,  the  Milky  Way  is  a 
lens-shaped  nebula,  and  our  sun  is  one  of  its  compo- 
nent stars,  situated  near  its  centre.     Its  major  axis  is 
estimated  at  seven  or  eight  hundred,  and  its  minor  at 
one  hundred  and  fifty  times  the  distance  of  Strius. 
Now,  the  best  telescopes  fail  to  resolve  the  remote  re- 
gions of  this  zone,  while  they  easily  resolve  nebulae 
of  the  eighth  magnitude,  which  are  supposed  to  be  a 
million  times  the  distance  of  Sirius.     What  shall  we 
say  of  an  hypothesis  which  supposes  a  telescope  capa- 
ble of  revealing  individual  stars,  a  million  times  the 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  157 

distance  of  Sirius,  while  it  totally  fails  to  reveal  stars 
two  hundred  times  the  distance  of  that  star? 

76.  The  Magellanic   clouds   afford   another   strong 
evidence  that  nebulas  are  a  part  of  our  system.    "The 
nebula  major,   as  well   as  minor,   consists   partly   of 
large  tracts  and  ill-defined  patches  of  irresolvable  neb- 
ula, and  of  nebulosity  in  every  stage  of  resolution,  up 
to  perfectly  resolvable  stars,  like  the  Milky  Way;  as 
also    of   regular'  and    irregular   nebulae,    properly   so 
called,  of  globular  clusters  in  every  stage  of  resolva- 
bility,  and  of  clustering  groups  sufficiently  insulated 
and  condensed  to  come  under  the  designation  of  clus- 
ters of  stars. '  '* 

77.  From  the  intimate  relation  which  exists  in  these 
tracts  of  nebula?,  they  must  be  regarded  as  situated  at 
nearly  the  same  distance  from  us;  yet  while  some  por- 
tions show  stars,  others  exhibit  not  the  least  indication 
of  resolvability. 

78.  After  a  careful  review  of  the  heavens,  we  can- 
not otherwise  regard  these  vapor-like  masses  than  cos- 
mical  vapor  in  various  stages  of  condensation.     We 
find  that  its  state  is  constantly  varying,  sometimes  ap- 
pearing as  elliptical  disks,  single  or  in  pairs,  occasion- 
ally   fan-shaped,    as    an    electrical    flame    variously 
branched,  or  like  well-defined  rings  enclosing  an  unoc- 
cupied centre.     Here  and  there  are  spots  gradually 
fading  away  from  a  bright  nucleus,  which  is  usually  a 
star;  at  other  times  forming  a  luminous  homogeneous 
spot.     These  stars  are  not  accidental  bodies  projected 
on  a  nebulous  ground,  but  a  part  of  the  nebulous  mat- 
ter which  surrounds  them.     In  these  masses  a  mutual 
relation  of  parts  must  exist. 

*  Herschel,  Observations  at  the  Cape,  p.  146. 


158  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

79.  The  nebulas  in  Andromeda  and  Orion  are 
among  the  few  which  are  discernible  to  the  unassisted 
vision.  On  a  clear  evening  the  one  in  Orion  is  plainly 
visible,  resembling  a  luminous  wisp  of  cloud.  When 
highly  magnified  it  presents  a  mottled  or  curdled  sur- 
face. There  is  no  indication  of  stars,  and  the  appear- 
ance is  entirely  different  from  those  nebulae  which  are 
resolvable.  Here  are  two  large  nebulas,  very  much 
nearer  to  us  than  stars  of  the  eighth  magnitude,  plainly 
perceptible  to  the  unassisted  eye;  yet,  while  the  tele- 
scope resolves  nebulae  seen  only  by  its  aid  a  thousand 
times  farther  removed,  it  fails  even  to  approach  a 
resolution  of  these.  Such  are  the  evidences  which 
favor  the  hypothesis,  that  all,  and  more  than  all,  the 
largest  telescope  reveals,  form  one  great  world-conti- 
nent. Thus  the  distance  of  sixty-one  cygni  from  the 
sun  is  computed  to  be  six  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
thousand  semidiameters  of  the  earth's  orbit,  a  dis- 
tance which  takes  light  two  years  to  traverse;  and 
Herschel  estimates  that  a  star  revealed  in  the  Milky 
Way  by  his  twenty  feet  reflector  is  so  remote  that 
light  would  be  two  thousand  years  traversing  the  in- 
comprehensible interval.  Such  is  the  vast  extent  of 
the  stellar  system  to  which  our  sun  belongs.  Yet  it 
has  bounds.  It  is  supposed  we  are  nearer  one  side  of 
this  system  than  the  other.  If  so,  there  is  a  possibil- 
ity, with  sufficient  telescopic  power,  of  looking  out 
into  space,  as,  when  on  the  border  of  a  forest,  we  can 
look  out  on  one  side,  but  trees  and  branches  shut 
out  the  view  in  the  opposite  direction.  This  has  been 
accomplished,*  and  the  patient  observer  has  been  grati- 
fied by  the  appearance  of  the  illimitable  space-ocean 
seen  through  the  vista  of  stars. 

*  Herschel's   Astronomy. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  159 

80.  If  the  stellar  system  is  circumscribed  on  one 
side,  it  must  be  on  all  others.     If  so,  it  is  not  infinite, 
but  has  limits.     Star  clusters  and  detached  stars  are 
but  component  members  of  one  system  evolved  by  a 
common  cause.     After  we  have  investigated  the  origin 
of  the  solar  system,  we  shall  apply  the  same  principles 
to  the  creation  of  this  stellar  system,  or  world-continent. 

81.  The  magnificent  condensations  which  must  be 
taking    place    in    nebulae    are    occasionally    observed. 
Direct  observations  show  that  changes   of   form   are 
occurring  in  Andromeda  and  Argo,  and  in  the  interior 
portions  of  the  great  nebulae  in  Orion.     These  move- 
ments  are  confined  to  a  series   of  aggregations  and 
condensations.     Herschel,  by  noting  the  variations  in 
the  light  of   a  star   passing  through   the   nebula   in 
Orion,  and  year  by  year  finding  less  and  less  interfer- 
ence with  the  stellar  light,  drew  the  inference  that 
motion  was  occurring  on  that  border  where  the  star 
was  located.     Other  masses  are  not  as  favorably  situ- 
ated, having  no  star  near  them  by  which  we  can  mark 
the  changes  which  are  gradually  progressing,  and  are 
so  much  farther  off  that  the  movements  must  be  so 
great,  to  produce  a  visible  effect,  that  millions  of  years 
must  be  allowed.     When  we  consider  the  distance  at 
which  the  nearest  is  situated,  we  find  that  a  concen- 
tration of  a  million  of  miles  in  their  diameter  would 
not  be  apparent,  as  it  would  not  appear,  at  that  dis- 
tance, more  than  the  thinnest  line. 

82.  In  view  of  such  facts  we  must  admit  the  exist- 
ence   of    self-luminous    vapor    scattered    in    detached 
masses  through  the  regions  of  space.     When  we  look 
out  into  the  sidereal  heavens,  and  sweep  past  these 
bodies  with  the  telescope,   the   growth  of  worlds  be- 
comes to  us  as  the  growth  of  trees  in  a  forest.    Here 


160          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

we  see  a  tall,  magnificent  oak.  Did  it  grow  from  an 
acorn?  By  its  side  we  see  a  smaller  oak,  one  still 
less,  a  sapling,  a  little  oak  just  creeping  out  from  the 
acorn  shell,  and  an  acorn.  Are  we  not  justified  in 
concluding  that  the  oak,  tall  as  it  is,  sprang  from  the 
acorn?  Here,  time  is  represented  by  distance.  Sev- 
eral centuries  which  intervene  between  the  develop- 
ment of  the  oak  from  the  acorn  are  supplied  by  a  few 
feet  of  ground.  If  all  the  undergrowth  was  de- 
stroyed, and  we  were  placed  by  the  side  of  the  oak, 
perfectly  ignorant  of  its  origin,  we  should  reflect  with- 
out making  the  least  advance  towards  an  accurate  con- 
clusion. The  undergrowth  reveals  its  history. 

83.  So  it  is  among  the  stars.  Here  is  a  world- 
ocean;  there  it  condenses;  in  another  place  the  pro- 
cess is  carried  still  farther;  and,  in  another,  a  mass 
transformed  into  a  stellar  system  is  presented.  Space 
here  supplies  countless  ages  of  time,  and  by  a  few 
moments '  observation  of  the  heavens  we  can  read  the 
history  of  a  million  of  ages. 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE  THEORY  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  WORLDS. 

Cometary  Vapor.  —  Primoidal  Nature  of  Nebulous  Vapor.  —  Origin  of 
Comets.  —  Production  of  Planetary  Zones.  —  Experiment.  —  Cause 
of  Revolution  and  Rotation.  —  Form  and  Size  of  a  Stellar  System ; 
Centre  of ;  Motions  of.  —  Special  Design,  &c. 

84.  COMETS  show  the  possibility  of  reconverting 
solid  matter  to  its  original  vaporous  form.  When 
these  wanderers  rush  down  from  the  outskirts  of  the 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  161 

system  past  the  sun,  they  are  subject  to  the  intense 
heat  of  its  rays — a  heat  in  some  instances  two  thou- 
sand times  that  of  red  hot  iron.  This  temperature 
not  only  vaporizes  the  matter  of  which  they  are  com- 
posed, but  expands  it  to  vast  dimensions  until  it  is 
so  attenuated  as  to  appear  like  a  speck  of  cloud  or 
lock  of  down,  admitting  the  passage  of  the  sunbeams 
through  them  uninterruptedly,  reflecting  light  from 
their  internal  as  well  as  external  surface,  and  not  inter- 
cepting the  light  of  the  smallest  star. 

85.  Of    like    nature    was    the    world-vapor    from 
which  our  system  was  evolved.     After  the  foregoing 
researches   we    are   justified   in    assuming   data,   and 
proceeding  to  harmonize  the  diversity  of  facts  which 
are  embraced  by  our  theory.    Let  us  assume  the  exist- 
ence of  a  mass  of  world- vapor,  the  diameter  of  which, 
at  least,  is  as  great  as  the  distance  of  Sirius. 

86.  Of    the   primordial  condition    of    this    vapor 
nothing  can  be  known.     To  say  that  it  was  an  ocean 
of  fire  involves  inexplicable  difficulties.    The  heat  mani- 
fested  at   a  later  epoch  undoubtedly  resulted  from 
condensation — was    an    effect,    instead    of    a    cause. 
After   great   condensation   by   gravitation,  matter  is 
first  presented  to  our  contemplation  as  an  intensely 
heated   vapor.      Previous   to    this    epoch   nothing   is 
known. 

87.  Having  assumed  the  existence  of  such  a  mass, 
let  us  study  the  changes  which  must  necessarily  occur 
according  to  well-known  physical  laws.     This  ocean 
of  vapor  would  contain  all  the  elements,  gaseous  and 
solid.    No  compounds  could  exist  from  its  intense  heat ; 
but  all  would  be  resolved  to  primitive  elements,  and 
these    elements    mingled    in    a    homogeneous    mass. 
Every   atom  of  this  ocean  would  tend  towards  the 

11 


162  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OS 

common  centre.  This  would  round  into  a  spher- 
ical form,  and  by  condensation  develop  heat,  which 
would  resist  condensation  until  radiated.  The  pro- 
cess, in  consequence  of  the  vastness  of  the  mass,  must 
progress  slowly.  As  the  temperature  diminished, 
chemical  laws  would  operate.  The  denser  material 
would  gravitate  towards  the  centre,  while  the  lighter 
would  constantly  tend  towards  the  external;  hence 
the  central  portion  of  the  mass  must  become  more 
and  more  dense  than  the  external.  Particles  of  like 
nature  would  attract  each  other,  and  similar  masses 
would  result.  These  would  take  directions  towards 
the  centre  in  accordance  with  their  form  and  density. 
They  would  rotate  in  various  directions  around  the 
common  centre;  but  there  would  be  an  infinite  im- 
probability that  a  perfect  equilibrium  would  be  pre- 
served: a  greater  number,  or  larger  flocculi,  would 
revolve  in  one  direction  than  another.  These  would 
establish  an  independent  rotation  of  their  gaseous  en- 
velope, which  would  gradually  draw  into  itself  all  the 
other  flocculi,  and  the  entire  mass  would  revolve  in 
common  on  its  axis.  Thus  rotation  was  produced. 
Of  the  existence  of  such  flocculi  we  have  proof  in  the 
matter  which  constitutes  comets;  for,  according  to 
Herschel,  "the  luminous  part  of  a  comet  is  something 
of  the  nature  of  smoke,  fog,  or  cloud,  suspended  in  a 
transparent  atmosphere. ' ' 

88.  This  process  we  can  see,  by  the  aid  of  a  pow- 
erful glass,  in  the  heavens.  As  before  stated,  and  in 
remarkable  harmony  with  the  theory,  it  is  not  the 
largest  nebulaB  which  are  resolvable.  The  large  and 
irresolvable  nebulaB  are  of  irregular  outline,  showing 
that  they  are  not  condensed.  Arago  says,  "The  forms 
of  very  large  diffused  nebulae  do  not  appear  to  admit 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  163 

of  definition;  they  have  no  regular  outline."  In 
such  nebulae  the  process  of  condensation  has  not  pro- 
ceeded far  enough  to  round  them  into  symmetry.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  globular  and  spiral  nebulae  are 
resolvable.  The  spiral  nebulae,  which  are  in  a  transi- 
tional form  between  the  irregular  irresolvable,  and  the 
globular  resolvable  nebulae,  as  theory  would  advocate, 
must  be  more  condensed,  and  hence  small,  which  is  true. 
In  them  there  must  be  a  partial  aggregation.  The 
spiral  streaks  of  light  which  their  surfaces  present,  cor- 
respond to  the  paths  of  aggregating  matter  moving 
towards  the  centre,  as  developed  in  the  preceding 
course  of  reasoning.  At  the  centre,  spiral  nebulae  are 
resolvable — a  fact  also  remarkably  in  accordance 
with  the  abstract  theory.  At  the  centre  the  smaller 
masses  should  unite  into  larger  ones,  and  these  into 
still  larger,  until  a  few  bright  orbs  should  take  the 
place  of  the  detached  masses. 

89.  Globular    nebulae    bear    out    the    theory    still 
farther.     They    are    always    resolvable,    and    always 
present  a  dense  clustering  of  their  constituent  masses 
around  the  centre;  and  as  the  degree  of  this  concen- 
tration must  vary,  so  do  we  find  all  degrees  of  aggre- 
gation. 

90.  Comets,  according  to  Laplace's  theory,  had  no 
place    in   our   system:    they   were    chance   wanderers 
from  system  to  system.     This  theory  has  never  satis- 
factorily accounted  for  their  existence,  and  on  this 
ground  a  great  objection  has  been  urged  against  the 
whole  nebular  theory.     But  let  us  see  if  the  appar- 
ently insurmountable  objection   cannot  be   rationally 
explained.      The    flocculi    before    mentioned    would, 
under  the  influence  of  their  irregular  forms,  take  spiral 
pathways    toward    their    common    centre.      On    their 


164  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

journey  they  would  unite  in  larger  and  larger  masses, 
until  complete  condensation  resulted;  but  it  would  be 
improbable  that  all  should  be  thus  drawn  in.  Com- 
posed of  lighter  material,  those  from  the  most  exter- 
nal portions  would  be  delayed  until  the  formation  of 
planetary  zones,  when  they  would  remain  distinct, 
and  revolve  in  orbits  of  their  own.  Coming  from  all 
parts  of  the  external  region,  and  remaining  distinct 
and  uninfluenced  by  the  rotation  in  common  impressed 
on  the  gaseous  envelope,  their  motion  would  have  no 
relation,  in  direction,  to  that  of  the  planets.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  abstraction  of  theory,  we  find  that  out 
of  two  hundred  and  ten  comets  known  in  1855,  one 
hundred  and  four  were  direct,  and  one  hundred  and 
six  were  retrograde.  Another  very  significant  fact 
is,  that  although  comets  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
heavens,  they  are  by  no  means  equally  distributed; 
they  are  far  more  abundant  at  the  poles  of  the  ecliptic 
than  at  its  plane.  It  is  estimated  that  for  every  comet 
coming  from  the  plane  of  the  ecliptic,  11.5  come  from 
its  poles.  This  fact  not  only  overthrows  Laplace's 
theory,  and  that  of  Lagrange,  who  considered  them 
fragments  of  exploded  planets,  but  clearly  proves  that 
they  are  not  accidental  bodies;  it  shows  that  they 
were  created  by  some  law.  While  planets  revolve  in 
circular  orbits  corresponding  with  the  plane  of  the 
ecliptic,  and  in  one  direction,  comets  are  their  oppo- 
sites  in  having  a  close  relation  to  the  poles  of  the  eclip- 
tic, revolving  in  extremely  eccentric  orbits,  and  having 
both  direct  and  retrograde  motion.  These  character- 
istics, peculiar  to  them,  were  undoubtedly  received  by 
the  physical  properties  of  the  rotating  nebulous  ocean. 
91.  When  the  mass  had  sufficiently  contracted  to 
establish  a  rapid  rotation,  its  poles  would  contract 


THE   HISTORY   AND  I^AWS   OP   CREATION.  165 

until  it  became  an  extremely  flattened  spheroid,  or 
lens-shaped.  The  external  portions  of  this  mass,  over- 
coming by  their  centripetal  force  their  gravity,  would 
become  detached,  and  form  a  ring  around  the  central 
mass,  such  as  Saturn's  rings  illustrate.  If  the  rota- 
tion of  the  central  mass  were  perfectly  arranged,  all 
the  zones,  and  hence  planets,  must  revolve  in  iden- 
tically the  same  plane.  If  we  consider,  however,  that 
the  independent  flocculi,  previously  to  their  being 
drawn  into  the  central  aggregation,  must  revolve  in 
orbits  cutting  the  common  rotation  at  every  conceiv- 
able angle,  the  slight  diversity  existing  among  the 
planets  is  readily  accounted  for.  Those  planets  first 
formed  would  partake  of  this  disturbing  cause  more 
than  those  formed  after  perfect  rotation  had  been 
established;  and  we  find  that  the  orbit  of  Mercury, 
the  latest  formed  of  the  planets,  makes  an  angle  with 
the  sun's  equator  of  only  one  third  of  a  degree.  The 
earth's  orbit  makes  an  angle  of  seven  and  one  third 
degrees,  and  the  external  planets  still  greater. 

92.  A  German  professor  instituted  a  very  beauti- 
ful experiment  in  illustration  of  the  nebular  theory. 
He  suspended  a  globule  of  oil  in  a  fluid  of  precisely 
its  own  density,  which  of  course  negated  the  gravita- 
tion of  the  globule  thus  suspended ;  it  at  once  assumed 
a  globular  form.     By  an  ingenious  contrivance  it  is 
made    to    rotate    on    its    axis.      It    immediately    be- 
comes spheroidal,   and   its  spheroidal   form  increases 
until  a  fine  ring  is  thrown  off  near  its  margin.     This 
ring  continues  to  revolve,  soon  breaks  up  into  detached 
masses,   which   unite,   and,   rotating   on   its   axis,    the 
resulting  globule  again  throws  off  rings  imitating  in 
miniature  the  solar  system. 

93.  The  various  rings  must  be  of  the  same  den- 


166          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

sity  as  the  material  of  which  they  are  formed;  and  as 
the  density  increases  from  the  surface  to  the  centre  of 
the  nebulous  mass,  the  density  of  the  rings,  and  hence 
of  the  planets,  must  conform  to  this  arrangement  of 
materials,  the  most  external  being  the  lightest,  and  the 
internal  the  heaviest;  which  is  true  to  a  remarkable 
extent. 

94.  The  rotation  of  the  planets  on  their  axes  in 
one  direction  points  to  a  common  law  of  genesis.  This 
was  determined  by  the  form  and  rotation  of  the  rings 
from  which  they  originated.  Laplace  supposed  that 
the  breaking  up  of  the  rings,  and  the  direction  and 
amount  of  rotation  of  the  resulting  planet,  were 
dependent  on  the  difference  of  velocity  in  tne  external 
and  internal  portions  of  the  rings;  but  the  phenom- 
ena resulting  from  differently  formed  rings  are  obvious. 
Zones  thrown  from  an  exceedingly  large  and  nearly 
spherical  mass  would  be  shaped  like  a  hoop,  having 
very  much  the  greater  diameter  at  right  angles  with  the 
plane  of  its  rotation,  while  a  zone  thrown  from  a 
smaller  rapidly  rotating  spheroidal  mass  would  have 
its  greater  diameter  corresponding  with  its  plane  of 
rotation.  In  the  former  case  the  resulting  planet  would 
have  a  slow  rotation ;  and  from  the  small  difference  be- 
tween its  interior  and  exterior  portions,  a  retrograde 
rotation  might  be  established.  In  the  latter  case  di- 
rect and  rapid  rotation  must  follow.  Apply  this  course 
of  reasoning  to  the  solar  system.  As  a  rule,  the  large 
planets  have  a  rapid  while  the  small  planets  have  a 
slow  rotation.  This  is  fully  explained  by  the  inference 
drawn  from  the  theory,  which  is  self-evident,  that  a 
large  planet  necessitates  a  large  zone;  and  the  differ- 
ence between  the  exterior  and  interior  velocities  must 
generate  great  rotatory  power.  Uranus,  and  probably 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  167 

Neptune,  have  a  retrograde  motion,  judging  from 
the  motion  of  their  moons,  and  hence  have  been  urged 
as  objections  against  the  nebular  theory.  But  when 
we  consider  the  circumstances  of  their  evolution,  the 
difficulty,  so  far  from  being  insurmountable,  vanishes. 
Uranus  is  of  small  size  compared  with  the  two  next 
interior  planets,  Jupiter  and  Saturn.  From  the  vast- 
ness  of  its  orbit,  the  zone  from  which  it  was  produced 
must  have  been  extremely  slender;  in  consequence 
there  would  be  little  difference  between  the  relative 
velocities  of  its  internal  and  external  portions.  Hence 
the  direction  of  rotation  of  the  planet  would  be  but 
slightly  influenced  by  this  cause,  and  hence  a  rotation 
nearly  perpendicular  to  the  plane  of  its  orbit.  While 
Saturn's  orbit  is  only  one  half  the  diameter,  its  size 
is  eight  times  greater.  Hence  its  genetic  zone  must 
have  had  a  considerable  breadth,  and  in  consequence 
the  planet  has  a  direct  rotation  differing  from  its 
plane  of  translation  by  only  thirty  degrees.  The 
orbit  of  Jupiter  is  only  half  that  of  Saturn,  while  its 
size  is  more  than  three  and  one  half  times  greater. 
Hence  the  plane  of  rotation  of  this  planet  differs 
from  its  orbit  but  three  degrees.  The  zones  from 
which  Mars,  Earth,  Venus,  and  Mercury  were  formed, 
considering  the  small  size  of  these  planets,  must  have 
been  extremely  small;  and  hence  the  plane  of  rota- 
tion again  diverges. 

95.  Having  thus  inquired  into  the  causes  of  the 
planets'  genesis,  we  may  ask  an  explanation  of  their 
rotatory  force.  It  is  an  axiom  that  in  a  nebulous  mass 
the  farther  particles  have  to  travel  before  reaching  the 
centre,  the  more  rapid  will  be  their  velocity.  The 
larger  the  genetic  ring,  the  greater  the  velocity  of  the 
planet.  We  see  this  condition  in  Jupiter ;  and  it  rotates 


168  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

in  less  than  ten  hours,  while  Mars,  Earth,  Venus, 
and  Mercury,  whose  rings  must  have  been  slender, 
take  double  that  time.  The  smallest  takes  the  longest. 

96.  These   facts  are  without  meaning   unless   the 
nebular  theory  be  received.    By  its  aid  all  this  diver- 
sity of  phenomena  is  harmonized,  but  without  it  they 
become  meaningless,  and  each  one  casts  a  slur  in  the 
face  of  the  received  hypothesis  of  a  final  cause. 

97.  The   satellites   repeat   in   miniature    the    solar 
system.     They  rotate  on  their  axes  in  the  same  direc- 
tion they  go  around  their  primaries,  and  their  orbits 
diverge  but  little  from  the  equations  of  their  prima- 
ries.    When  we  pass  inward  across  the  planetary  or- 
bits, we  find  two  bodies  of  nearly  the  same  size ;  then 
they  rapidly  increase  in  volume,  and  then  decrease  as 
rapidly.     This  singular  arrangement  is  repeated  by  all 
the  secondaries.     Jupiter's  two  outer  satellites  are  the 
largest,  and  according  to  Lassell,  the  same  is  true  of 
the  four  satellites  of  Uranus.     In  Saturn,  from  the 
large  number  of  satellites,  their  arrangement  is  still 
more  complete.     The  three  outer  satellites  are  large, 
the  inner  ones  small.    Those  next  to  the  planet  can 
scarcely  be  discerned  by  the  best  telescope,  while  one 
of  the  external  ones  is  nearly  the  size  of  Mars. 

98.  By  the  nebular  theory  we  can  not  only  deter- 
mine where  satellites  should  be  found,  but  their  number 
also.     We  know  these  problems  depend  on  the  rota- 
tory velocity  of  the  planets.     In  order  to  form  a  sat- 
ellite the  centrifugal  force  of  the  planetary  mass  must 
exceed  its   gravity,   that   the   exterior   atoms   can  be 
thrown  off.     Although  great  changes  in  velocity  may 
have  taken  place,  we  are  justified  in  supposing  that  in 
those  bodies  where  it  is  greatest  at  present  it  has  ever 
been  the  greatest.     Now,   granting  these  data,  those 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  169 

planets  which  rotate  with  the  greatest  velocity  should 
have  the  most  satellites.  Apply  this  to  the  planets. 
Let  us  estimate  what  proportion  the  centrifugal  force 
bears  to  gravity.  In  Mercury  it  is  ^j  in  Venus, 
^  ;  these  planets  are  destitute  of  moons.  In  the 
earth  it  is  2-|^,  and  the  earth  has  one  moon;  in  Mars, 
A.;  in  Jupiter,  ^  and  this  planet  has  four  satellites ; 
in  Saturn,  ±,  and  the  planet  has  eight  moons; 
in  Uranus,  |,  and  the  planet  has  six  satellites.  There 
is  one  exception  to  theory  here.  Venus  has,  according 
to  the  received  computation,  greater  centrifugal  velocity 
than  the  earth,  and  should  have  a  moon.  According 
to  several  noted  astronomers*  it  has  one,  and  Lam- 
bert calculated  its  elements.  If,  however,  this  should 
prove  erroneous,  it  remains  that  the  diameter  of  Venus 
is  variously  estimated,  and  its  centrifugal  force  in  con- 
sequence may  hold  a  less  instead  of  greater  ratio  to 
that  of  the  earth's.  If  so,  these  relations  are  incon- 
testable arguments  in  favor  of  our  theory. 

99.  Another  fact  still  remains  equally  conclusive. 
The  moon  rotates  but  once  on  its  axis  at  each  revolu- 
tion around  the  earth,  and  hence  always  presents  the 
same  surface  to  the  earth.  We  may  well  ask  why 
this  is  so;  for,  as  a  work  of  design,  it  is  a  failure. 
As  a  luminary,  to  us  it  would  have  served  its  purpose 
equally  well  if  it  revolved  with  greater  rapidity,  and 
for  the  benefit  of  any  future  inhabitants  of  the  moon 
such  an  arrangement  would  be  vastly  better.  Accord- 
ing to  Laplace,  the  supposition  that  this  arrangement 
resulted  from  chance  is  infinitely  improbable,  but  that 
by  the  genetic  laws  of  our  system  such  an  arrange- 
ment would  be  very  likely  to  establish  itself;  and  he 

*  Cassini,    Roedkier,    Montague,    &c. 


170  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

also  shows,  from  the  same  laws,  that  the  lateral  oscil- 
lation called  the  moon's  libration  would  arise. 

100.  Equally    beautiful    relations    exist    with    the 
satellites  of  the  other  planets.     This  relation  has  be- 
come familiar  in  regard  to  Jupiter's  moons;  and  such 
is  the  relationship  between  them,  that,  the  distance  of 
two  of  them  being  given,  that  of  the  others  can  be 
accurately  found  by  calculation. 

101.  These  views  have  yet  to  be  extended  to  our 
stellar  world  system.     The  same   principles  are   dis- 
played throughout  its  infinite  domain  as  in  the  forma- 
tion and  revolutions  of  a  satellite.      A  moon  and  its 
primary  is  a  type  of  the  universe.     The  solar  system 
is  lens-shaped,  because  it  was  evolved  from  a  rotating 
spheroid;  the  stellar  system,  to  which  we  belong,  is 
lens-shaped,  because  it  was  evolved   from   a  greater 
rotating  spheroid.     Remarkable  is  the  correspondence 
between    comets    and    nebulas.     While    comets    crowd 
around  the  poles  of  the  plane  of  revolution  of  the 
planets,  nebulae  crowd  around  the  poles  of  our  stellar 
stratum,  the  line  of  whose  orbit  is  represented  by  the 
Milky  Way.     Such  a  correspondence  and  similarity  of 
constitution  point  to  a  similar  origin,  and  it  becomes 
a  legitimate  inference  that  nebula  are  to  the  central 
sun  of  our  stellar  system  what  comets  are  to  our  solar 
system:  they  are  comets  to  the  great  central  sun. 

102.  That   such    a    central    orb    must    exist,    is    a 
necessity  of  all  systems  of  nature.     There  must  be 
a  centrality  to  chain  sun  to  sun,  else  they  would  rush 
in  straight  lines  through  space,  until,  meeting  with  a 
controlling  attraction,  they  would  form  orbits,  and  a 
system  would  grow  up  by  the  arrival  of  new  members, 
as  each  body  added  its  attraction  to  that  previously 
excited.    A  centrality  would  be  thus  created,  were  the 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  171 

stars  thrown  into  the  immensity  of  space,  like  grain 
from  the  hand  of  the  sower.  It  is  a  necessity  of  the 
law  of  gravitation  and  repulsion. 

103.  If  this  stellar  system  has  a  centre,  it  has  a 
circumference,   as   already  proved  by  observation,    a 
glimpse  having  been  obtained  of  the  exterior  space- 
ocean  which  laves  it  on  every  side.     So  far  as  obser- 
vation extends,   it  has  a   plane   of  revolution  corre- 
sponding to  our  zodiac,  around  the  poles  of  which  the 
nebulous  comets  cluster. 

104.  Such  is  the  nebular  theory  of  the  creation  of 
worlds.  It  is  in  direct  opposition  to  the  popular  hypoth- 
esis of  creation.    While  every  fact  yet  observed  corre- 
sponds  and  supports  the   one,   all   negate  the   other. 
The  mystery  said  to  shroud  the  Deity  is  worthless  in 
a  scientific  investigation.    We  must  have  facts,  and  a 
positive  philosophy  based  on  nature  and  reason. 

105.  If  the  universe  was  created  by  a  final  cause, 
why  were  some  of  the  planets  so  abundantly  supplied 
with  moons,  while  others  were  left  destitute?    Special 
pleading  may  say  that  the  moonless  planets  are  so 
near  the  sun  that  they  do  not  need  moons.     Nay: 
from  the  brightness  of  their  days,  the  nights,  by  con- 
trast, must  be  very  dark,  and  need  moons  as  much, 
if  not  more,  than  more  external  planets.    But  why,  ad- 
mitting the  explanation,  was  a  moon  given  to  the  earth, 
and  not  to  Mars,  which  is  twice  the  distance  from 
the  sun?     Why   were   eight  moons   and  three   rings 
given  Saturn,  while  Uranus  has  but  four,  (or,  accord- 
ing to  Herschel,   six,)    although  he  is  twice  the  dis- 
tance from  the  sun  ?    What  freak  of  fancy  gave  Saturn 
his  rings,  and  left  the  other  planets  destitute?     Still 
farther:   if  these  moons   were  created  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  light  to  their  planets,  why  were  not 


172  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

the  largest,  instead  of  the  smallest,  placed  next  to 
the  planet,  and  not  so  far  off  as  to  be  nearly  use- 
less, while  the  smallest  are  of  little  use  from  their 
diminutive  size?  These  questions  are  not  cavil,  but 
pertinent,  and  each  one  has  power  to  overthrow  the 
hypothetical  dream  of  a  final  or  partial  cause.  Moon 
revolves  around  its  primary  planet,  planet  around  its 
sun,  which,  in  common  with  the  countless  host  which 
spangle  the  canopy  of  night,  revolves  around  one  com- 
mon centre,  which  binds  this  stellar  continent  into  one 
system,  and  moves  in  an  infinitely  extended  orbit,  as 
one  planetary  system  around  an  inconceivably  remote 
centre;  and  this  centre  is  not  established  for  one  such 
system,  but  for  a  multitude,  scattered  through  infinite 
space.  Grand  conception  of  the  unity  of  nature! 
106.  Thus  began  the  present  order  of  nature.  Mat- 
ter could  not  have  remained  dormant,  and  at  that 
particular  time  have  awakened  to  action.  Perhaps  it 
had  existed  in  an  infinite  number  of  universes  before, 
passing  back  to  its  primitive  condition  each  time, 
slightly  more  refined,  until  it  became  capable  of  form- 
ing a  system  as  perfect  as  the  present.  The  reader 
may  say  this  is  too  imaginative.  Not  so;  for  does 
not  the  earth  show  the  marks  of  infancy,  and  do  we 
not  see  infant  worlds  in  process  of  condensation? 
The  WORLD  must  have  had  a  beginning.  Matter  with- 
out a  beginning  must  have  been  active,  in  whatever 
form  it  existed;  and  the  play  of  antagonizing  forces 
would  have  built  up  and  destroyed  system  after 
system,  in  the  lapse  of  an  infinitude  of  ages.  Matter, 
under  the  stimulating  influence  of  the  great  principles 
or  laws  of  nature,  has  been  urged  on  in  its  progression, 
from  its  lowest  state  through  various  channels,  until  it 
ultimated  in  the  various  elements  we,  witness 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  173 

us.  The  primitive  ocean  was  a  stupendous  mass  of 
unorganized  matter,  in  which,  the  forces  of  electricity 
acted  and  reacted,  in  drawing  together  like  materials; 
in  separating  order  from  disorder,  and  giving  to  each 
world  the  elements  which  suited  it  best.  The  world- 
forming  experiment  succeeded  to  the  utmost  that  could 
be  desired  and  to-day  the  bright  sunshine  and  the  blue 
sky  disclose  the  wisdom  of  God,  as  seen  through  his 
attributes  acting  on  matter. 

107.  The  earth  attracted  to  itself  the  elements  which 
were  best  adapted  to   its  condition,   and  from  those 
combinations  the   gorgeous  scenes  which   are   spread 
around  us  have  arisen.     The  azure  arch,  the  grand 
ocean,  the  activity  of  animal  life,  all,  all  declare  the 
harmony   and   adaptation  of  these   conditions,  which 
connect  remotest  suns,  chain  the  comets  in  their  fiery 
paths,    and   ultimate    in   thought,   wisdom,   love,    and 

INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE. 

108.  We  will  now  turn  our  attention  from  the  mag- 
nificent contemplation  of  solar  system  and  stellar  uni- 
verses,  to   the  special  phenomena   presented   by   our 
earth.     As  it  is  a  type  of  the  universe,  if  we  under- 
stand nature  as  there  presented  to  us,  we  shall  under- 
stand it  as  it  is  presented  in  all  other  worlds.     Let 
us  analyze  the  effects  we  observe  around  us,  and  seek 
their  cause.* 


*  Works  consulted  in  the  astronomical  portion  of  this  work :  Hum- 
boldt's  Cosmos ;  Herschel's  Outlines  of  Astronomy ;  Olmsted's  Astron- 
omy ;  Fourier,  Theorie  Analytique  de  la  Chaleur ;  Poison,  Theorie 
Mathematique  de  la  Chaleur ;  Sargey,  Physique  du  Globe ;  Newton's 
Principia  ;  Madler's  Astronomy ;  Herschel's  Observations  at  the  Cape  ; 
Nichol's  Thoughts  of  some  Important  Points  relating  to  the  System  of 
the  World ;  Philosophical  Transactions,  vol.  Ivii.  ;  Delambre's  Historic 
de  1'Astronomie  Moderne ;  Laplace,  Expos,  du  SystSme  du  Monde ; 
Nichol's  Architecture  of  the  Heavens ;  Vestiges  of  Creation,  and 
Sequel. 


174  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 


CHAPTER    IV. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  EARTH,  FROM  THE  GASEOUS  OCEAN 
TO  THE  CAMBRIAN. 

It    becomes    liquid.  —  Law    of    Cooling    Bodies.  —  Creation    of 
Water.  —  Deposition  of   the   Metals.  —  Scenery,   &c. 

109.  THE  intensity  of  the  heat  which  resulted  from 
the  pressure  of  the  atoms  composing  the  earth,  by  the 
power  of  gravitation,  was  very  great.     As  the  earth 
radiated   its   surplus   heat   into   space,   it   contracted 
its  area  until  it  became  fluid.     Its  limits,  at  first  ex- 
tending beyond  the  moon,  were  greatly  reduced,  still 
of  course  its  density  was  less  than  that  of  the  atmos- 
phere.    Grand  and  awful  was  the  scenery  presented 
during   the   infinite    period   in   which    the   forces    of 
radiation  and  segregation  worked  on  to  their  destiny. 
The  lurid  firmament   glowed  with  the  internal  fires. 
Through  the  red  haze  the  sun  and  stars  shone  with 
portentous  hue.     The  blue  sky  and  the  mild  beaming 
of  the  planets  enlivened  not  this  scene  of  wild  com- 
motion, but  the  terrific  forces  of  the  conflicting  ele- 
ments of  the  new-born  world  labored  on  in  convul- 
sions and  fire. 

110.  By  radiation  the  temperature  continually  de- 
creased, and  after  a  long  succession  of  ages,  a  slight 
crust  began  to  form  over  the  fiery  surface.     A  crust, 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  175 

however,  would  not  begin  to  form  until  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  whole  mass  was  lowered  almost  to  the 
solidifying  point.  The  process  was  like  that  which 
would  occur  in  a  globe  of  water  in  the  same  position. 
Under  the  influence  of  a  high  temperature,  it  would 
first  exist  as  a  vast  body  of  steam.  When  the  heat 
diminished  sufficiently,  the  vapor  would  become  fluid, 
and  as  the  temperature  diminished,  the  whole  mass 
would  be  affected  equally,  for  by  the  well-known  laws 
of  fluids,  currents  from  the  centre  would  tend  to  reduce 
the  temperature  of  all  parts  equally.  A  crust  of  ice 
would  next  begin  to  form,  until  the  entire  globe  became 
reduced  to  39%  degrees,  when  the  currents  would 
cease;  the  surface  would  not  fall  to  the  centre,  but 
would  remain  growing  colder  and  increasing  in  thick- 
ness. If  we  endeavored  to  elevate  the  temperature  of 
a  fluid  globe,  it  would  be  of  little  avail  to  apply  heat 
to  the  surface,  for  the  cold  portion,  being  the  heavier, 
would  remain  as  near  the  centre  as  possible,  while  the 
heated  surface,  becoming  lighter,  would  tend  to  remain 
in  its  position,  and  being  an  extremely  bad  conductor 
of  heat,  the  subjacent  stratum  would  remain  unaf- 
fected. If  we  commenced  with  a  globe  of  ice,  its  cen- 
tral portions  would  remain  congealed  until  it  was 
brought  to  the  surface  by  the  superficial  stratum  being 
converted  into  steam.  The  same  principle  is  seen  in 
heating  a  quantity  of  water.  If  the  heat  is  applied 
beneath — the  same  as  heat  applied  at  the  centre  of 
the  earth — the  temperature  rapidly  increases,  but  if 
the  process  is  reversed,  the  heat  being  applied  at  the 
top,  the  lower  stratum  will  not  be  affected  in  the  least. 
The  same  law  holds  good  for  all  fluids;  and  had  this 
fact  been  given  its  full  weight  by  theorists,  or  by  those 
who  dispute  the  theory  of  original  fluidity,  there 


176  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

would  never  have  been  such  untenable  objections  urged 
against  it. 

111.  It  is  not  a  universal  law  that  heat  expands 
all  bodies.     Within  certain  limits  it  is  true,  but  at 
some  given  temperature  the  increase  of  heat  contracts 
instead  of  expands.     Thus,  if  water  in  the  form  of 
ice  at  zero  is  heated,  it  contracts  until  it  reaches  39 
degrees ;  then  it  expands  in  a  regular  ratio  with  every 
increment  of  heat.     Nor  is  it  true  that  cold  always 
contracts;  for  if  melted  iron  be  cooled,  although  con- 
traction holds  good  to  the  point  of  solidification,  the 
law  then  changes,  and  cold  expands;  though,  in  dif- 
ferent elements,  the  points  where  the  laws  of  contrac- 
tion and  expansion  supplant  each  other  greatly  vary, 
being  in  fresh  water  39%  degrees,  while  in  iron  it  is 
2000  degrees,  all  substances  have  these  points,  and  in 
consequence    many    of    the    most    astonishing    effects 
around  us  are  produced.      To  suppose  that  a  crust 
should  form  on  the  surface  of  our  planet,  while  the 
internal  mass  was  intensely  heated,  is  unphilosophical. 
The    external    particles,    becoming    relatively    dense, 
would  sink  towards  the  centre,  thus  establishing  tre- 
mendous currents  to  and  from  the  surface,  which  would 
continue  until  the  whole  mass  was  cooled  to  that  point 
where  granite  atoms  are  not  contracted,  but  expanded, 
by  cold.    Near  this  point  a  crust  would  begin  to  form. 
It  is  thus  rendered  certain  that  the  temperature  of  the 
interior  of  the  earth  is  little  above  the  melting  point 
of  granite,  and  the  central  portion  is  not  materially 
higher  than  that  which  laves  the  under  surface  of  the 
congealed  rock. 

112.  This  overthrows  the  wild  speculations  which 
supposed  the  centre  of  the  earth  to  be  intensely  heated, 
and  several  times  denser  than  at  the  surface.     The 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  177 

temperature  which  must  exist — just  above  the  melt- 
ing point  of  granite — would  in  a  measure  annul  the 
force  of  gravity;  and  hence  the  density  should  not 
increase  until  water  at  the  centre  would  occupy 
only  one  sixteenth  its  present  volume,  but  it  should 
remain  nearly  the  same,  and  the  density  of  the 
earth  should  be  that  which  calculations  based  on 
other  data  have  declared  it  to  be — a  result  perfectly 
satisfactory,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  discussion  of 
the  nebular  theory. 

113.  At  length  a  crust  was  formed  over  the  fluctu- 
ating,  igneous  ocean.     This,   at  first,  was  constantly 
ruptured    by    the    waves    beneath.      It    continued    to 
thicken,  and  to  attract  to  it  affinitizing  particles.    But 
the  equilibrium  was  unstable.     The  contraction  of  the 
fluid  and  solid  matter  being  very  unequal,  the  crust 
necessarily  broke  in  fragments,  and  so  gave  vent  to  the 
internal  fires.     Tossed  into  wave-like  folds  and  jagged 
pinnacles,  the  surface  presented  the  appearance  of  an 
ocean  congealed  during  a  violent  tempest.    There  were 
no  mountains,  but  numerous  elevations,  for  the  crust 
was  not  yet  sufficiently  thickened  to  be  elevated  to  any 
great  height  without  breaking  and  immediately  giving 
vent  to  the  disturbing  fluid.     The  rocky  crust  was  not 
like  common  granite  as  it  now  exists,  but  porous  and 
friable,  from  the  slight  pressure  under  which  it  was 
formed  and  the  escape  of  internal  gases.     It  was  not 
the  dense,  hard  substance  which  now  juts  up  to  the 
sky  in  the  wild  mountain  peak,  but  was  soft,  and  read- 
ily acted  on. 

114.  It  may  be  interesting  to  inquire  at  what  point 
the  fluid  globe  would  begin  to  solidify.    Not  at  the  cen- 
tre, as  has  been  supposed,  but  at  the  surface,  as  has 

been  previously  shown.     At  what  part  of  the  surface? 
12 


178  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE.   OR 

The  earth,  while  an  almost  aeriform  fluid,  must  have 
been  very  much  more  spheroidal  than  at  present.  Cur- 
rents would  rise  from  its  centre  to  its  equator,  and 
currents  set  in  a  counter  direction;  but  these  currents 
would  not  rise  in  a  perfectly  perpendicular  direction, 
but  would  take  the  course  of  the  least  resistance  from 
the  centre,  which  would  be  along  the  axis  of  motion: 
arriving  at  the  poles,  they  would  produce  such  a  sur- 
plus of  matter  there  as  to  disturb  the  mechanical 
equilibrium  of  the  spheroid,  and  hence  would  set 
towards  the  equator  in  spiral  lines.  During  their  long 
passage  over  the  surface,  they  would  become  cooled  by 
radiation,  and  when  the  internal  portions  had  become 
sufficiently  cooled,  solidification  would  occur;  first,  on 
the  equator,  from  which  line  they  would  as  gradually 
extend  towards  either  pole.  Fragments  of  solid  matter, 
formed  before  reaching  the  equator,  would  meet  simi- 
lar fragments  coming  from  an  opposite  direction.  They 
would  not  be  drawn  into  the  current  setting  towards 
the  centre,  but  would  remain  congealed  together. 
Thus  it  is  evident  an  equatorial  zone  would  be  first 
produced,  and  the  polar  hemispheres  closed  up  by  the 
growth  of  its  edges. 

115.  During  these  ages  of  violence,  all  the  elements 
which  are  volatilized  by  intense  heat  existed  as  vapor, 
and  the  immense  atmosphere  of  all  the  gases,  oxygen, 
hydrogen,  nitrogen,  carbonic  acid,  many  of  the  metals, 
and  other  elements  enveloped  the  earth  with  its  dark 
folds.  All  the  oxygen  that  now  enters  into  the  compo- 
sition of  the  oxides,  of  water  and  the  metals;  the 
hydrogen  that  now  forms  a  part  of  the  wide  extent  of 
ocean;  the  carbonic  acid  that  is  now  combined  in  the 
lime-rock,  and  the  vast  beds  of  mineral  coal,  were  all 
united  in  that  nebulous  atmosphere.  In  connection 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  179 

with  this  atmosphere,  the  granite  contained  every 
element  in  the  world.  All  the  metals  not  volatilized 
were  united  in  the  granite,  though  in  such  minute 
quantities  that  they  could  not  be  detected,  and  it  had 
to  be  subjected  to  the  law  of  crystallization  and  the 
action  of  electricity  before  they  were  separated. 

116.  The  next  advance  made  by  the  elements  was 
the  production  of  that  essential  substance — water. 
Oxygen  found  its  equivalent  of  hydrogen,  and  water 
was  the  result.  It  of  course  first  existed  as  vapor,  en- 
veloping the  earth  in  its  magnificent  folds.  As  soon, 
however,  as  its  temperature  was  sufficiently  reduced, 
it  condensed  and  fell  in  showers  on  the  heated  surface ; 
slow  and  mistily  at  first,  but  as  time  advanced  it  fell 
in  floods  from  the  black  sky.  Then  commenced  a 
new  series  of  actions  and  reactions,  which,  for  terrific 
grandeur  and  awful  sublimity,  can  only  be  equalled 
and  witnessed  in  the  primal  evolution  of  worlds.  A 
new  and  potent  condition  was  here  introduced,  and 
its  results  were  vast  and  incomprehensible.  The  wa- 
ter, falling  from  the  atmosphere,  ran  down  into  the 
hollows  of  the  rocks,  penetrating  the  crevices,  and, 
coming  in  contact  with  the  internal  heat,  became  con- 
verted into  steam,  rending  the  new-formed  rocks  into 
fragments,  and  producing  the  awful  effects  witnessed 
in  the  volcano  and  the  earthquake.  The  atmosphere, 
like  a  sponge,  absorbed  large  quantities  of  water  from 
the  seas  and  ocean,  and  gave  it  back  in  one  continual 
shower,  furnishing  an  immense  power  to  disintegrate 
the  porous  rock.  The  water,  by  collecting  in  larger 
basins,  formed  thermal  lakes  and  oceans,  which  boiled 
like  great  caldrons,  sending  up  steam  and  spray.  At 
this  period  mountains  were  of  slisrht  elevation ;  but 
around  their  jagged  heads  the  clouds  gathered,  and 
poured  their  torrents  down  their  broken  sides. 


180  THE  AECANA   OF   NATURE,  OB 

117.  The  continual  falling  of  water  gradually  puri- 
fied the  atmosphere,  by  washing  out  its  crudities  and 
absorbing  its  gases  and  other  foreign  materials.  This 
increased  the  density  of  the  ocean,  and  caused  it  to  act 
on  the  rocky  surface  with  greater  force.  The  water, 
having  great  dissolving  power  from  its  high  tempera- 
ture, and  acting  on  porous  rock,  rapidly  disintegrated 
it,  dissolving  the  soluble  portions,  and  washing  the  frag- 
ments into  the  hollows.  The  fragments  thus  washed 
down  were  spread  over  the  floor  of  the  boiling  sea, 
and  consolidated  into  gneiss  rock,  bearing  a  striking 
resemblance  to  granite,  differing  only  in  having  its 
materials  stratified.  The  metals,  besides  a  vast  quan- 
tity of  other  mineral  matter,  were  dissolved  in  the 
ocean.  Then  they  acted  and  reacted  on  each  other, 
until,  by  well-known  crystalline  forces,  they  were  de- 
posited in  mineral  beds  and  metaliferous  veins.  Elec- 
tricity, as  it  circulated  through  the  ocean,  or  around 
the  earth,  created  a  silent  but  mighty  influence  on 
these  depositions.  This  concentration  of  the  previously 
diffused  metals  has  conferred  a  great  and  very  impor- 
tant benefit  on  mankind.  If  the  metals  had  remained 
diffused  in  such  infinitesimal  quantities  through  the 
granite,  they  would  be  unattainable ;  but  nature,  seem- 
ingly aware  of  the  wants  of  distant  ages,  set  her 
forces  at  work  in  the  great  world-crucible,  and  ex- 
tracted the  elements  for  future  usefulness,  while  the 
useless  portions  were  again  converted  into  rock.  By 
this  forethought,  as  it  were,  man  receives  numberless 
blessings;  in  fact,  without  this  separating  and  refining 
process,  the  world  would  be  incapable  of  supporting 
human  life.  The  ocean  dissolved  all  the  metals,  and 
then  deposited  them — gold,  silver,  iron,  &c. — each  in 
a  concentrated  form. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  181 

118.  The  demarkation  between  granite  and  gneiss 
is  indeterminable.     It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  where 
granite  leaves  off  and  gneiss  begins.    The  disintegrated 
granite,  consolidated  without  stratification,  differs  not 
from  the  original  rock.    This  is  the  origin  of  the  gneiss, 
which  was  deposited  by  the  action  of  water.     Hence 
there  are  all  shades  of  difference  between  granite  and 
gneiss.     The  difference  between  the  true  granite  and 
the  micaceous  slate  consists  in  the  mode  of  deposition 
in  calm  or  troubled  water,  different  degrees  of  tem- 
perature, and  numberless  other  causes. 

119.  Although  the  primitive  stratified  rocks  were 
mostly  deposited  at  this  period,  their  formation  is  by 
no  means  restricted  to  this  interval,  as  it  continued 
long  after  the  advent  of  life. 

120.  The  slates  reposing  on   the  gneiss  were   de- 
posited in  a  cooler  and  deeper  sea,  and  were  formed 
from  fine  material.     The  blending  together  by  indefi- 
nite sha dings,  of  the  primitive  rocks,  is  incontrovertible 
proof  of  their  common  origin  and  of  the  theory  here 
advocated. 

121.  At  this  period  the  earth  presented  a  strange 
scene.      Confusion   of   the   elements  universally   pre- 
vailed.    The   land  and  water  intermingled,   the   sea 
being  an  archipelago,  in  which  the  thickly  interspersed 
islands  were  but  masses  of  rugged  rocks.     The  low, 
irregular  peaks  scarcely   appeared   above  the  waves, 
and  their  ragged  sides  spoke  of  their  fiery  birth.    The 
wild  landscape  of  confusion  and  disorder  contrasted 
with  the  black,  lowering  atmosphere  and  the  lurid  glow 
of  the  internal  fires,  when  the  crust  yielded  to  the  con- 
traction or  internal  pressure,  and  deep  fissures  were 
formed,  allowing  the  molten  tide  to  issue  forth.     Crea- 
tion put  on  a  strange  garb  in  those  her  morning  days, 


182          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OB 

yet  order  reigned  supreme  amid  the  wildest  confusion, 
Even  then  the  vast  plan  of  creation,  in  all  its  minutiae, 
was  written  within  the  secret  chambers  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  atom,  and  all  this  commotion  was 
only  its  throes  and  spasms,  as  it  strove  to  enter  higher 
and  higher  planes  of  perfection. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OP   CREATION.  183 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER    V. 
LIFE  AND  ORGANIZATION. 

Relations  of  Life  to  the  physical  World.  —  Impenetrability  and  Ex- 
tension. —  Elasticity.  —  Gravity.  —  Electricity.  —  Heat.  —  Light. 
—  Affinity.  —  Absorption.  —  Capillary  Attraction.  —  Endosmosis.  — 
Catalysis.  —  Cause  of  the  Ascension  of  Sap.  —  Of  the  Circulation 
of  Blood.  —  Secretion.  —  Respiration.  —  Nervous  Power.  —  Diges- 
tion. —  Creation  of  Life  by  Electric  Currents.  —  Author's  Experi- 
ments. —  Conclusion. 

122.  To   SUPERFICIAL  observation,   nothing  can  be 
more   dissimilar  than  the  inanimate  crystal  and  the 
active,  intelligent  animal.     Countless  distinctions  can 
be  drawn,  each  one  of  which  seemingly  places  an  im- 
passable chasm  between  them.     But  when  research  is 
carried  beyond  superficiality,  most  of  these  distinctions 
become  confounded  or  vanish. 

The  organic  being  represents  every  physical  property 
and  force  found  in  the  mineral.  Impenetrability  and 
extension  are  the  same  in  both.  The  elasticity  of  the 
lungs,  arteries,  and  heart  is  similar  to  that  of  a  me- 
tallic spring. 

Gravity  acts  on  the  most  refined  living  matter  iden- 
tically as  on  the  falling  stone;  on  the  currents,  circu- 
lating through  veins  and  arteries,  as  on  the  babbling 
waters  of  the  brook  or  flowing  river.  It  establishes 
the  equilibrium  by  which  endosmose  is  manifested  in 
the  organic  body. 

123.  Heat  holds  the  same  relations  to  living  as  to 
inert  matter.     This  is  true,  whether  we  consider  its 


184  THE   ARCANA   OF  NATURE,  OR 

evolution  within  the  organism,  or  its  external  applica- 
tion. It  warms  the  body,  and  if  intense,  decomposes 
the  unstable  organic  combinations,  evaporates  their 
aqueous  parts,  coagulates  the  albumen,  and  crisps  the 
tissue.  The  only  opposition  offered  is  by  the  strength 
of  the  affinity  which  holds  the  compounds  together. 
As  soon  as  this  is  overcome,  the  body  is  disorganized. 
Nowhere  can  the  presence  of  a  vital  force  be  recog- 
nized independent  of  physical  agents. 

124.  Electricity  readily  traverses   organic   bodies, 
and  effects  the  same  changes  in  the  salts  held  in  solu- 
tion by  their  aqueous  fluids,  as  in  an  artificial  solution. 

125.  Light  exercises  a  great  influence  over  organi- 
zation.    The  relation  of  the   eye   to   light  is  purely 
physical.     It  is  a   perfect  optical  instrument,   achro- 
matic, and  adjustable  to  all  required  focal  distances. 

Affinity,  or  the  attraction  of  atoms  to  each  other  by 
invariable  principles,  wields  a  potent  influence  in  or- 
ganization. The  same  elements,  governed  by  the  same 
laws,  act  in  the  organic  as  in  the  inorganic  world. 
The  chemist,  understanding  the  properties  and  rela- 
tions of  one,  may  learn  and  comprehend  those  of  the 
other. 

126.  The  principle  demonstrated  by  a  glass  tube 
lifting  water  higher  than  its  level,  or  capillary  attrac- 
tion, has  a  wide  application  in  the  realm  of  life.     This 
is  the  universal  phenomenon  of  absorption.     When  a 
porous  body  is  plunged  into  a  fluid,  its  pores  become 
filled  with  the  liquid,  and  the  latter  is  elevated  above 
its  source,  as  the  wick  of  the  lamp  lifts  the  oil  to  the 
flame,  because  the  oil  is  attracted  to,   and  wets  the 
walls  of  its  fibrous  tubes,  and  flows  upward  till  its 
attraction  is  overcome.    A  glass  tube,  one  twenty-fifth 
of  an  inch  in  diameter,  will  lift  water  one  and  one- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  185 

fifth  inch.  It  will  be  readily  inferred,  that  in  organic 
bodies  where  the  pores  are  from  one  two-thousandth 
to  one  six-thousandth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  capil- 
larity must  produce  very  important  effects. 

127.  If  a  piece  of  chalk  slightly  rests  on  water, 
it  will  become  moistened  throughout.     Cartilage,   or 
muscle,  acts  in  the  same  manner,  as  can  be  seen  in 
the  living  animal.    From  the  hints  furnished  by  cap- 
illarity came    the    discovery    of    endosmosis,    by    Du- 
trochet.*     This  may  be  defined,  as  well  as  explained, 
by   saying,    that   when   a    membrane — as    a   piece   of 
bladder  or  intestine — is  interposed  between  two  fluids 
of  different   densities,   a  current  will  be   established 
through  the  membrane  from  the  rarer  to  the  denser 
fluid,  whereby  the  quantity  of  the  latter  will  be  aug- 
mented and  its  density  decreased;  and  also  a  counter 
current  from  the  denser  to  the  rarer  fluid,  whereby  its 
quantity  will  be  decreased  and  its  density  augmented. 
The  first  is  called  endosmosis,  the  second  exosmosis. 
The  rapidity  with  which  this  interchange  is  effected 
depends  on  the  relative  density  of  the  two  fluids;  the 
greater  the  difference,  the  more  powerfully  and  rapidly 
will  it  be  performed.    The  currents  continue  until  pre- 
vented by  the  similarity  of  the  two  fluids.     The  force 
of  endosmose   is  sometimes   equal  to  seventy  pounds 
to  the  square  inch. 

128.  As  physiologists   explain  many  of   the   most 
intricate  animal  functions  by  endosmosis,  before  pro- 
ceeding farther,  I  will  show  what  relation  the  physical 
facts  bear  to  living  things.     I  will   apply  it  to  the 


*  This  curious  subject  is  illustrated  by  numerous  experiments,  in 
article  "Endosmosis,"  in  the  Cyclopaedia  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology; 
Dutrochet's  Memoires  Anatomiques  et  Physiologiques,  and  in  Mat- 
teucci's  Lectures  on  the  Physical  Phenomena  of  Living  Beings. 


186  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OB 

absorption  of  the  chyle  by  the  absorbents.  The  rarer 
chyle  is  brought  on  one  side  of  a  thin  membrane,  the 
dense  blood  on  the  other,  and,  as  would  occur  in  the 
purely  chemical  experiment,  the  chyle  pours  its  soluble 
portion  into  the  veins,  which  reject  its  insoluble  or 
undigested  portion.  When  the  hand  is  plunged  in 
water  it  absorbs  it,  the  skin  becoming  a  membrane 
between  it  and  the  blood. 

129.  Understanding  the  application  to  be  made  of 
our  facts,  we  return  to  the  physical  investigation. 

130.  Matteucci  found  that  the  rapidity  of  the  cur- 
rents is  considerably  affected  by  the  direction  in  which 
they  traverse  the  membrane.     When  he  employed  the 
skin  of  the  torpedo,  placing  water  on  the  internal  side, 
and  a  saturated  solution  of  sugar  on  the  other,  the  cur- 
rent was  so  rapid  as  to  raise  the  interior  fluid  80  de- 
grees; but  when  the  positions  of  the  fluids  were  re- 
versed, it  only  raised  it  20  degrees.    This  fact  explains 
the  transudation  of  sweat  from  the  surface  of  animals, 
as  the  structure  of  the  dermal  membrane,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, is  such  that  endosmosis  is  from  the  internal  to 
the  external  surface.     The  same  principle  is  involved 
in  the  secretion  of  mucus,  by  which  the  bodies  of  fishes 
and  reptiles  are  protected  against  the  water. 

131.  It  is  remarkable  that  any  thing  which  destroys 
the  functions  of  the  membrane  in  the  body  destroys 
its  endosmotic  power  when  employed  in  experiment; 
as  gangrene,  decomposition,  drying,  &c. 

132.  Exosmose,  in  relative  quantity,  bears  no  rela- 
tion to  endosmose.     It  may   be  very  slight,  so  that 
while  the  denser  fluid  is  greatly  diluted,  the  rarer  does 
not  increase  its  specific  gravity,  or  the  reverse.     Chyle 
passes  into  the  absorbents,  but  there  is  no  correspond- 
ing current  of  blood  passing  out.     It  is  only  in  an 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  187 

abnormal  state  that  the  serum  of  the  blood  flows 
into  the  intestines,  and  only  in  disorganization  does 
the  red  blood  flow  into  them. 

133.  Organic  membrane  is  the   best  material  for 
experiment;  but  to  illustrate  the  purely  physical  na- 
ture of  the  process,  a  mineral  wall  can  be  successfully 
substituted.    A  thin  lamina  of  baked  clay,  lime,  sand- 
stone, or  plaster  of  Paris  will  give  identical  results. 

134.  The  vitalists  maintain  that  absorption  is  purely 
vital,    or   dependent    on    a   super-physical    force.      A 
more  rational  school  of  physiologists  refer  it  to  both 
vital  and  physical  forces  combined.    Neither  theory  is 
alone  admissible,  as  the  experiments  with  membrane 
from  which  the  vital  principle  has  fled,  and  still  more 
emphatically  with  mineral  walls,  overthrow  them.    If, 
when    membrane    is    used,    the    currents    are    slower 
than  in  the  living  animal,  the  fact  is  fully  accounted 
for  by  the  collapsed  state  of  its  pores  and  the  stag- 
nation of  its  fluids. 

135.  If  the  leg  of  a  frog,*  be  immersed  in  ferroci- 
anide  of  potassium,   every  portion  of  its  tissue  will 
in  a  short  time  become  penetrated  by  the  salt.     The 
same  will  occur   if   a  living   frog  be  employed,  but 
with  greater  rapidity,  for  the  salt,  as  soon  as  absorbed, 
is  taken  into  the  circulation,  and  immediately  trans- 
mitted to  all  parts  of  the  body.     Absorption  is  fre- 
quently observed  in  man.     Turpentine  applied  exter- 
nally is  soon  manifested  in  the  urine.     Prussic  acid 
spread  on  the  skin  is  immediately  taken  into  the  cir- 
culation, and  conveyed  to  the  vital  organs,  which  it 
destroys. 

136.  Bacchetti's  experiments  prove  that  endosmose 

*  Matteucci,   Lectures,  &c.,  p.  5,   73. 


188          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

occurs  with  greater  rapidity  when  the  separated  flu- 
ids are  in  motion.  The  fluids  of  the  body  are  in  con- 
stant motion;  hence  the  rapidity  of  absorption. 

137.  The  action  of  medicines  and  of  poisons  has 
engaged  the   attention   of   the   profoundest   physiolo- 
gists and  theory   after  theory  has  been  framed  and 
exploded.     The  discovery  of  endosmose  has  at  least 
developed    the    great    principles    which    govern    their 
effects.     Poiseuille  proved  that  endosmose  took  place 
from  Seidlitz  water,  sulphate  of  soda,   and  common 
salt,  to  blood.     This  is  precisely  the  result  which  fol- 
lows their  application  internally.     The  faeces  contain 
an  abundance  of  albumen,  the  serum  of  the  blood  flow- 
ing in  an  endosmotic  current  into  the  saline  solution 
introduced  into  the  alimentary  canal.*     He  also  dis- 
covered, what  is  equally  remarkable,  that  when  morphia 
is  added  to  a  saline  solution,  it  weakens  the  endosmosis 
of  the  serum,  and  even  changes  its  direction.     Such 
are  its  effects   when  administered  for  diarrhoea.     It 
checks  the  flow  of  serum  into  the  intestines,  and  ulti- 
mately changes  the  current  in  an  opposite  direction. 
When  the  solution  in  the  stomach  is  denser  than  the 
blood,  there  is  a  flow  of  serum  to  dilute  it,  and  thirst 
is  excited. 

138.  It  were  a  useless  task  to  enter  into  a  minute 
description  of  the  countless  phases  of  vegetable  ab- 
sorption.    In   all,  certain   general   principles   prevail. 
All,  or  nearly  all,  have  roots  through  which  they  de- 
rive their  nourishment,  by  absorption  from  the  sur- 
rounding soil.     The  ascension  of  the  sap  through  the 
trunk  of  the  tree  was  long  referred  to  vital  force,  but 
can  now  be  fully  explained  by  physical  principles. 

*  Matteucci,  Lectures,   &c.,  p.  7—10. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  189 

139.  The  lower  orders   of   plants,    as   the   crypto- 
gamia,  absorb  their  nourishment  by  their  entire  struc- 
ture, as  a  sponge  is  moistened ;  but  in  the  higher  orders 
absorption  is  confined  to  the  roots,  except  in  abnormal 
circumstances,  when  other  parts,  as  the  leaves,  perform 
that  function. 

140.  The  primary  force  Which  propels  the  sap  up- 
wards can  be  traced  to  its  seat  by  an  ingenious  pro- 
cess.   The  stem  of  the  tree  is  cut  off ;  the  sap  continues 
to  flow.     It  is  cut  still  lower,  to  the  main  roots,  past 
them  to  the  smaller  ones,  to  the  radicals,  to  their  very 
extremities;  and  there  only  does  it  cease.     Their  ex- 
tremities spread  a  delicate  membrane,  on  the  inside  of 
which,    in   the   embryo    plant,    is    a    solution    of    the 
nourishment  stored  for  its  support,  and  afterwards  the 
elaborated  sap;  on  the  other,  the  aqueous  solution  of 
its  mineral  food.    Endosmose  consequently  results,  and 
the  water,  with  its  dissolved  elements,  passes  into  the 
plant.     Exosmose  also  results,   carrying  out  what  is 
called  the  excretion  of  plants. 

141.  Prof.  Henslow  remarks,  "If  we  suppose  the 
plant  capable  of  removing  the  imbibed  fluid  as  fast  as 
it  is  absorbed  by  the  spongioles,  then  we  may  imagine 
a  supply  being  kept  up  by  the  mere  hygroscopic  prop- 
erty of  the  tissue;  much  indeed  in  the  same  way  that 
the  wick  of  a  candle  maintains  a  constant  supply  of 
wax  to  the  flame  which  consumes  it/'*     This  explains 
the  fact  that  absorption  continues  in  a  detached  branch 
when  its  cut  extremity  is  plunged  in  water.     So  long 
as  the  leaves  exhale,  absorption  continues  by  the  open 
mouths  of  the  exposed  vessels. 

142.  The  force  of  endosmose  has  been  stated  to  be 

*  Treatise  on  Botany,   in  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia,  p.  117. 


190  THE   ARCANA   OF  NATURE,  OR 

as  great  as  seventy  pounds  to  the  square  inch.  Hale 
found  that  of  the  spongiole  of  the  vine  to  be  fourteen 
pounds  to  the  square  inch.  This  would  lift  the  sap 
thirty  one  feet  hig*h.  If  we  add  the  power  of  the 
capillaries  to  this,  a  force  will  be  obtained  sufficient 
to  lift  the  sap  twenty  feet  higher;  for  if  a  tube  one 
twenty-fifth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  lift  water  one  and 
one  fifth  inches,  the  pores,  or  tubes,  in  the  trunk  of  a 
tree  one  six-thousandth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  would 
lift  water  over  twenty  feet.  But  the  attraction  is  not 
exerted  in  a  direct  channel;  one  set  of  pores  unites 
with  another,  and  thus  extends  it  indefinitely.  As  fast 
as  the  sap  is  transmitted  to  the  leaves,  it  is  evaporated 
or  sent  downwards  by  another  set  of  vessels.  Unite 
these  three  forces,  and  the  ascent  of  sap,  mysterious  as 
it  appears,  is  explained  as  clearly  as  the  falling  of 
water  down  the  channel  of  the  brook.* 

143.  Nor  does  the  selecting  power  of  the  spongioles 
imply    a    vital    force.     This    choosing    power    results 
from  the  size  and  conformation  of  their  pores.    When 
coloring  matter  is  added  to  the  liquid  so  as  to  dis- 
tinguish the  various  atoms,  the  finer  particles  seem  to 
be  absorbed,  and  the  coarser  rejected.     If  a  plant  will 
take  up  a  salt  of  one  base,  it  will  an  isomorphous  salt 
of   another  base,   though   its   properties  may  be   en- 
tirely    different,      and     highly     injurious.        Plants 
readily    absorb    soluble    substances    extremely    detri- 
mental.   As  tannin,  which  in  small  quantities  speedily 
kills  them,  common  salt,  also,  is  destructive  to  some 
plants. 

144.  Every  condition  which  physiologists  lay  down 
as  favorable  to  absorption  in  the  living  being,  is  in 

*  Treatise  on  Botany,  in  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia,  p.  117. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CKEATION.  191 

strict  accordance  with  the  physical  laws  of  endos- 
mose — solubility,  penetrability,  or  vascularity,  eleva- 
tion of  temperature,  movement  of  the  fluids.  These 
are  not  mere  coincidences;  they  point  to  an  estab- 
lished law  common  alike  to  all  forms  of  matter. 

145.  Digestion  is  a  chemical  and  mechanical  pro- 
cess, and  can  be  readily  performed  by  the  chemist  in 
a  retort.     The  food  before  entering  the  stomach,  or 
digestive  sac,  is  masticated  by  the  teeth,  and  mixed 
with  saliva,  the  flow  of  which  its  presence  provokes. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  the  bubbles  of  air  entangled 
in    the    viscid    saliva    aid    digestion.     When   injected 
into  the  stomach  it  is  mixed  with  a  secretion  poured 
out  by  the  latter.     This  secretion  is  pepsin  diluted 
with  acidulated  water.     The  motion  of  the  stomach, 
by  shaking  its  contents  together,  has  a  similar  effect 
as  shaking  a  bottle  in  which  substances   are  placed 
which  act  chemically  on  each  other.     The   action  is 
promoted.     The  secretion  of  pepsin,  and  the  nervous 
influence  will  be  treated  hereafter.     After  being  sub- 
jected to  this  process,  the  food  flows  from  the  stomach 
as  chyme,   a  thick,  white,  creamy  mass.     Mysterious 
as  the  process  may  appear,  it  will  take  place  as  well  out 
of  as  in  the  stomach.     If  starch  be  placed  in  a  glass 
vessel  with  a  few  drops  of  pancreatic  fluid,  it  will 
rapidly  dissolve,  every  trace  of  it  vanish,  and  sugar  or 
dextrine  take  its  place.     There  exists  in  pepsin,  and 
Magendie  asserts  in  the  saliva,  a  substance  similar  to 
diastase  in  its  action  on  starchy  matter. 

146.  The   chyme,   as  it   passes  from  the  stomach, 
meets  the  bile  secreted  by  the  liver,  and  is  again  de- 
composed.    Chyle  results — a  fluid  better  prepared  to 
enter  into  organized  forms.     The  absorbents,   distrib- 
uted along  the  alimentary  canal,  by  their  closed  ex- 


192  THE   AECANA   OF   NATURE,  OR 

tremities  absorb  it,  as  the  spongioles  drink  up  the 
fluids  of  the  soil.  Physiologists  were  long  in  doubt 
how  the  fatty  portion  of  the  chyle  was  absorbed  by 
the  chyliferous  vessels,  as  it  is  not  digested  by  the 
fluids  of  the  stomach.  It  is  not  presented  to  these  ves- 
sels in  a  solution;  hence  it  must  be  excreted.  But  it 
is  found  that  endosmose  occurs  from  a  fatty  fluid  to 
a  free  alkali.  If  two  funnels  are  filled  with  sand,  and 
water  poured  on  one,  and  an  alkaline  fluid  on  the  other, 
and  after  these  have  passed  through  oil  be  poured 
on  each,  it  will  not  penetrate  the  sand  thus  united  with 
water,  but  will  be  readily  absorbed  by  the  other.  The 
closed  extremities  of  the  chyliferous  vessels  are  filled 
with  an  alkaline  fluid  which  attracts  and  absorbs  the 
undigested  fatty  particles.* 

147.  The  endosmose  of  the  contents  of  the  alimen- 
tary canal  to  the  blood  presupposes  exosmose  of  the 
blood  into  the  intestines.     The  character  of  the  faeces 
fully  confirms  this  inference.     The  blood  throws  out 
in  this  manner  a  peculiar  secretion. 

148.  It  is  necessary  that  the  blood  remain  slightly 
alkaline;   but  the  neutral   azotized   substances   which 
it  so  abundantly  receives  would  soon  destroy  this  state, 
if  it  were  not  replenished  by  the  alkaline  chyle,  lymph, 
bile,  and  pancreatic  fluids.    In  this  process  it  would  be 
difficult  to  determine  one  point  of  superchemical  action. 
From  first  to  last  it  can  be  performed  in  the  retort 
with  reagents. 

149.  The  modus  operandi  of  vegetable  circulation 
has  been  already  explained.       Equally  simple  is  it  in 
the  lower  animals.     It  becomes  more  complex  in  the 
higher  orders,  but  its  principles  remain  the  same.    The 

*  See  Carpenter's  Principles  of  Human  Physiology. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OF   CREATION.  193 

capillary  veins,  distributed  among  the  capillary  arte- 
ries, take  up  the  blood  by  endosmose  through  their 
membranous  walls.  They  unite  in  veins  which  draw 
away  their  contents  by  capillarity.  At  their  termi- 
nation, the  heart,  by  each  pulsation,  produces  a  vacuum, 
and  draws  in  the  contents  of  the  veins,  as  a  force 
pump  draws  in  the  contents  of  its  feed-pipe.  The 
regular  pulsations  of  the  heart  result  from  the  nervous 
influence  received  from  its  appropriate  ganglion,  and 
although  intricate  and  but  partially  understood  at 
present,  will,  undoubtedly,  be  found  to  conform  to 
physical  laws. 

150.  Kespiration,  by  which  oxygen  and  other  sub- 
stances of  the  air  are  united  with  the  blood,  and  ani- 
mal heat  generated,  is  partly  mechanical,  partly 
chemical — mechanical  in  the  introduction  of  air  into 
the  lungs ;  chemical  in  the  decomposition  there  effected. 
The  lungs  are  constructed  of  delicate  air  cells,  through 
the  walls  of  which  the  mesh  of  capillary  vessels  are 
spread.  In  this  manner,  in  a  small  space,  an  enormous 
surface  of  blood  is  exposed  to  the  atmosphere;  not 
stagnant  blood,  but  blood  in  rapid  circulation.  It 
conies  loaded  with  carbonaceous  and  effete  matter, 
broken  down  cell  walls,  disorganized  tissue,  fatty  parti- 
cles from  the  chyliferous  vessels,  and  spreads  itself 
out  to  the  oxygen.  The  latter,  impelled  by  its  affinity 
for  carbon,  unites  with  it,  or  is  absorbed  by  the  blood, 
to  work  changes  as  it  courses  through  the  arteries. 
The  dark,  venous  blood  is  immediately  converted  into 
arterial  fluid,  and  rushes  back  to  the  heart,  to  be  sent 
again  on  its  mission  of  organization.  The  conversion 
of  venous  into  arterial  blood  can  be  effected  out  of, 
as  well  as  in  the  body.  If  dark,  clotted  blood  be 

shaken  in  oxygen,  it  becomes  arterial  in  its  proper- 
is 


194  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

ties.    Indeed,  the  surface  of  blood  when  exposed  to  the 
air  always  retains  its  color  and  fluidity. 

151.  Still  more  mysterious  is  secretion.     Many  of 
its  phenomena  cannot  be  accounted  for  with  our  pres- 
ent limited  knowledge.    Yet  experiments  indicate  that 
even  here  established  chemical  and  physical  principles 
reign.     It  is  found  that  albumen  attracts  the  endos- 
motic    current   from   almost    all   other    fluids.      It    is 
peculiar  in  this  respect.     This  explains  why  it  is  so 
tenaciously  held  in  its  appropriate  channels.     The  se- 
creting organs  act  by  endosmose,  or  furnish  a  fluid 
which  acts  on  the  constituents  of  the  blood  by  catal- 
ysis, either  eliminating  substances  already  formed,  or 
forming  new  ones  by  this  agency.     When  serum,  salt 
and  sugar,   are  mingled   in  solution,   and  placed   on 
one  side  of  a  membrane,  and  water  on  the  other,  the 
salt  and  sugar  pass  through  into  the  water,  leaving  the 
serum ;  in  other  words,  are  secreted,  as  urine  is  secreted 
by  the  kidneys.      When  water  and  alcohol  are  placed 
in    a    bladder,    the    water    passes    out,    leaving    the 
alcohol. 

152.  The  recent  discovery  of  the  artificial  formation 
of  tissue  throws  great  light  on  the  phenomena  of  secre- 
tion.    Organization  of  tissue   can  be  artificially  per- 
formed by  acting    on  albumen  with  phosphoric  acid, 
or  by  agitation.     The  fibrous  tissue  which  results  pre- 
sents to  the  microscope  all  the  appearances  of  organic 
living  membrane.     M.  Gluze  made  a  microscopic  ex- 
amination of  this  artificially  formed  substance,  and  as- 
serts that  it  resembles  serous  membrane.     "Fibres  are 
plainly  distinguishable  in  the   amorphous  mass,   and 
groups  of  globules."     Dr.  Lyon  found  these  globules 
of  various  sizes,  and  having  an  elliptical  shaped  nu- 
cleus, which  appeared  when  every  chance  of  mistake 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OP   CREATION.  195 

was  obviated.*  This  discovery  lets  us  far  into  the 
secret  of  secretion.  The  saturated  solution  of  albumen 
conforms  to  the  conditions  of  the  blood,  and  the  me- 
chanical motion  is  like  the  rush  of  the  blood  through 
the  arteries.  In  either  case,  in  the  living  body,  or  the 
test  glass  of  the  chemist,  there  is  a  deposition,  almost 
identical,  of  fibre  and  nucleated  cells,  f 

153.  There  is  no  will  or  consciousness  in  the  circu- 
lation,  or  any   of  the   functions   of  which  we  have 
treated.    The  respiration  of  the  zoophyte  is  the  absorp- 
tion of  oxygen  from  the  surrounding  water,  and  its 
circulation  the  endosmotic   current  from  one  cell  to 
another  through  their  walls.    In  more  complex — hence 
termed  higher — animals,  the  nutrient  fluid  is  confined 
to  appropriate  channels,  and  is  exposed  to  the  action 
of   the   oxygen  of  the  air  or  water   in    appropriate 
organs. 

154.  There  is  a  physical  necessity  for  the  oxygen 
of  the  air  to  unite  with  the  carbon  of  the  blood;  they 
are  forced  in  contact  by  the  pulsations  of  the  heart; 
the  pulsations  of  the  heart  are  produced  by  the  nervous 
influence  of  its  ganglion,  which  acts  on  the  muscular 
fibres  of  that  organ  by  electric  currents  generated  by 
the  decomposition  and  recomposition  constantly  taking 
place  in  the  organism;   such   are  the  conclusions  to 
which  experimental  research  leads. 

155.  The  discussion  of  nervous  force  and  its  phys- 
ical relations  we  leave,  until  we  treat  of  the  origin 
and  philosophy  of  mind. 

After  thus  glancing  over  the  phenomena  developed 
by  life,  we  are  ready  to  ask,  "What  is  organization, 


*  Annual  of  Science,   1853,   p.   252. 
T  M.    Melsen,    An.    of   Sci. 


196          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

and  what  is  life?"  Organization  is  formation  from 
previously  existing  particles.  It  is  the  arrangement  of 
those  particles  in  a  definite  order.  Hence  the  first  move- 
ments of  matter  in  the  gaseous  ocean  of  the  beginning 
was  towards  organization.  The  crystal  is  organized 
from  solution,  as  is  shown  by  its  polarization  and  re- 
fraction of  light,  in  a  very  complex  manner.  The 
solar  system  was  organized  from  the  chaos  of  the  be- 
ginning. After  having  proved  that  vital  and  phys- 
ical forces  are  identical,  can  we  regard  life  otherwise 
than  the  resultant  of  the  extension  of  those  forces 
which  develop  the  crystal  and  the  world?  The  living 
being  exists  as  the  product  and  personification  of  phys- 
ical causes.  Examine  the  organization  of  the  lowest 
being — which  is  only  a  cell  or  mass  of  cells.  Its  walls 
are  nitrogenous,  the  contained  fluid,  water.  When 
these  cells  unite,  they  form  a  gelatinous  mass  of 
scarcely  greater  consistence  than  the  fluid  in  which 
they  'float;  each  cell  drawing  into  itself  nitrogenous 
particles,  and  reproducing  by  division.  Such  is  the 
dawn  of  life. 

156.  The  present  course  of  reasoning  would  be 
complete,  if,  by  fulfilling  the  proper  conditions,  a  cel- 
lular mass  could  be  created  from  an  inorganic  solution. 
For  if  life  came  on  this  globe  in  its  early  ages  by  the 
concurrence  of  physical  conditions,  then  by  under- 
standing and  producing  that  concurrence,  the  chem- 
ist should  be  able  to  evoke  it  at  any  time  in  his  labora- 
tory. But,  even  if  we  understood  the  proper  conditions 
and  complied  strictly  with  them,  the  result  becomes 
vitiated  by  an  unforeseen  obstacle.  It  becomes  difficult, 
if  not  impossible,  to  guard  against  the  introduction  of 
germs  of  the  lower  order  of  animals,  which  fill  the  air 
and  water,  and  penetrate  into  all  porous  substances, 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  197 

ready  to  germinate  whenever  favorable  conditions  per- 
mit. To  wholly  exclude  these  is  of  the  first  consequence 
in  experiments  in  this  direction. 

157.  [I  performed  an  experiment  in  this  province, 
in  1856.  My  battery  was  two  large  copper  plates,  en- 
closing one  of  zinc,  buried  deep  in  the  moist  earth.  I 
took  a  glass  jar,  and  placed  in  its  mouth  a  glass  tube 
bent  so  as  to  form  an  escape  valve  to  any  gas  which 
might  be  generated  in  the  vessel;  a  tube  to  insulate 
the  negative  pole;  a  tube  through  which  to  introduce 
the  matrix  fluid,  and  the  wire  of  the  positive  pole. 
The  mouth  of  the  jar  was  now  placed  in  a  mould  of 
sand,  and  filled  with  fusible  metal.  The  negative  wire 
was  inserted  in  the  tube,  and  the  glass  melted  around 
it  by  a  blow-pipe.  The  poles,  I  should  state,  were  of 
platina,  in  the  form  of  ribbons,  and  approached  within 
the  sixteenth  of  an  inch  for  the  space  of  one  inch. 
The  jar  was  now  immersed  in  boiling  water,  and  a 
solution  of  glauber,  epsom  and  common  salt,  iron,  and 
lime,  (in  the  proportion  they  exist  in  sea  water,)  dis- 
solved in  six  ounces  of  distilled  water,  was  poured 
while  boiling  through  the  tube,  which  penetrated 
nearly  to  the  bottom  of  the  jar.  Immediately  a  cur- 
rent of  carbonic  acid  was  directed  into  it,  (from  a 
vessel  previously  plunged  in  boiling  water,)  generated 
by  sulphuric  acid  and  •carbonate  of  potash;  the  air 
escaping  through  the  valve.  When  full,  and  the  fluid 
had  become  saturated,  a  globule  of  mercury  was 
dropped  into  the  valve  tube,  and  the  other  tube  her- 
metically sealed.  The  apparatus  was  shaded  from  the 
light.  By  its  side  was  placed  a  sealed  jar,  containing 
distilled  water,  through  which  an  electric  current 
passed.  The  apparatus  was  formed  in  April;  slight 
.decomposition  took  place,  but  no  other  change  until 


198  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,  OR 

the  next  November,  when  in  the  first  jar  a  thin, 
gelatinous  mass  could  be  seen  by  a  strong  light,  stretch- 
ing between  the  poles.  The  other  jar  remained  un- 
changed. I  do  not  know  what  would  have  been  the 
result  if  the  experiment  had  continued  for  a  great 
length  of  time ;  but  during  an  unusually  cold  night  the 
fluid  in  the  jar  unfortunately  slightly  congealed,  and 
the  gelatinous  creation  disappeared. 

158.  In  another  experiment  I  used  a  similar  solu- 
tion; but  to  guard  more  faithfully  against  the  admis- 
sion of  germs,  I  enclosed  the  battery  in  the  jar.    It  did 
not  seem  necessary  to  employ  such  intense  currents  as 
"Weekes  supposed  requisite,  but  constancy  seemed  the 
desirable  quality.     I  united  two  platinum  plates  with 
a  copper  ribbon,  bringing  the  poles  very  near  together. 
The  battery  thus  formed  I  inserted  in  a  glass  jar  with 
a  nicely-adjusted  stopper,  and  then  poured  the  pre- 
pared solution  boiling  hot  into  the  vessel,  and  inserted 
the  stopper.     I  placed  the  apparatus  in  a  shaded  po- 
sition,  and   occasionally   observed   it.      In   about  five 
months  acari  made  their  appearance  in  the  fluid.] 

159.  There  is  a  wide  field  here  open  for  research. 
Perhaps  it  is  hasty  to  introduce  the  few  and  unsatis- 
factory experiments  made  in  this  field  into  philosophi- 
cal discussion ;  yet  it  must  be  admitted,  dubious  as  they 
may  be,  they  coincide  remarkably  with  the  conclusions 
towards  which  the  preceding  investigations  have  led 
us.     The  justly  discarded  experiments  of  Dr.   Cross 
and  Mr.  Weekes  rather  provoke  contempt  than  yield 
support.     If  life  originated  on  the  globe  by  the  con- 
currence of  physical   and  chemical  causes,   and  from 
its  rude  beginning  progressed  to  its  present  elevation 
and  diversity,  it  is  a  necessary  inference  that  it  began 
in  its  lowest  type.     Hence,  if  originated  by  artificial 


THE   HISTORY  AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  199 

means,  it  should  also  be  of  the  lowest  type;  whereas, 
in  the  famous  experiments  of  these  students,  a  being 
comparatively  high  in  the  scale  of  existence  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  produced.  This  fact  alone  is  suffi- 
cient to  negate  their  experiments  and  their  resulting 
inferences. 

160.  But  there  can  be  no  reason  why  the  lowest 
forms  of  life  should  not  be  originated  by  artificial 
means.  If  the  essential  conditions  are  understood  and 
conformed  to,  it  will  be  readily  seen  from  foregoing 
principles,  that  life  can  be  as  easily  developed  as  the 
crystal.  Failure  must  be  expected  in  the  commence- 
ment, from  the  unknown  realm  which  such  experi- 
ments explore.  But  success  will  follow  in  the  exact 
ratio  to  the  knowledge  acquired. 


CHAPTER    VI. 
PLAN  OF  ORGANIC  BEINGS. 

Blending  of  all  organic  Beings  in  the  Cell.  —  Vegetable  and  animal 
Lines  of  Advance.  —  Embryonic  Growth.  —  Four  Archetypes  of 
Creation.  —  Four  Types  of  the  Vertebrata.  —  The  Plan  of  living 
Beings. 

161.  INFINITE  as  are  the  variations  in  specific 
organic  life,  one  great  plan  or  archetype  prevails,  to 
which  all  conform.  Specific  distinctions  are  depar- 
tures, in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  from  this  GRAND 
ARCHETYPE.  A  still  greater  variation  is  called  Ge- 
neric; a  still  greater  Class,  and  the  greatest  of  all, 
KINGDOM.  The  lowest  and  Universal  Archetype  is  the 
CELL.  The  cell  is  the  lowest  form  of  life,  yet  it  com- 
bines the  essence  of  all  forms.  It  is  the  fundamental 


200  THE  AKCANA   OF  NATURE,   Ofc 

material  from  which  all  living  beings  are  created. 
Bone,  sinew,  muscle,  brain,  all  are  the  product  of  the 
union  of  cells.  The  great  subdivisions  of  natural  his- 
tory arise  from  the  difference  of  aggregation  the  cell 
assumes.  In  their  wide  divergence  from  the  prim- 
itive type,  it  is  easy  to  draw  the  distinctions  of  class ; 
but  in  their  point  of  contact,  difficult,  indeed,  is  it  to 
define  characters.  Great  are  the  distinctions  between 
the  oak  and  the  bird  carolling  in  its  branches;  the  bee 
and  the  flower  from  which  it  sips  the  nectar;  but 
when  we  trace  the  widely  separated  chain  of  beings, — 
vegetable  and  animal, — downward,  they  meet  and  in- 
separably blend.  Naturalists  have  wrangled  about 
the  proper  position  the  zoophytes  should  occupy,  and 
their  lower  members  have  been  repeatedly  transposed 
from  vegetable  to  animal,  and  animal  to  vegetable, 
and  it  still  remains  unsettled.  They  have  been  con- 
founded, because  they  assumed  that  the  zoophyte  must 
be  referred  either  to  one  kingdom  or  the  other — a  mis- 
take, for  their  structure  is  strictly  intermediate.  They 
are  the  link  which  unites  vegetable  and  animal,  and 
to  the  inquiring  mind  become  important  as  revelators 
of  the  plan  of  creation. 

162.  The  lowest  plant  with  which  we  are  ac- 
quainted is  composed  of  an  aggregate  of  cells,  not 
differing  in  appearance  in  the  least  from  each  other, 
and  each  being  a  distinct  and  perfect  individual.  They 
are  condensed  in  a  homogeneous  mass,  irregular  and 
formless.  One  step  higher  they  unite  in  a  linear  direc- 
tion, as  in  the  protophyte;  and  still  higher,  they  multi- 
ply transversely,  and  produce  a  leaf -like  expansion,  as 
in  the  ulv&.  But  even  here  the  component  cells  appear 
to  live,  each  by  and  for  itself;  each  being  able  to  mul- 
tiply itself  by  division — which  is  performed  by  throw- 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  201 

ing  a  wall  around  a  portion  of  its  contained  fluid,  and 
thrown  off  as  a  bud  or  germ.  Somewhat  higher,  a  dis- 
tinct separation  is  made  between  the  germ  and  the 
sperm  cell,  but  here  both  are  confounded. 

163.  Scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  protophyte 
is  the  protozoa,  which  occupies  the  same  relation  to  the 
animal  kingdom  as  the  former  does  to  the  vegetable. 
It  is  a  gelatinous  mass  of  independent  cells,  without 
determinate  form,  each  cell  having  a  separate  exist- 
ence, and  multiplying  itself  by  division.     It  has  nei- 
ther organs  of  prehension,  digestion,  or  sense ;  a  simple 
mass  of  living  jelly,  nourished  directly  by  absorption 
from  the  element  in  which  it  floats. 

164.  Reproduction  in  both  protophyte  and  protozoa, 
is  effected  in  precisely  the  same  manner — by  throwing 
off  buds,  or  gemmae,  and  by  division.     The  smallest 
fragment  is  capable  of  reproducing  an  entire  being. 
This  method  of  reproduction  appears  in  some  of  the 
higher  orders  of  animals,  especially  in  the  mollusca 
and  Crustacea,  which  are  capable  of  reproducing  lost 
parts  and  limbs.    Parallel  instances  occur  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom.     The  bryophyllum  can  be  divided  into 
the  minutest  portions,  and  each  fragment  will  produce 
a  perfect  plant.    We  render  this  principle  practical  in 
multiplying  desirable  varieties  of  plants  by  cuttings  or 
grafting.     The  same  principle  manifests  itself  in  the 
vertebrata  in  abnormal  growths,  often  greatly  affecting 
the  foetal  and  mature  form. 

165.  The  intricate  blending  of  plant  and  animal 
is  shown  by  the  impossibility  of  fixing  a  clearly-defined 
difference  of  character  between  them.      It  has  been 
supposed  that  all  animals  have  stomachs,  which  plants 
have  not ;  but  this  does  not  hold  true  of  the  zoophytes, 
which  are  either  destitute  or  nearly  so  of  a  digestive 


202  THE   AECANA   OF   NATURE,   OB 

cavity.  Anotlier  distinction  is  said  to  exist — that 
plants  are  nourished  by  mineral,  while  animals  require 
organic  food.  But  it  is  questionable  whether  any 
plants  but  the  very  lowest  forms  can  nourish  wholly 
deprived  of  organic  nourishment.  A  better  distinction, 
because  based  on  a  higher  organ,  is  the  presence  of  a 
nervous  system  in  the  animal,  which  the  plant  has  not. 
But  this  is  also  objectionable;  for  the  protozoa  has 
not  a  trace  of  a  nervous  system,  nor  has  the  sponge, 
or  hydra,  and  their  allies.  It  has  been  conjectured 
that  the  nervous  system  existed  in  these  forms  in  a 
diffused  state;  but  the  conjecture  is  not  supported. 

166.  The  vegetative  growth  is  seen  in  all  animals, 
as  in  the  arms  of  the  cephalopod  and  pentacrinus,  in 
the  excessive  multiplication  of  rings  in  worms,   the 
multiplication  of  rays  in  the  fins  of  fishes,   and  of 
vertebrae  in  serpents. 

167.  The  archetype  of  the   vegetable  kingdom  is 
the  LEAF.     The  cell  builds  up  the  leaf,  the  leaf  the 
plant.     Botanical  science  boasts  of  no  grander  gener- 
alization, than  that  which  refers  all  the  organs  of  the 
plant  to  modifications  of  the  leaf.     A  leaf  is  coiled 
and  sent  downwards  to  become  the  absorbing  organ 
of  the  plant;  a  leaf  ascends  to  form  the  central  axis, 
or  stem ;  the  leaf  is  the  respiring  and  digesting  organ ; 
it  is  modified  in  the  calyx  and  petals ;  still  further  in 
pistils  and  stamens,    and  still   further   in  the  fruit. 
These  modifications  are  proved  by  intermediate  forms. 

168.  The  vegetable  kingdom   is   divided  into  two 
lines  of  development,  Cryptogamic  and  Phrenogamic; 
but  as  it  is  sufficient,  in  this  investigation,  we  confine 
ourselves  to  'the  laws  governing  animals,  and  shall  not 
endeavor  to  trace  out  the  affinities  and  relations  of 
the  orders  of  plants. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  203 

169.  The  specific  characters  of  animals  are  depar- 
tures from  their  common  archetype,  not  obtained  by 
the  addition  or  destruction  of  organs,  but  by  the 
greater  or  lesser  development  of  organs  which  all  pos- 
sess in  common.  To  this  archetype  no  organs  are  ever 
added  or  lost.  Thus  the  proboscis  of  the  elephant  is 
but  an  extended  nose.  The  wing  of  the  bat  is  not  an 
additional  organ,  but  an  extended  or  altered  hand. 
The  neck  of  the  giraffe  does  not  contain  any  additional 
vertebrae,  but  the  same  number  extended  by  extraor- 
dinary elongation.  The  shell  of  the  turtle  is  but 
modified  vertebral  ribs  and  sternum,  nor  its  horny 
jaws  additional  organs,  for  they  are  iormed  from  the 
same  elements  which  produce  the  teeth  of  reptiles.* 

If,  from  the  conditions  in  which  the  animal  is  placed, 
particular  organs  are  not  required,  and  hence  are 
not  developed,  they  are  present  in  a  rudimentary  con- 
dition. In  fishes  we  find  the  rudiment  of  lungs,  even 
when  not  sufficiently  developed  to  serve  as  an  air 
bladder  to  regulate  the  specific  gravity  of  the  body. 
The  abdominal  sternum  and  ribs  are  faintly  traceable 
in  the  abdominal  muscles  of  mammals.  In  those  mam- 
mals which  are  destitute  of  a  clavicle,  that  bone  is  rep- 
resented by  a  ligament.  When  these  traces  of  unde- 
veloped organs  cannot  be  found  in  the  adult  animal, 
they  can  be  in  the  embryo.  The  bronchial  arches  of 
fish  exist  in  the  embryos  of  all  mammalia,  and  some- 
times remain  permanent  in  monstrosities.  The  rudi- 
ments of  teeth  can  be  detected  in  the  embryo  whale, 
but  are  never  developed.  The  rudiments  of  the  canine 
teeth,  and  of  the  incisors  of  the  upper  jaw,  which 
are  not  subsequently  developed,  are  present  in  the 
embryos  of  all  ruminants. 

*  Carpenter's  Comparative  and  General  Physiology. 


204  THE  AECANA  OF   NATURE,   OR 

170.  The  unity  which  pervades  the  realm  of  life  is 
proved  by  the  successful  restoration  of  the  outlines  of 
extinct  plants  and  animals  from  a  petrified  fragment 
of  bone   or  scale,   and  the  correctness   of   influences 
drawn  from  such  sources  of  the  habits  of  their  possess- 
ors.    To  such  strict  rules  has  comparative   anatomy 
been  reduced,  that  a  scale  or  a  tooth  reveals  the  size, 
form,  disposition,  and  habits  of  the  animal.     It  does 
this  with  the  same  exactness,  whether  the  tooth   be 
recent,  or  taken  from  a  fossiliferous  rock;  thus  not 
only  proving  that  living  beings  are  formed  after  one 
great  plan,  but  that  that  plan  embraces  all  the  extinct 
species  of  the  past.     From  the  dawn  of  life  on  this 
earth  to  the  present  time,  fossils  testify  that  one  prin- 
ciple has  maintained  in  the  realm  of  life. 

171.  Embryonic  development  not  only  supports  the 
theory  of  progressive  development,  but  bears  evidence 
of  the  unity  of  origin  of  all  organic  beings.   Zoophyte, 
fish,  mammal,  man,  all  commence  at  the  same  point — 
the  germ  cell.     As  each  matures,  it  diverges  more  or 
less  from  this  archetypal  form.     Nature  moulds  all 
her  children  after  this  first  model,  before  they  advance 
to  any  higher  form.     In  the  accompanying  figure,  3 
represents  the  mature  animal  of  the  lowest  grade,  2 
represents  an  early  form  of  the  mammalian  ovum,  1 
represents  the  cellular  structure  of  plants.     It  will  be 

readily  perceived  that 
there  is  no  apparent 
difference  whatever 
in  the  two  cellular 
masses,  (2  and  3,) 
both  being  alike  com- 
posed of  nucleated 

Chlamydomonus— Early  State  of  Mammalia     cells. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  205 

172.  The  embryo  lobster  is  a  miniature  trilobrte. 
The  lobster  began  where  the  development  of  the  trilo- 
bite  terminated;  or,  in  other  words,  the  latter  was  a 
permanent  larva  of  the  former. 

The  white-fish  is  an  osseous,  while  the  sturgeon  is 
a  cartilaginous  fish;  but  the  young  white-fish  begins 
life  precisely  where  that  of  the  sturgeon  terminates. 
The  thin  cartilaginous  line  which  is  its  vertebral  col- 
umn, becomes  ossified,  however,  while  the  sturgeon's  is 
not  ossified  except  at  its  apophyses.  The  sturgeon's 
mouth  is  far  back  on  the  under  side  of  its  head,  and 
its  tail  is  unequally  forked.  In  these  points  the 
embryos  of  all  osseous  fishes  remarkably  conform. 
The  cartilaginous  fishes  are  permanent  larva  of  the 
osseous. 

173.  Agassiz,  seizing  these  facts  with  an  acumen 
of  a  master  mind,  moulded  a  classification  the  most 
perfect  science  has  yet  possessed.     He  starts  with-  the 
well-attested  proposition  that  the  longer  two  classes  re- 
main alike  in  foetal  growth,  the  nearer  they  are  allied, 
and  they  are  widely  separated  in  proportion  to  the 
rapidity  with  which  they  separate.    He  also  decides  the 
position  of  species  in  the  scale  of  progression  by  embry- 
ology.   It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  by  appearance  which 
is  the  highest,  the  lobster  or  the  trilobite;  but  embry- 
ology decides  the  question  by  proving  the  trilobite  to 
be  the  larvial  lobster.     It  were  equally  difficult  to  say 
which  were  the  highest,   the  white-fish  or  sturgeon; 
but  this  science  proves  the  latter  to  be  permanently  on 
the  same  grade  as  the  larva  of  the  former. 

174.  By  assuming  the  unity  or  common  origin  of 
living  beings,  naturalists  have  been  enabled  to  decide 
the  position  of  species  by  the  study  of  transitional 
forms.     In  this  manner  the  complex  limbs  of  mam- 


206  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

malia  were  traced  downward  to  the  thread-like  expan- 
sions from  the  sides  of  the  lepidosiren.  The  position 
of  the  amphioxus  was  decided  by  embryonic  growth. 
It  is  destitute  of  a  head  and  skeleton,  a  thread-like 
line  represents  the  spinal  nerve  and  column.  But  all 
the  mammalia  are  like  the  amphioxus  in  their  early 
fetal  life.  It  represents  the  larva  of  all  the  mam- 
malia. 

175.  The  change  of  form,  once  supposed  restricted 
to  the  transformation  of  a  caterpillar  into  a  butter- 
fly, and  a  tadpole  into  a  frog,  are  now  known  to  be 
universal.     Species  all  begin  at  the  same  point,  and 
diverge  in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  their  develop- 
ment.   In  the  lower  orders  there  is  but  a  slight  differ- 
ence between  the  larva  and  the  mature  form,  but  the 
higher   the   development,   the   greater  this   difference 
becomes. 

176.  Science    has    verified    the    aphorism    of    the 
ancients — all  life  originates   in  the   egg.     Mammals, 
as  well  as  birds,  are  at  first  ova,  or  eggs,  and  are  sub- 
ject to  as  much  greater  transformations  than  the  tad- 
pole, as  they  are  higher. 

177.  It  is  by  connecting  the  metamorphoses  which 
occur  before,  with  these  which  transpire  after,  birth, 
that  the  key  to  the  gradation  of  species  is  obtained, 
and  the  presence  of  a  great  unitizing  law,  and  the 
common  origin  of  all  species,  deduced. 

178.  Strange  as  beautiful   are  the  changes  which 
occur  in  the  germinating  egg.     First  a  dark  line  ap- 
pears, on  each  side  of  which  two  ridges  rise,  the  edges 
of  which  gradually  approach  each  other,  and  unite, 
enclosing  a  semi-gelatinous  fluid,  in  which  two  white 
fibrous  threads  are  seen  lying  side  by  side.     The  dark 
line  is  the  vertebral  column,  and  the  threads  the  rudi- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  207 

mentary  spinal  cord,  on  the  development  of  which  the 
character  of  the  animal  depends.  A  series  of  dots 
next  appear  along  the  line  of  the  fibres, — the  rudi- 
ments of  the  vertebrae, — which  soon  become  rings 
enclosing  the  spinal  cord,  and  throwing  out  spinous 
processes. 

Thus  far  the  end  is  nutritive,  and  the  vegetative 
functions  predominant.  The  heart  is  but  a  pulsating 
dilatation  in  the  main  trunk  of  the  circulating  system. 
The  respiratory  system — as  yet  useless — is  undevel- 
oped. The  heart  is  next  divided  into  two  chambers, 
one  for  the  reception  of  the  blood,  the  other  for  send- 
ing it  through  the  system.  Here  the  development  of 
the  circulating  apparatus  of  fishes  is  arrested.  The 
heart  is  next  divided  into  three  chambers,  by  which 
arrangement  one  half  of  the  blood  is  aerated.  Here 
reptiles  are  arrested.  The  embryo  mammal  rests  not 
here,  but  acquires  a  fourth  chamber  to  its  heart,  by 
which  all  its  blood  is  sent  to  its  lungs,  and  thus  the 
highest  degree  of  activity  secured  to  its  circulation. 

179.  Thus  not  only  are  species  united  by  interme- 
diate forms  in  an  unbroken  chain  of  being,  but  also 
by  foetal  growth;  the  same  law  seems  to  prevail  in 
the  gestation  of  the  individual  being  as  of  the  globe. 
Not  only  is  the  same  principle  manifested  in  the  unity 
of  present  types,  but  in  all  those  of  the  infinite  past. 
How  are  such  facts  to  be  explained  ?  Inductive  philos- 
ophy draws  its  conclusion — one  which  cannot  be  sub- 
verted. As  all  living  and  extinct  organisms  can  be 
traced  to  one  point,  all  must  have  diverged  from  that 
point.  All  types  must  have  originated  from  the  com- 
mon archetype.  They  cannot  exist  by  separate  acts 
of  creations,  without  supposing  a  constant  miracle. 
As  such  an  assumption  is  without  proof,  and  discarded 


208  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

by  inductive  science,  which  teaches  that  all  beings  are 
fashioned  after  a  determinate  plan,  there  can  be  no 
independent  creations. 

180.  To  that  plan  or  archetype  we  now  turn.     IT 

IS   THAT    WHICH    THE    CONSTITUTION    OF    MATTER   WOULD 

CALL  INTO  EXISTENCE  AND  SUSTAIN.  Living  beings  pur- 
sue different  courses  in  their  divergence  from  this  com- 
mon point,  by  which  arise  species,  genera,  and  dis- 
tinctions of  classes.  They  are  divided  into  four  great 
divisions,  in  accordance  with  the  methods  by  which 
they  seek  the  same  ends — adapt  themselves  to  the 
conditions  surrounding  them — by  different  means. 
These  great  divisions  are  Radiata,  Mollusca,  Articu- 
lata,  and  Vertebrata,  commencing  with  what  is  usually 
termed  the  lowest,  and  ascending  to  the  highest.  The 
idea,  however,  which  has  caused  them  to  be  arranged 
thus  is  incorrect.  They  do  not  overlap  each  other,  and 
there  is  no  continuous  development  from  the  radiata 
to  the  vertebrata,  as  certain  philosophers  have  taught. 
Cuvier  presented  the  subject  aright,  when  he  remarks 
that  each  division  is  modelled  after  a  type  peculiar 
to  itself.* 

181.  The  RADIATA  are  little  more  than  a  simple 
digestive  sac,  or  stomach,  the  orifice  of  which  is  usually 
surrounded  by  a  set  of  arms  or  tentacula,  for  draw- 
ing in  their  food.     In  its  lowest  genera,  the  body  is 
little  else  than  a  mass  of  living  jelly,  without  form, 
and  destitute  of  any  stomach  whatever.     There  is  a 
tendency  in  all  its  groups  to  a  radiate  or  crystalline 
growth,  as  in  the  star-fish  and  the  ancient  stone-lily. 
All  are  destitute  of  proper  locomotive  organs,  though 
some  families  have  movable  spines,  which  assist  their 

*  RSgne    Animal,    11. 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  209 

locomotion  through  the  water.  Some  species,  in  which 
the  radiate  structure  is  obscure,  conduct  us  towards 
the  mollusca;  others  lead  to  the  articulata;  while  the 
sponges  and  corallines  evidently  approximate  to  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  so  close,  indeed,  that  it  is  difficult 
to  assign  their  true  position. 

182.  The  MOLLUSCA  have  a  soft  body,  enclosed  in 
an  elastic  muscular  skin.     This  skin  is,  in  most  in- 
stances, loosely  applied  to  the  body.     From  this  skin 
calcareous  particles  transude  and  solidify  in  the  shell, 
which  seemingly  separates  the  animal  from  the  other 
divisions  by  a  vast  interval,  but  in  reality  is  of  the 
same  nature  as  the  framework  of  the  coral,  and  has 
no  influence  on  the  grade  of  the  animal  it  protects. 
They  have  not  a  spinal  cord,  but  medullary  masses 
distributed  in  different  parts  of  the  body,  the  principal 
one,  called  the  ~brain,  enclosing  the  gullet.    The  organs 
of  the  senses  and  motion  have  not  the  regularity  of 
mammals;  and  still  greater  are  the  variations  in  the 
position  of  the  respiratory  organs  and  heart.     Their 
circulation  is  a  complete  circle ;  but  they  have  but  one 
fleshy  ventricle,  and  that  placed  between  the  veins  of 
the  lungs  and  arteries  of  the  body,  and  not,  as  in  fishes, 
between  the  veins  of  the  body  and  arteries  of  the  lungs. 
When  there  is  more  than  one  ventricle,  they  are  not 
united,  but  disposed  in  different  parts  of  the  body,  so 
that  they  may  be  said  to  have  several  hearts.    Equally 
great  variations  exist  in  their  organs  of  deglutition 
and  digestion.     On  one  hand  they  approach  the  zoo- 
phytes; on  the  other,  in  the  cephalopods,  they  almost 
equal    fishes,   having   a   true    brain,    a   symmetrically 
formed  body,  and  acute  senses. 

183.  The  plan  of  the  ARTICULATA  is  to  spread  the 
skeleton  on  the  outside  of  the  body.    Instead  of  having, 

14 


210  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

like  the  mollusca,  an  organization  for  digestion,  they 
have  a  'muscular  development  adapting  them  for  ac- 
tivity. The  crust  which  envelops  them  and  forms  their 
shell  is  an  exudation  from  their  skin,  similar  to  the 
formation  of  the  shell  of  the  mollusk.  Their  nervous 
system  consists  of  two  parallel  nervous  cords  swelling 
into  ganglia  at  each  segment,  and  terminating  in  a 
larger  ganglion  in  the  head.  It  includes,  on  the  one 
hand,  annelidae  scarcely  superior  to  the  lowest  mol- 
lusks;  on  the  other,  beings  endowed  with  instinct 
almost  approaching  intelligence. 

184.  The  VERTEBRATA  are  characterized  by  a  back 
bone,  a  spinal  cord,  a  concentrated  brain,  and  an  in- 
ternal skeleton.     It  extends  from  the  amphioxus  to 
man.     These   four  divisions   extend  side  by  side,   as 
diverging   branches   from    a    common   source.      Their 
higher  members  differ  most,   as  in  them  we  see  the 
ultimate  departure  from  the  common  type,  while  their 
lowest  members  approach  nearest.    If  we  would  study 
them  understandingly,  we  must  not  place  them  in  suc- 
cessive order,  but  side  by  side,  and  compare  correspond- 
ing genera ;  placing  the  lowest  species  of  each  together, 
and  the  higher  in  opposition,  preserving  each  line  of 
progress  -inviolate. 

185.  Thus,  at  the  foot  of  the  radiata  we  find  the 
sponges,  half  vegetable,  half  animal,  without  digestive 
cavity,   without   any  organs   whatever,   living   appar- 
ently by  absorption  from  the  water,  which  circulates 
through  pores  in  its  gelatinous  mass. 

From  these  we  pass  to  the  foot  of  the  molluscous 
division,  the  tunicata.  In  the  ascidia  and  aggregata, 
the  soft  and  gelatinous  beings  are  united  in  masses, 
each  individual  communicating  with  the  others  organi- 
cally, thus  connecting  the  mollusks  with  the  zoophytes. 


THE   HISTORY  AND   LAWS  OP   CREATION.  211 

Such  was  the  resemblance,  that  early  naturalists  con- 
founded this  family  with  them. 

186.  Passing  to  the  foot  of  the  articulata,  we  meet 
with  the  intestinal  worms,  the  gordians,  and  leeches, 
the  organization  of  which  is  equally  simple ;  the  alimen- 
tary canal  being,  in  the  entozoa,  a  channel  cut  through 
the  substance  of  the  body,  and  the  absorbent  system 
being  simply  a  diffusion  of  the  nutrient  fluids  through 
the  substance  of  the   animal.     The  nervous  system, 
where  its  presence  can  be  detected,  is  a  simple  filament 
of  a  nervous  character. 

187.  Passing,  lastly,  to  the  foot  of  the  vast  verte- 
brate series,  we  find  the  amphioxus  so  lowly  organized, 
that,  until  subjected  to  strict  and  scientific  investiga- 
tion, it  was  supposed  to  be  a  mollusk.     Although  so 
soft  as  to  be  transparent,  it  has  all  the  necessary  char- 
acteristics to  be  allowed  a  place  with  fishes. 

188.  The  ammocetes  is  scarcely  higher  in  structure, 
not  having  even  a  vestige  of  a  bone  in  its  glutinous 
body,  not  even  a  tooth.    How  remarkably  do  the  divis- 
ions conform!     The  molluscous  type  prevails,  and  we 
find  a  general  failure  of  all  the  characters  by  which 
they  are  generally  distinguished.     There  is  a  common 
approach  to  the  universal  archetype.* 

189.  Now  let  us  compare  the  highest  members  of 
the  divisions,  or  the  branches,  in  their  most  widely 
separated  forms.     In  the  radiata  we  meet  with  the 
enchinus,  with  their  beautifully  arranged  calcareous 
shells,  a  complicated  digestive,  prehensile,  locomotive, 
and  generative  system.     At  the  head  of  the  mollusks 
we  find  the  cuttle-fish,  having  all  the  agility  of  the 
fish,  with  feet  capable  of  seizing  their  prey,  walking, 

*  Lyell,  Hugh  Miller,  &c. 


212  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

and  swimming.  They  have  a  large,  concentrated  brain 
with  well-developed  ganglia,  and  acute  organs  of 
sense. 

At  the  head  of  the  articulata,  if  development  cf  in- 
stinct be  the  test,  stand  the  hymenoptera,  or  the  com- 
mon bee,  which  has  excited  the  admiration  of  all  ages 
by  its  habits,  almost  akin  to  reason. 

At  the  head  of  the  vertebrata  is  man,  who,  by  the 
endowment  of  reason,  becomes  the  ultimate  of  cre- 
ative power. 

190.  The  sub-kingdoms  are  branches  thrown  off  at 
various  points,  and,  each  receiving  a  peculiar  direction, 
endeavors  by  different  means  to  attain  the  same  end. 
The  vertebrata  attain  a  solid  consistency  for  the  at- 
tachment of  their  muscles  by  their  osseous  skeleton; 
the  articulata  obtain  the  same  by  their  external,  der- 
mal crust;  the  mollusca,  by  the  thickening  of  their 
mantle,  or  by  means  of  their  shells;  the  radiata,  by 
their  calcareous  internal  framework.  In  obtaining 
their  food,  the  vertebrata  usually  pursue  and  capture 
it ;  so  do  the  articulata ;  but  the  other  divisions,  being 
usually  stationary,  are  provided  by  long  arms  sur- 
rounding the  mouth,  which  seize  their  prey  and  force 
it  into  the  digestive  cavity.  In  their  circulatory,  respi- 
ratory, digestive,  and  secretory  apparatus, — in  short, 
in  every  thing  but  external  form, — all  the  four  divisions 
correspond  in  their  uses.  True,  superficially  there  are 
great  deviations,  but  when  attentively  considered,  it 
will  be  found  that  these  modifications  are  produced  by 
the  non-development  of  some  parts,  or  the  greater  rel- 
ative growth  of  others.  Certain  organs  are  essential 
to  the  existence  of  life,  and  these  are  always  present. 
Other  organs  adapt  the  species  to  peculiar  habits  or 
conditions,  and  these  are  added. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  213 

191.  We  will  here  leave  the  general  and  trace  the 
special.     The  vertebrata  are  subdivided  into  widely 
separated   families;    and   our    argument   will   receive 
greater  force  by  tracing  out  the  affinities  of  its  orders, 
than  by  discussing  affinities  of  unknown  and  obscure 
beings,  as  those  which  stand  at  the  foot,  or  commin- 
gling of  the  sub-kingdoms,  generally  are.     For  a  few 
pages  we  will  confine  ourselves  to  the  investigation  of 
the  red-blooded  vertebrate  series. 

192.  The  back  bone  is  the  symbol  of  this  division. 
The  vertebral  column  is  divided  into  vertebrae,  each 
one  of  which,  viewed*  by  the  acumen  of  genius,  proves 
to  be  the  archetype  of  every  bone  in  the  body.    I  pre- 
sent this  theory  as  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  unity  of 
design  in  animate  nature ;  of  its  common  origin ;  of 
developmental  growth  by  influence  of  conditions,  and 
as  the  fundamental  philosophy  of  the  different  and 
various  vertebrated  classes. 

193.  Each  vertebra  has  a  central  portion,  called  its 
centrum.    From  this,  two  proceed,  or  branch  off,  one  on 
each  side;  they  ascend  and  meet  above,   forming  a 
ring  enclosing  the  spinal  cord,  and  two  descend,  usually 
being   greatly  prolonged,   and  meet  in  the  sternum, 
enclosing  the  viscera.     These  are  the  ribs.     Thus  two 
rings,  joined  at  their  circumference,  form  a  type  of  a 
vertebra;  through  one  of  which  the  spinal  cord  passes, 
and  the   other  containing  the  viscera.     This  typical 
form  is  modified  so  as  to  meet  the  wants  of  every  part 
of  the  body.     In  the  skull  and  limbs  it  undergoes  its 
extreme  transformation.     The  brain  is  formed  by  the 
consolidation  of  the  four  first  ganglia  of  the  spinal 
cord,  and  the  skull  is  produced  by  the  aggregation  of 

*  R&gne   Animal. 


214          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OB 

their  four  enveloping  vertebrae.  The  fore  limbs  or 
legs  are  detached  appendages  of  the  occipital  verte- 
bra, removed  to  varying  distances,  and  the  hind  limbs 
or  legs  are  appendages  of  the  pelvic  segments. 

194.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  points  at  which 
embryonic  growth  is  arrested  in  different  tribes.  All 
the  vertebrates  begin  alike.  In  all,  the  spine,  by 
which  they  are  characterized,  is  a  fibrous  sheath  filled 
with  cells  containing  jelly,  while  the  elements  of  the 
vertebrae  are  laid  down  by  fibrous  bands.  At  this  stage 
the  skeleton  of  the  "lancelot" — amphioxus — is  arrested. 
The  fibrous  bands  are  next  converted  into  cartilage,  and 
divided  into  definite  sections.  At  this  stage,  the  skele- 
ton of  the  sturgeon  is  arrested.  Ossification  imper- 
fectly commences,  and  the.  type  of  cartilaginous  fishes 
is  presented.  The  deposition  of  osseous  material  is 
complete,  and  the  higher  grade  of  osseous  vertebrata 
obtained. 

The  vertebrate  type  of  structure  is  displayed  in  four 
different  forms.  Fishes,  reptiles,  birds,  and  mammals. 
These  form  a  series  which  can  be  traced  from  the  low- 
est fish  to  the  highest  mammal.  Fishes  merge  into 
reptiles  in  the  extinct  sauroids,  and  reptiles  approach 
very  closely  to  fishes  in  many  of  the  extinct  saurians. 

The  reptilian  branch  is  composed  of  a  great  diver- 
sity of  forms,  which,  however,  bear  a  close  anatomical 
relationship.  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  the 
skeletons  of  frogs,  serpents,  lizards,  and  turtles;  but 
this  depends  not  on  the  acquirements  of  new  parts,  but 
the  suppression  or  greater  growth  of  existing  organs. 
The  limbs  in  serpents  are  suppressed,  but  their  rudi- 
ments exist  under  the  skin.  The  shell  of  the  turtle 
is  formed  of  modified  ribs  and  vertebrae ;  and  the  skele- 
ton of  the  lizard  is  but  the  more  perfect  development 
of  all  the  parts. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  215 

195.  Birds,  although  they  present  analogies  to  rep- 
tiles on  one  hand,  and  to  mammals  on  the  other,  can- 
not be  regarded  as  intermediate  between  these  classes. 
They  are  fashioned  after  a  type  peculiarly  their  own, 
and  which,  through  transitional   forms,  leads  to  the 
batrachians. 

196.  Mammals  are  the  highest  organized  of  the  four 
classes — a   fact   seemingly    dependent    on   the    longer 
period  or  duration  of  the  embryo  with  the  parent. 
They  are  connected  with  reptiles  by  the  marsupials  and 
edentata,  and  from  this  extreme  ascend  to  man.    Not 
that  all  mammalia  originated  from  a  common  stock. 
On  the  contrary,  as  previously  shown  by  the  affinities 
of  its  various  classes,  widely  remote  must  have  been 
their  source.    The  marsupials,  with  birds,  are  branches 
of  the  batrachians;  the  pachyderms  and  herbivora  are 
branches  of  the  herbivorous  saurians;  the  carnivora, 
cf  carnivorous  saurians ;  the  quadrumana,  of  carnivora ; 
and  man  of  quadrumana.     So  their  affinities  teach.* 

197.  In  tracing  what  has  been  called  the  "  chain  of 
beings,"  naturalists  have  committed  the  great  error  of 
arranging  the   sub-kingdoms  in   an  ascending   series, 
tracing  their  pretended  chain  from  one  to  another.    So 
sure  as  there  is  one  chain  of  being,  there  are  four;  for 
one    type   has   as   much   right   to   the   preference   as 
another.     If  we  would  successfully  follow  the  line  of 
progress,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  in  that  series 
at  which  man  stands  at  the  head,  we  must  confine 
ourselves  to  the  vertebrata,  descending  to  the  foot  of 
that    sub-kingdom,    and    commencing   with   the   most 
"archetypal"  form.     Such  a  form  has  been  already 
named  as  the  lowest  of  fishes — the  amphioxus.    In  the 

*  See  frontispiece,  with  its  explanation. 


216  THE  ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

fossil  world  we  find  sauroid  fishes  combining  the  char- 
acter of  fish  and  reptile.  The  character  of  the  fish  is 
separated,  and  pursues  a  line  of  progress  of  its  own; 
the  reptilian  character  pursues  its  path.  The  batra- 
chians  are  related  to  the  labyrinthodon  and  its  allies, 
and  the  birds  in  the  remarkable  series  of  unknown 
species  which  have  left  their  footprints  on  the  sandy 
rock.  In  the  tertiary,  or  perhaps  previously,  the  saurian 
reptiles  began  to  combine  the  qualities  of  the  mammal 
with  those  of  the  saurian.  Soon  after  we  find  the 
huge  pachyderms  of  that  era  ushered  into  existence, 
and  the  saurians  becoming  extinct. 

198.  Having  delineated  the  general  plan  of  organ- 
ized creation,  and  clearly  indicated  how  widely  the 
divisions  separate,  as  well  as  how  closely  they  approxi- 
mate, I  shall  next  endeavor  to  show  that  the  condi- 
tions of  the  inorganic  world  are  capable  of  producing 
the  differences  observed,  by  modifying  the  primordial 
archetype.  If  this  can  be  done  successfully,  the  argu- 
ment is  irresistible,  as  even  the  strongest  opposers  of 
the  developmental  theory  admit.* 


CHAPTER    VII. 
INFLUENCE  OF  CONDITIONS. 

Definition  of  Species.  —  Hybridization.  —  In  the  Horse.  —  Ox.  —  Sheep. 
—  Deer.  —  Dog.  —  In  Plants.  —  Influence  of  Conditions.  —  Of  Do- 
mestic. —  Of  Natural.  —  Design  in  Structure. 

199.     NATURALISTS,  ever  since  the  dawn  of  science, 
have  been  engaged  in  combat  in  regard  to  the  proper 

*  Lyell,    Hugh    Miller,    &c. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  217 

definition  of  specific  characters.  This  appears  singular 
to  those  whose  observation  is  limited,  for  it  is  easy  to 
distinguish  between  a  horse  and  a  dog,  an  ox  and  a 
sheep;  but  if  he  follows  the  naturalist  down  into  the 
walks  of  the  lower  orders,  he  will  find  all  his  distinc- 
tions melt  away,  and  he  will  no  longer  feel  surprised 
at  the  confusion  of  philosophers.  Morton*  terms  spe- 
cies "a  primordial  organic  form,"  a  definition  true,  but 
impractical,  because  of  the  impossibility  of  determin- 
ing what  are,  and  what  are  not,  " primordial  forms." 
Cuvier,  Buffon,  and  other  eminent  naturalists,  indorse 
the  maxim  in  natural  history,  that  "the  faculty  of 
procreating  a,  fertile  offspring  constitutes  identity  of 
species,  and  that  all  differences  of  structure  and  exter- 
nal appearances  incompatible  therewith  are  solely  the 
effects  resulting  from  variety  of  climate,  food,  or  acci- 
dent; consequently  are  forms  of  mere  varieties,  or  of 
races,  of  one  common  species."  This,  however,  is  un- 
true, as  will  be  subsequently  proved.  For  if  true,  all 
the  canidas,  as  well  as  many  other  genera,  can  be  re- 
ferred to  one  species,  as  they  are  all  prolific  together. 
200.  No  general  definition  can  be  given.  When  it 
can  be  shown  that  two  races  have  a  separate  origin, 
they  are  termed  species;  and  in  absence  of  proof,  this 
is  inferred,  when  peculiarities  of  organization  are 
observed  transmitted  from  parent  to  offspring.  When 
races  originating  from  a  common  stock  present  marked 
differences,  they  are  called  varieties,  and  the  variety 
is  called  transient  when  it  manifests  a  disposition  to 
disappear,  or  permanent  when  it  continues  fixed.  The 
limits  of  species  are  every  day  becoming  more  indis- 
tinct. The  report  of  every  voyager  adds  to  the  cata- 

*  Types  of  Mankind.     Nott  and  Gliddon. 


218  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

logue  of  already  countless  beings  in  which  the  reputed 
limits  of  species  are  fast  vanishing  away.  Naturalists 
pride  themselves  in  the  discovery  of  new  species,  more 
than  the  thorough  acquaintance  with  those  already 
known,  and  have  by  the  multiplicity  of  specific  names, 
many  of  which  are  known  to  be  synonymous,  filled 
their  catalogues  with  confusion.  A  spot  on  a  butter- 
fly's wing,  a  greater  length  of  limb  of  a  quadruped, 
or  of  wing  of  a  bird,  is  often  sufficient  proof,  with 
them,  of  diversity  of  origin,  and  a  true  difference  of 
species.  Instead  of  aiming  at  a  philosophical  system 
of  nature,  to  which  the  study  of  special  forms  is  sub- 
ordinate, they  have  ignored  all  idea  of  unitizing  their 
observations  even  by  hypothesis,  and  scorned  all  at- 
tempts at  theorizing.  They  have  met  in  associations, 
and  occupied  their  time  in  filling  ponderous  volumes 
with  dry  and  prolix  details  utterly  devoid  of  value. 
By  such  means  scientific  reputation  is  acquired,  while 
the  cause  of  science  remains  stationary.  In  opposition 
to  such  a  course,  from  the  facts  recorded  in  the  vol- 
umes of  science,  I  shall  deduce  a  theory,  and  endeavor 
to  support  it  by  many  examples  and  observations.  I 
have  presented  the  plan  of  creation.  Now,  if  it  can 
be  shown  that  the  conditions  of  the  inorganic  world 
can  produce  new  species,  then  we  have  the  key  which 
will  unlock  the  mysterious  halls  of  nature. 

201.  That  species  unite  and  blend,  cannot  be  better 
supported  than  by  the  difficulty,  before  alluded  to,  of 
forming  a  proper  definition.  To  all  intents,  any  defi- 
nition will  apply  to  variety  as  well  as  species.  If  the 
origin  of  a  variety  is  unknown,  it  is  called  a  species. 
That  species  hybridize,  and  that  their  offsprings  are 
fertile,  has  been  clearly  established.  Though  far  from 
agreeing  with  those  theorists  who  refer  all  the  inter- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  219 

mediate  forms  to  hybridization,  yet  it  seems  certain 
that  many  species  have  originated  from  inter- 
mixture. 

202.  In  presenting  the  subjects  of  hybrids,  I  will 
first  introduce  the  equine,   (equus  caballus,  Lin.,)   or 
horse    family,    composed    of    five    species :    the   horse, 
dzigguetai,  ass,  zebra,  onagga,  and  quagga.     The  off- 
spring of  the  horse  and  she  ass,  the  hinny,  is  rarely 
met  with,  being  small,   refractory,    and  useless,   and 
hence  not  profitable  to  rear.     The  hinny  copies  the 
horse  much  more  than  the  ass.     The  head  and  ears 
are  small,  and  precisely  like  the  father 's ;  the  legs,  feet, 
and  tail  slender,  like  the  mother's.     The  offspring  of 
the  female  horse  and  male  ass,  the  common  mule,  is 
much  better  known,  being  bred  on  account  of  its  har- 
diness.    It  reverses  what  is  seen  in  the  hinny,  and  is 
much  closer  related  to  the  ass  than  the  horse. 

203.  The  female  ass  and  the  male  quagga  breed 
together,  but  the  male  offspring,  crossed  with  a  mare, 
produces  an  offspring  more  docile  than  either  parent, 
combining  their  best  physical  qualities — strength  and 
speed.     Cuvier  mentions  his  having  seen  the  cross  be- 
tween the  ass  and  zebra,  as  well  as  between  the  zebra 
and  horse.     It  must  be  remembered  that  the  ass  and 
horse  are  not  the  nearest  related  of  the  equine  genus. 
Bell  and  Gray  are  even  disposed  to  found  a  new  genus 
for  the  former. 

Doubts  are  entertained  whether  the  horse  is  not 
derived  from  several  different  stocks.  The  unlimited 
productiveness  among  the  different  varieties  has  coun- 
tenanced the  idea  that  they  all  sprang  from  a  solitary 
pair,  of  Mesopotamian  origin.  Hamilton  Smith  has, 
however,  by  his  researches  overturned  this  superan- 
nuated idea.  He  separates  horses  into  five  primitive 


220  THE   ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

stocks,  existing  as  the  remnant  of  a  previous  creation, 
represented  by  the  fossil  bones  of  horses  exhumed  from 
the  tertiary.  Some  of  these  races  have  been  entirely 
subdued,  such  as  the  Tarpans,  the  Kirguise,  and 
Parmere,  woolly  white  race,  and  the  wild  horse  of 
Poland. 

204.  Britain  had  a  race  peculiar  to  itself,  described 
by  Caesar  as  having  bushy  manes  and  tails  of  a  dun 
color,  with  a  black  stripe  on  the  spine.     It  was  the 
ancestor  of  the  Shetland  and  Scottish  ponies.    A  wider 
difference  exists  between  the  Shetland  pony  and  the 
Arabian  courser  than  between  the  fox  and  the  wolf. 
They  must  be  referable  to  widely  remote  stocks,  yet 
they  are  prolific  inter  se,  as  are  also  their  offspring. 

205.  Hybridization  occurs  in  the  ox  tribe  (bovine). 
The  ox  stands  in  exactly  the  same  position  in  this  re- 
spect as  the  horse,  the  best  naturalists  contending  for 
plurality  of  species.    The  origin  of  our  domestic  cattle 
is  wholly  unknown,  and  at  least  antedates  the  oldest 
Egyptian  monuments.     The  American  bison  produces 
hybrid  offspring  with  the  domestic  stock,  which  repro- 
duce without  limit,  when  coupled  with  either  parent 
stock. 

206.  Dr.  Morton  has  proved  that  the  domestic  goat 
and  sheep   are   derived   from  a  plurality  of  species. 
When  the  goat  and  sheep  are  coupled  together,  they 
produce  the  most  prolific  hybrids.     This  example  is 
very  important,  from  the  fact  that  the  sheep  and  goat 
not  only  are  different  species,  but  belong  to  different 
genera,  while  they  produce  hybrids  which  also  breed 
prolifically.     These  facts  are  sustained  by  indisputable 
authority.* 

*  Buffon,   Quadrupddes,   xxii.  p.   400 ;   xxx.   p.   230, 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  221 

207.  Still  more  extraordinary  is  the  hybridity  of  the 
deer  and  ram.*     Hellenius  gives  the  following  synop- 
sis of  his  experiments: — 

"I  have  thus  from  this  pair  (female  deer — cervus 
capriolus,  and  the  male  sheep — ovis  aries) — obtained 
seven  offspring,  viz. :  four  from  the  ram  and  deer,  two 
of  each  sex ;  two  from  the  deer 's  first  hybrid  male  off- 
spring, viz.,  by  crossing  the  latter  animal  with  the 
Finland  ewe,  and  by  crossing  this  same  male  with  the 
female  offspring  of  the  deer  and  ram;  one,  a  ewe, 
by  pairing  the  Finland  ewe  with  one  of  her  own 
progeny,  from  the  first  hybrid  male  derived  from  the 
deer  and  ram." 

It  is  evident  that,  with  little  care,  or  in  a  state  of 
nature,  by  bringing  together  many  pairs,  a  new  race, 
intermediate  between  the  deer  and  sheep,  could  be 
unlimitedly  propagated.  Molina,  in  his  Natural  His- 
tory of  Chili,  records  that  the  inhabitants  of  that 
country  have,  for  a  long  time,  been  in  the  habit  of 
crossing  goats  and  sheep  to  improve  their  flocks;  and 
he  also  says  that  the  offspring  thus  obtained  are  un- 
limitedly prolific.  All  well-read  naturalists  maintain 
that  the  dromedary  and  camel  are  distinct  species,f 
and  they  were  figured  on  the  monuments  of  Nineveh, 
at  least  2500  years  ago,  precisely  as  they  appear  at 
present.  But  they  and  their  offspring  propagate  un- 
limitedly together. 

208.  Perhaps  no  question  has  caused  so  much  con- 
troversy as  the  origin  of  the  domestic  dog.     The  best 
authorities  promulgate  doctrines  diametrically  differ- 
ent.    One  class  refer  all  varieties  to  a  common  origin 

*  Carl  R.  Hellenius,  quoted  in  Types  of  Mankind,  from  the  Memoirs 
of  the  Royal  Swedish  Academy  of  Stockholm,  as  sanctioned  by  Dr. 
Morton. 

t  Linnaeus,  Smith,  Cuvier,  Lessing,  &c.,  and  sustained  in  Types,  &c. 


222  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

in  the  wolf;  another  class  suppose  that  they  are  de- 
rived from  various  species,  created  in  different  coun- 
tries; and  still  another  refer  them  to  domestication  of 
the  wolf,  fox,  jackal,  &c.,  and  the  infinite  hybridiza- 
tion between  the  races  thus  produced.  This  is  a 
question  having  a  direct  bearing  on  the  transmutation 
of  species.  If  it  is  proved  that  the  poodle  and  New- 
foundland dogs  have  a  common  origin,  all  boundaries 
to  the  limitless  modification  of  species  are  removed, 
and  if  the  last  theory  be  resorted  to,  the  fact  that  all 
the  canine  species  are  prolific  inter  se  demolishes  the 
limitation  of  species. 

209.  It  is  probable  that  the  domestic  dog  of  our 
day  is   derived  from   several  species,   and  also  from 
the   wolf,    fox,    &c.,    which   have    been    domesticated. 
Pallas  observed  in  Moscow  the  offspring  of  the  dog  and 
black  wolf,  which  were  prolific  among  themselves.   The 
Australian   dingo  is  a   fine  example   of   a   wild  dog, 
and  is  undoubtedly  a  distinct  species.    The  Indian  dogs 
of  America  were  probably  derived  from  the  American 
wolf  by  domestication.     Richardson  remarks  that  his 
men,  while  engaged  in  his  famed  arctic  exploration, 
often  mistook  the  wolf  for  the  Esquimaux  dog.     He 
also  observes  that  the  Indian  hare-dog  so  nearly  re- 
sembles the  prairie  wolf,  that  on  comparing  live  speci- 
mens he  could  detect  no  difference  in  form,  fineness  of 
fur,  or  position  of  spots.     All  races  of  dogs  are  pro- 
lific when  bred  together,  and  their  offspring  are  unlim- 
itedly  prolific. 

210.  What  has  been  said  of  dogs  might  be  repeated 
of  our  domestic  fowls,  our  cats,  and  our  swine.     We 
are  entirely  ignorant  of  their  origin,  but  they  probably 
are  derived  from  blending  of  several  distinct  species, 
which  have  become  lost  in  amalgamation. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF    CREATION.  223 

211.  The  amalgamation  occurring  among  plants  is 
still    greater    than    among    animals.    The    fertilizing 
pollen  is  transferred  from  one  to  another  by  insects, 
and  undoubtedly  many  of  our  reputed  species  are  only 
hybrids  originating  in  this  manner.     Let  it  be  proved 
that  hybrids  are  fertile,  and  we  have  an  explanation 
of  the  creation  of  many  of  the  intermediate  species 
and  genera.     But  I  would  by  no  means  lay  as  much 
stress  on  hybridity  as  some  have  done.    It  is  one  among 
many  causes  which   operate   in   effecting  changes   of 
specific  character. 

212.  There  is  one  fact  connected  with  hybridization 
which  has  not  received  the  attention  it  deserves  as  a 
cause  of  specific  change.     Hybrids  may  or  may  not 
be  fertile ;  but  if  being  impregnated  by  another  species 
forever  after  influences  the  succeeding  offspring,  then 
a   new   argument   presents    itself    in   hybridity.      Dr. 
Harvey  says  that  an  Arabian  mare,  being  covered  by 
a  quagga,  gave  birth  to  an  offspring  with  the  distinc- 
tive characters  of  the  male  parent.     She  afterwards 
was  covered  by  a  full-blood  Arabian  horse,  and  pro- 
duced three  successive  foals  all  bearing  the  marks  of 
the  quagga.     Another  mare,  after  having  produced  a 
hybrid  by  a  zebra,  was  afterwards  bred  with  the  horse, 
but  always  after  her  offspring  were  distinctly  marked 
like  the  zebra.     Such  facts  are  still  more  distinctly 
seen  when  different  breeds  of  the  horse,  ox,  dog,  &c., 
are  bred  together,    and  are  likewise  seen  in  human 
generation.    If  these  facts  be  admitted,  then  the  fertil- 
ity of  hybrids  can  be  rejected ;  but  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  mother  is  capable  of  impressing  her  full-blood 
offspring  ever  afterwards  with  the  marks  of  the  hybrid- 
izing male,  and  such  offspring,  being  fertile,  will  trans- 
mit such  characters ;  and  thus  new  races  may  originate, 


224 

which   will   become   species   as  soon   as   their   source 
becomes  lost. 

213.  Equally  great   are  the   effects   of  conditions. 
They  mould  plastic  life  into  whatever  channel  they 
work  out,  and  such  is  the  harmony  which  exists  be- 
tween organic  forms  and  their  environing  conditions, 
that  philosophers  have  ever  supposed  that  in  this  har- 
mony they  saw  the  evidence  of  design,  and  that  living 
forms  were  created  in  reference  to  the  conditions  in 
which  they  were  to   be   placed.      In  this  dogma  we 
perceive  no  vestige  of  law.     It  is  wide  of  the  field  of 
philosophical  research,  and  could  issue  from  none  other 
than  a  theological  source.     In  strict  induction,  if  a 
changeable  form  is  placed  in  unchangeable  conditions, 
it  must  either  conform  or  perish. 

214.  Let  us  pause  for  a  moment  in  our  deductions, 
and  introduce  facts  having  direct  reference  to  the  sub- 
ject under  review.     If  it  can  be  proved  that  species 
permanently  change  by  any  concurrence  of   circum- 
stances whatever,  then  the  theory  of  their  primordial 
creation  and  special  design  in  their  adaptation  goes 
by  the  board.     The  influence  man  exerts  over  domes- 
tic animals  is  very  great,  and  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
the  great  variety  he  has  produced  by  varying  the  cir- 
cumstances which  suround  them. 

215.  Gardeners  and  agriculturists  are  well  aware 
of  the  influence  exerted  by  favorable  conditions   on 
plants.     They   know  that  so   often    as  they   furnish 
these  they  reap  a  rich  harvest;  the  result  following 
given  influences  takes   place  with  mathematical  cer- 
tainty.   Many  single  wild  plants,  when  furnished  with 
a  superabundance  of   food,   have  their  stamens  con- 
verted to  petals,  and  become  double,  as  the  poppy, 
peony,    &c.     Others   change   their    color,    as   the   hy- 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  225 

irangea;  when  planted  in  compost,  they  have  red 
flowers;  in  bog  earth,  blue;  and  in  loam,  yellow.  In 
the  primrose  a  more  remarkable  change  occurs.  It 
was  Linnaeus 's  opinion  that  the  primrose,  oxlip,  cow- 
slip, and  polyanthus,  between  which  there  are  specific 
differences,  were  varieties  of  one  species.  This  opin- 
ion is  confirmed  by  experiment.  Still  greater  changes 
have  been  produced  by  cultivation,  which  show  that 
when  the  true  knowledge  of  cultivation  is  thoroughly 
understood,  almost  any  desired  change  can  be  pro- 
cured. A  salt  and  bitter  plant,  like  the  chardock,  with 
green,  wavy  leaves,  was  taken  from  the  sea  side  and 
transplanted  into  a  rich  soil,  where  it  became  changed 
into  two  plants,  between  which  exist  specific  distinc- 
tions— the  cabbage  and  cauliflower.  The  apple  was 
derived  from  the  sour  crab,  which  ornaments  the 
banks  of  rivers,  and  by  variations  in  its  culture,  runs 
into  the  countless  varieties  which  add  value  to  the 
orchard.  The  influence  of  culture  in  this  remarkable 
instance  is  forcibly  shown  by  comparing  the  greening 
or  pippin  with  the  crab  apple.*  The  plum  was  de- 
rived from  the  bitter  sloe;  the  luscious  peach  from 
a  poisonous  shrub  of  the  Persian  deserts.  The  sour, 
red  currant,  by  culture,  is  changed  into  a  new  variety, 
larger  and  sweeter  than  the  cherry.  The  wild  straw- 
berry, by  the  same  process,  becomes  of  enormous  size 
and  of  exquisite  flavor.  Equally  great  changes  are 
effected  in  the  blackberry  and  raspberry. 

216.  By  the  total  extinction  of  the  original  types 
of  the  cereals,  it  is  evident  that  they  have  so  widely 
departed  from  their  original  form  as  to  be  no  longer 
recognizable.  These  transformations  must  antedate 


*  Lyell,  Principles. 
15 


226  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

the  age  of  the  pyramids,  as  wheat  precisely  like  that 
of  the  present  has  been  obtained  from  exhumed  mum- 
mies. Even  at  that  remote  era  cultivation  had  wrought 
nearly  its  ultimate  change  of  form.  Wherever  man 
has  trod,  he  has  carried  the  cereals  with  him;  yet  no- 
where do  they  occur  wild.  It  will  not  appear  singular 
or  strange  that  a  rough  weed  is  transformed  into  wheat, 
when  to  the  facts  previously  stated  we  add  others 
equally  conclusive.  The  inestimable  potato  is  de- 
rived from  a  diminutive  root  growing  wild  in  Chili. 
The  carrot,  in  a  wild  state,  is  a  slender,  dry  root,  unfit 
to  eat.  The  delicate  cauli  rapi,  is,  wrhen  wild,  a  dry 
stem.  Professor  Henslow's  experiments  confirm  this 
position  as  to  the  mutability  of  species.  He  proves 
that  the  centaurea  -nigra  and  nigrescens  pass  into 
each  other  by  cultivation,  as  do  the  species  of  rosa, 
primula,  and  anagallis.  The  garden  daisy  is  only  the 
cultivated  wild  species.  Future  botanists  will  continue 
to  multiply  these  facts. 

217.  The  derivation  of  wheat  has  been  reduced  by 
M.  Fabre,  of  Agae,  France,*  to  a  certainty,  by  direct 
and  careful  experiment.  He  took  the  seeds  of  the 
segilops  ovata,  a  rough  grass,  native  of  Southern  France 
and  Italy,  and  after  twelve  successive  years'  cultiva- 
tion it  became  perfect  wheat,  and  not  a  single  plant 
ever  reverted  to  its  former  aegilopic  character.  He 
conducted  his  experiments  in  an  enclosure,  surrounded 
by  a  high  wall,  which  silences  the  objection  which  might 
arise,  that  the  aegilops  hybridized  with  neighboring 
wheat.  Each  year  effected  a  slow  change,  advancing 
the  plant  one  step  nearer  the  true  wheat.  This  experi- 


*  For  a  full  delineation  of  this  remarkable  experiment,  see  Agri- 
cultural Report  for  1857,  quoted  from  Journal  of  Royal  Agriculture, 
p.  574. 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  227 

ment  reconciles  the  vague  traditions  which  refer  the 
origin  of  the  cereals  to  the  East,  where  the  aegilops 
is  a  common  wild  grass,  and,  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, might  have  assumed  a  wheat-like  appearance. 
If  wheat  is  thus  derived,  it  is  probable  that  the  other 
cereals  had  the  same  origin.  This  is  supported  by  the 
statement  of  the  noted  botanist,  Lindley.  He  says, 
"At  the  request  of  the  Marquis  of  Bristol,  Lord 
Hervey,  in  the  year  1843,  sowed  a  handful  of  oats,  and 
treated  them  in  the  manner  recommended  by  contin- 
ually stopping  the  flowering  stems ;  and  the  produce  in 
1844  has  been,  for  the  most  part,  ears  of  very  slender 
barley,  having  much  the  appearance  of  rye,  with  a  lit- 
tle wheat  and  some  oats."  "How  then  can  we  be 
sure  that  all  the  cereals  are  not  offshoots  from  some 
unsuspected  species  ?"  The  surmise  of  the  great 
botanist  has  been  verified  and  established  as  an  im- 
portant fact  of  botanical  science.* 

218.  So  great  have  been  the  changes  effected  in  do- 
mestic animals,  that  their  origin  is  obscured  or  totally 
lost.  It  is  probable  that  the  dog,  horse,  ox,  and  sheep 
were  derived  from  many  sources,  and  the  great  va- 
riety now  existing  undoubtedly  came  by  the  blend- 
ing of  the  various  stocks  produced  by  them.  The 
savage  tribes  of  the  primitive  ages  each  strove  to 
domesticate  the  wild  animals  of  the  forest;  and  when 
the  tribes  united  in  nations,  their  domesticated  ani- 
mals became  common  property,  and  mingled  together. 
This  is  far  more  rational  than  to  suppose  one  tribe 
first  domesticated  a  particular  animal,  and  from  them 
it  was  disseminated  to  all  others.  The  dog,  for  instance, 


*  For  a  full  delineation  of  this  remarkable  experiment,  see  Agri- 
cultural Report  for  1857,  quoted  from  Journal  of  Royal  Agriculture, 
P.  574. 


228  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,   OR 

of  the  Esquimaux  is  a  northern  wolf;  of  the  western 
Indians,  a  prairie  wolf;  of  the  east,  a  domesticated 
wolf,  fox,  or  jackal.  By  blending  these  various  stocks 
the  great  variety  observed  is  produced.  These  varia- 
tions are  very  ancient,  dating  back  at  least  five  thou- 
sand years,  as  the  mastiff,  hound,  &c.,  are  faithfully 
delineated  on  Egyptian  monuments. 

219.  The  horse  has  been  discovered  as  a  fossil  of 
the  tertiary,  and  even  then  existed  as  two  distinct  spe- 
cies.*     The   present  races    are    probably   descendants 
from  these  original  stocks.      Climate  and  culture  have 
also  greatly  affected  them.     There  is  a  specific  distinc- 
tion between  the  Shetland  pony  and  the  Arab  steed. 
It  is  stated  that  the  common  horse,  transported  to  Ara- 
bia, in  time  becomes  better  formed.     Climate  has  a 
great    influence    on    animals.      In    1764    the    French 
introduced  horses  and  cattle  into  the  Falkland  Islands. 
The  horses  have  increased,   but   greatly  degenerated, 
and,   although   in   good  condition,    are   so   small   and 
weak   that  they  cannot  be  used  in  taking  the  wild 
cattle. 

220.  Darwin  remarks  that  "at  some  future  period, 
the  southern  hemisphere  probably  will  have  its  breed 
of  Falkland  ponies,  as  the  northern  has  its  Shetland 
breed,  "f 

Although  but  one  breed  of  cattle  was  imported, 
yet,  occupying  a  territory  of  only  one  hundred  and 
twenty  by  sixty  miles,  they  have  separated  into  three 
distinct  varieties.  Those  on  the  high  lands  are  of  a 
mouse  color,  and  calve  a  month  earlier  than  those  on 
the  low  lands.  On  the  north  of  Choiseul  Sound  they 
are  dark  brown,  while  south  of  it  they  are  white,  with 

*  Lyell's  Elements.      De   Labucks,   Geological   Observer. 
t  Darwin,  Voyage  of  a  Naturalist,  vol.  I.  p.  247. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP    CREATION.  229 

black  heads  and  feet.  The  various  herds  do  not 
mingle,  and  it  is  remarkable  to  see  one  variety  of  the 
ox  thus  producing  three  essentially  new  branches.  It 
has  been  conjectured  the  wild  and  fierce  auroch  was 
the  original  parent  of  our  domestic  stock,  and  it  may 
be  one  of  the  roots  from  which  they  are  derived,  but 
they  cannot  be  referred  entirely  to  this  source.  They 
manifest  too  mixed  a  type  to  be  derived  .from  a 
single  stem. 

By  culture  the  Devons,  Durhams,  &c.,  have  been,  as 
it  were,  created  out  of  the  original  stock,  and  made 
permanent.  What  are  termed  improvements  in  stock 
consist  in  adding  to  those  parts  of  the  animal  most 
valuable  as  meat,  and  lessening  the  less  valuable  por- 
tion. This  has  been  almost  reduced  to  a  science,  and 
breeders  successfully  strive  to  perfect  their  animals 
in  these  points.  There  appears  no  limit  to  their 
success  in  this  direction,  as  each  year  produces  a 
nearer  advance  to  the  ideal.  The  same  is  true  of 
horses,  which  are  bred  in  reference  to  different  pur- 
poses. The  draft  horse  becomes  the  strongest  of  ani- 
mals; the  racer  the  fleetest;  the  hunter  endowed  with 
surefootedness,  and  capable  of  leaping  fences  and 
hedges  which  would  confine  most  other  animals. 
Each  variety  has  been  bred  with  reference  to  an  ideal, 
and  by  long  and  patient  care  that  ideal  ihas  been 
obtained. 

221.  Ofttimes  man  has  taken  advantage  of  acci- 
dental peculiarities,  and  by  proper  care  made  them 
permanent.  As  an  illustration,  in  1791  a  ewe,  belong- 
ing to  a  farmer  in  Massachusetts,  produced  a  male 
lamb,  which,  from  its  singular  length  of  body  and 
shortness  of  limbs,  received  the  name  of  the  otter 
breed.  These  peculiarities,  disabling  it  from  leaping 


230  THE  ARCANA  OP   NATURE,   OR 

fences,  &c.,  seemed  to  render  the  breed  desirable,  and 
determined  the  owner  to  make  an  effort  to  propagate 
it.  The  first  year  he  obtained  two  with  the  same 
characteristics,  the  second  a  greater  number ;  and  when 
these  were  bred  together  a  new  and  strongly-marked 
race  was  permanently  established.* 

222.  A  new  breed  of  Merino  sheep,  distinguished 
for  their  long,  smooth,  and  silky  wool,  has  been  estab- 
lished in  a  similar  manner.f 

It  has  been  objected  that  man  has  only  taken  such 
species  under  his  care  as  were  capable  of  the  greatest 
degree  of  education,  or  transformation.  This,  how- 
ever, is  entirely  an  assertion.  As  the  origin  of  all 
domesticated  species  is  lost,  we  do  not  know  what 
were  the  species  man  first  reclaimed.  Nor  can  we 
ascertain  the  amount  of  change  six  thousand  years' 
domestication  would  produce  on  any  of  the  present 
wild  species.  Man  annuls  time  by  producing  the 
concurrence  of  the  most  favorable  conditions.  His 
influence  is  not  arbitrary  or  unnatural,  as  has  been  sup- 
posed by  those  who  have  been  blinded  by  the  dust  of 
controversy,  but  is  simply  a  condition  whereby  change 
is  effected.  By  understanding  the  causes  he  can  induce 
such  effects  as  he  pleases,  and  rule  the  animate  world 
with  iron  sway.  But  enough  has  been  stated  to 
show  how  potent  is  his  influence.  It  is  too  well  known 
to  be  disputed,  and  I  turn  to  the  operation  of  natural 
causes. 

223.  Often  have  I  remarked  the  dwarfed  appear- 
ance of  stems  of  grain  which  had  accidentally  strayed 
from  the  border  of  the  field.     None  feel  the  effects  of 
degenerating  causes  as  much  as  that  lover  of  the  rich 

*  Philosophical   Transactions,   1813. 

t  Owen,  in  a  lecture  before  the  Society  of  Arts,  Dec.  10,  1851. 


THE   HISTORY  AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  231 

and  cultivated  soil,  the  Indian  corn.  It  can  be  seen 
by  the  side  of  fields,  or  when  choked  with  weeds 
but  a  few  inches  high,  and  maturing  but  a  few  grains. 

224.  An  English  botanist  states,  that ' l  on  the  chalky 
borders    of   a   wood    he    gathered   perfect   specimens, 
in  full  flower,  of  the  centaury,  not  half  an  inch  in 
height.     By  tracing  the  plant  towards  the  wood,  it 
gradually  increased  in  size  until  it  became  a  glorious 
plant,  five  feet  in  height."    As  it  is  certain  that  the 
conditions  of  the  parent  are  transmitted  to  the  off- 
spring, how  long  could  the  plant  be  thus  dwarfed  be- 
fore a  new  and  smaller  species  would  result?     I  have 
seen  specimens  of  the  nightshade,  usually  three  feet 
high,  growing  in  a  cleft  of  rock,  which  were  not  one 
inch  high,  and  matured  but  two  flowers  and  one  seed. 
The  influence  of  soil  and  climate  cannot  be  disputed. 
When  pines  and  firs  grow  up  the  mountain  side,  meet- 
ing the  increasing  cold  and  more  barren  soil,  they 
become  smaller  and  smaller,  until  covered  by  almost 
perpetual  frost. 

225.  Fungi  and  lichens  are  more  affected  by  the 
circumstances  of  their  growth  than  any  other  vegeta- 
tion.    In  their  classification  exists   the  greatest   dif- 
ficulty in  fixing  their  characters.    Fries  asserts  that  out 
of  the  different  states  of  one  species   (telephora  sul- 
phur ea)  more  than  eight  distinct  genera  had  been  con- 
structed by  different  authors.     It  would  seem,  then, 
that  the  absolute  number  of  species  among  the  fungi 
is  not  nearly  so  great  as  has  been  supposed,  and  the 
kind  produced  by  a  decomposing  infusion,  or  a  bed  of 
decaying  solid  matter,   will  depend  as  much  on  the 
material  employed  as  upon  the  germ  itself  which  is 
the  subject  of  it.  *        The  Haarlem  Academy  of  Sci- 

*  Carpenter's  Comparative  Physiology,   p.   62. 


232  THE  ARCANA  OF   NATURE,   OR 

ence  proposed  as  a  question,  "According  to  some  bot- 
anists, algae  of  a  very  simple  structure,  placed  under 
favorable  circumstances,  develop  and  change  into 
different  plants,  belonging  to  genera  more  elevated  in 
the  scale  of  organic  being;  although  these  same  alga?, 
in  the  absence  of  such  favorable  circumstances,  would 
be  fertile  and  reproduce  their  original  form. ' '  *  This 
statement  has  never  been  disproved.  It  is  stated  by 
the  greatest  of  living  physiologists,  that  while  young, 
the  lichen  is  a  perfect  alga,  but  as  it  matures,  a  dry 
habitat  is  best  suited  for  it.  In  every  respect  it  is  an 
alga,  except  that  it  grows  in  the  air,  while  the  other 
grows  in  water.  Knowing  as  we  do  the  susceptibility 
of  the  cryptogamia  to  external  influences,  we  are  justi- 
fied in  predicting  an  unlimited  amount  of  change  when 
the  proper  influences  are  applied. 

226.  Darwin  records  in  his  journal  many  interest- 
ing facts  having  a  direct  bearing  on  the  question  under 
discussion.  He  records,  unknowingly,  the  tendency  of 
species  to  conform  to  the  conditions  which  surround 
them.  The  changes  the  damp  climate  of  the  Falk- 
land Islands  had  effected  on  the  horse  and  ox  have 
already  been  referred  to,  but  they  are  far  from  com- 
pleting the  list.  The  rabbit  has  been  imported  into 
the  same  inhospitable  clime,  and  succeeds  so  well  that 
it  abounds  in  a  wild  state.  The  rabbit  is  a  native  of 
Northern  Africa,  and  would  not  be  supposed  capable 
of  enduring  the  extreme  transition  it  has  done  in  being 
removed  from  its  torrid  home  into  the  damp  climate 
of  the  Falklands,  where  there  is  so  little  sunshine  that 
wheat  ripens  only  occasionally.  But,  instead  of  be- 
coming extinct,  it  has  originated  three  varieties, — black, 
gray,  and  piebald, — so  very  distinct  that  even  Cuvier, 

*  Charlsworth's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  ii.  p.  448. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  233 

unacquainted  with  their  origin,  judging  by  the  skull, 
thought  they  were  distinct  species. 

227.  The  common  hog  has  run  wild  on  the  island, 
and  has  become  of  a  jet  black  color,  the  boars  having 
enormous  tusks,  and  being  extremely  fierce. 

228.  The  only  native  carnivorous  animal  is  a  large 
wolf-like  fox.     On  the  authority  of  Darwin,  this  fox 
is  the  only  instance  on  record  of  so  small  and  broken 
a  fragment   of  land   having  so  large   an  indigenous 
quadruped  peculiar  to  itself.     Those  who  believe  in 
miraculous  creation  will  find  this  fact  hard  to  digest. 
With  countless  others  it  requires  a  special  act  of  cre- 
ation, ungoverned  by  law,  and  fortuitous  as  chance. 
How  beautifully,  however,  is  it  in  accordance  with  the 
theory  we  are  supporting.     The  parent  fox  is  brought 
to  the  island  from  some  other  land,  perhaps  America, 
on  a  floating  raft,  drifted  by  wind  and  current;  and 
linding  an  abundance  of  food,  and  no  enemies,  multi- 
plies, and  after  many  generations  is  moulded  by  the 
new  conditions  which  operate  upon  it,  until  it  is  no 
longer  recognizable.     It  deceived  even  Cuvier  on  its 
origin. 

229.  Keeling  Island  has  but  one  quadruped — a  rat, 
which  was  introduced  by  a  ship  wrecked  on  the  coast. 
It  is  pronounced  by  Waterhouse  identical  with  the 
English  kind ;  but  it  is  modified  by  its  new  home,  be- 
coming smaller   and   deeper   colored.      Oceanic   birds 
straggle  over  the  low  Pacific  Islands,  as  the  rail  shot 
on  Ascension,  a  solitary  straggler,  proves.     Becoming 
attached  to  particular  haunts,  they  cease  to  migrate, 
and  under  the  same  influences  which  modified  the  ox, 
the  horse,  and  the  rabbit  of  the  Falklands,  originate 
new  species.    How  else  are  we  to  account  for  varieties 
found  on  all  these  islands,  and  on  every  portion  of  the 


234  THE  AKCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

continents?  On  Keeling  Island  a  snipe  and  a  rail 
were  found,  not  lovers  of  the  water,  but  of  the  dry 
land,  and  feeding  on  dry  herbage. 

230.  Perhaps  nothing  can  be  written  so  admirably 
illustrating  and  substantiating  the  theory  that  living 
beings  conform  to  the  conditions  in  which  they  are 
placed,  as  this  naturalist's  account  of  the  Galapagos 
Archipelago.  This  group  of  islands  lies  directly 
under  the  equator,  six  hundred  miles  from  the  western 
coast  of  South  America.  Entirely  of  volcanic  origin, 
they  glitter  in  the  vertical  rays  of  a  torrid  sun,  every 
height  crowned  with  its  crater,  and  the  course  of  the 
lava  streams  still  distinct.  Each  of  the  several 
islands  has  its  own  animals  peculiar  to  itself,  even 
the  tortoises  of  different  islands  differing  in  size  and 
character.  Each  island  of  the  group  has  a  variety  of 
mocking  thrush  peculiar  to  itself ;  there  are  twenty-six 
species  of  plants  found  nowhere  else.  It  has  been  a 
theme  of  speculation  among  scientific  men,  why  each 
island  should  have  a  distinct  flora  and  fauna  from  the 
others,  when  lying  so  near  each  other  as  to  be  in  sight. 
A  distinct  creation  was  believed  necessary  for  each. 
Here  their  theory,  philosophy,  and  knowledge  termi- 
nated But  are  we  necessitated  to  leave  the  domain  of 
science?  Not  as  long  as  positive  knowledge  can  be 
acquired.  These  islands  are  of  recent  origin.  They 
were  upheaved  from  the  profoundest  depths  of  the 
ocean.  Through  the  spaces  between  them,  a  strong 
current  constantly  sweeps,  effectually  cutting  off  all 
intercommunication,  and  the  chance  or  possibility  of  an 
'animal  passing  from  one  to  the  other  would  be  far 
better,  if  five  hundred  miles  of  calm  ocean  interposed 
between  them.  All  the  animals  and  plants  show  a 
marked  relation  to  those  of  the  contiguous  South  Amer- 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  235 

ican  coast.  From  such  data  I  draw  the  inference  that 
these  islands  have  been  separately  planted  and  colo- 
nized by  drifted  seeds  and  animals,  and,  as  in  previ- 
ously cited  instances,  these  have  changed  until  their 
parentage  is  obscured. 

231.  From  the  hot  and  arid  climate  of  these  islands 
the  character  of  the  plants  may  be  inferred.     Their 
leaves  are  so  small  that  the  dwarfed  underwood  ap- 
pears entirely  leafless,  and  except  in  places  moistened 
by  springs,  this  cheerless  aspect  is  universal. 

There  is  only  one  indigenous  mammal,  and  that  an 
inhabitant  of  but  one  island — a  mouse  closely  related 
to  the  mouse  of  the  new  world.  On  another  island  a 
rat  has  been  discovered,  and  from  its  being  related  to 
the  rat  of  Europe,  has  been  referred  to  that  species,  as 
a  variety  of  the  latter,  imported  in  vessels,  modified  by 
climate. 

232.  There  are  twenty-six  kinds  of  birds,  all  pecu- 
liar to  the  group,  except  a  lark-like  finch,  a  native  of 
North  America.     They  are  composed  of  hawks,  owls, 
wrens,  doves,  waders,  &c.,  almost  all  of  which,  not- 
withstanding  the   tropical   climate,    are    of    a   dusky 
color.     They  are  generally  smaller  than  the  continen- 
tal species,  as  well  as  duskier  hued — a  fact  showing 
them  to  be  immigrants,  as  transplanted  species  gener- 
ally decrease  in  size.    The  plants  have  also  degenerated, 
being  forced  to  grow  in  this  coarse  and  arid  volcanic 
soil.     All  the  insects  also  are  small  and  dull  colored, 
conforming  to  the  weed-like  vegetation  on  which  they 
feed. 

233.  It  is  now  established  that  fishes  do  not  pass 
very  great  intervals  of   open  sea.     Hence  they   are 
nearly  as  much  confined  in  their  specific  ranges  as  the 
land  fauna.    This  group  of  islands  has  sixteen  species 


236  THE   ARC  ANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

peculiar  to  itself,  belonging  to  twelve  genera,  which 
are  widely  distributed. 

234  Of  mollusks  they  have  sixteen  species  of  land 
shells,  ninety  species  of  sea  shells,  all  peculiar  to  them, 
except  one  land  shell,  a  native  of  Tahiti,  and  forty- 
three  sea  shells,  twenty-five  of  which  are  natives  of 
the  western  coast  of  America ;  and  the  others  are  widely 
distributed.  Eight  of  these  are  varieties. 

235.  "Why,"  exclaims  the  above  naturalist,  "on 
these  small  points  of  land,  which  within  a  late  geologi- 
cal period  must  have  been  covered  by  the  ocean,  which 
are  formed  of  basaltic  lava,  and  therefore  differ  in  geo- 
logical character  from  the  American  continent,   and 
which  are  placed  under  a  peculiar  climate, — why  were 
their  aboriginal  inhabitants  associated,  I  may  add  in 
different  proportions,  both  in  kind  and  number,  from 
those  on  the  continent,  and  therefore  acting  on  each 
other  in  a  different  manner, — why  were  they  created  on 
different  types  of  organization  ?    It  is  probable  that  the 
Cape   de  Verd   group   resemble  in  all  their  physical 
conditions  far  more  closely  the  Galapagos  Islands  than 
these  latter  physically  resemble  the  coast  of  America; 
yet  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  two  groups  are 
totally  unlike,  those  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  Islands  bear- 
ing the  impress  of  Africa,  as  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Galapagos    Archipelago    are    stamped    with    that    of 
America. ' '  * 

236.  Let  us  pause,  and  apply  the  present  philoso- 
phy to  the   solution.     A  strong  current  sweeps  past 
the  Galapagos,  drifting  palms  and  terrestrial  vegeta- 
tion   on    their    south-eastern    shores.f      This    current 


*  Darwin's    Voyage    of    a    Naturalist,    \.    p,    249. 
t  Colbett,  p.   58. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  237 

furnishes  a  conveyance  for  the  hardy  seeds,  which  are 
thrown  into  the  ocean  by  the  South  American  rivers. 
Rafts  formed  of  floating  timber  are  often  met  at  sea,* 
bearing  strange  communities  of  organic  beings.  Voy- 
agers on  tropical  rivers  are  often  exposed  to  great 
danger  by  these  rafts,  which  are  bound  downward  to 
the  sea.  Martius,  when  ascending  the  Amazon,  saw 
them  in  immense  numbers.  On  them  were  very  singu- 
lar assemblages  of  animals  pursuing  their  uncertain 
way.  On  one  he  saw  a  stork — probably  having  a  nest 
— and  a  party  of  monkeys.  On  another  a  number  of 
ducks  and  divers  were  perched  beside  a  group  of 
squirrels,  and  on  the  trunk  of  an  enormous  cedar  were 
a  crocodile  and  a  tiger  cat.  If  the  large  rivers  have 
such  extensive  rafts,  small  ones,  at  least  occasionally, 
would  send  them  down  to  the  sea. 

237.  Lyell  remarks,f  "It  is  highly  interesting  to 
trace  in  imagination  the  effects  of  the  passage  of  these 
rafts  from  the  mouth  of  a  large  river  to  some  archi- 
pelago. Some  of  those  in  the  South  Pacific  were  raised 
from  the  deep,  in  a  comparatively  recent  time,  by 
the  operations  of  the  earthquake  and  volcano,  and 
the  joint  labor  of  coral  animals  and  testacea.  If  a 
storm  arise  and  the  frail  vessel  be  wrecked,  still  many 
a  bird  and  insect  may  reach  by  flight  some  island  of 
the  new  formed  group,  while  the  seeds  and  berries  of 
herbs  or  shrubs  which  fall  into  the  water  may  be 
thrown  upon  the  strand.  But  if  the  surface  of  the  sea 
is  calm,  and  the  rafts  are  carried  along  by  a  current, 
or  wafted  by  same  light  breath  of  air  fanning  the 
foliage  of  the  green  trees,  it  may  arrive,  after  a  passage 
of  several  weeks,  at  the  side  of  an  island,  on  which 

*  Sphix  and  Martius,  vol.  iii.  1011-13,  quoted  by  Lyell. 
t  Principles   of   Geology,   p.   642. 


238  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

its  plants  and  animals  would  be  landed  as  from  an 
ark,  and  thus  a  colony  of  several  hundred  new  species 
may  at  once  be  naturalized. ' ' 

238.  This  reveals  the  secret  of  the  introduction  of 
species  into  remote  islands,  without  the  assistance  of 
a  special  creation.    Let  us  delineate  the  -above  history 
a  little  farther.     One  by  one,  different  species  are  im- 
ported to  each  island   of   a   group,   gaining   thereby 
accessions  to  its  species  independent  of  the  others; 
and  if,  as  in  the   Galapagos,  strong  currents  sweep 
between  contiguous   islands,   the  flora   and  fauna   of 
each  will  remain  distinct.     Each  island  will  possess  a 
climate  in  many  respects  peculiar,  being  more  or  less 
elevated  above  the  sea,  arid,  or  moist,  with  equable 
rains    or    severe    droughts,    &c. ;    consequently,    the 
influence    exerted    on    the    newly-arrived    immigrants 
would   materially   vary.      If    the   latter    survive   the 
change,  and  are  sufficiently  hardy  to  resist  the  detri- 
mental causes,  they  will  be  forced  to  undergo  modifi- 
cations such  as  we  have  already  observed  would  take 
place.     The  immigrants  would  be   derived  from  the 
nearest  continent,  and,  in  opposition  to  change,  they 
would  retain  their  original  peculiarities.     Hence  the 
aboriginal  species  of  the  Cape  de  Verds  partake  of 
the  characters  of  those  of  Africa,  and  the  Galapagos 
Islands  of  America,  from  which  a  rapid  current  sweeps 
past  them. 

239.  A  peculiarity  of  all  island  flora   and  fauna 
is  their  heterogeneous  character,  and  the  great  number 
of    genera    compared    with    the    number    of    species. 
They  are  composed  of  only  the  most  enduring  plants 
and  animals — those  which  are  capable  of  being  trans- 
mitted without  much  injury.     Why  is  this,  if  each 
island  is  peopled  by  special  design?     On  the  other 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  239 

hand,  if  species  are  introduced  by  floating  seeds,  or 
animals  transported  on  rafts,  it  would  be  a  rare  occur- 
rence for  more  than  one  species  of  a  genus  to  become 
established  in  its  new  home.  These  modifications 
occurring,  would  not  only  alter  and  transform  it  out 
of  its  original  species,  but  its  genus  also,  to  another 
closely  allied.  Those  species  which  are  also  natives 
of  the  adjoining  continent  have  either  not  been  natur- 
alized a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  become  modified, 
or  they  are  endowed  with  a  strong  power  of  resisting 
encroaching  conditions. 

240.  When  animals  which  inhabit  a  cold  northern 
latitude,  and  covered  with  a  thick,  warm  coat  of  fur  or 
wool,  are  transported  to  a  southern  latitude,  they  will 
gradually  shed  a  considerable  portion  of  it ;  but  they 
will  obtain  it  again  if  returned  to  the  north.     The 
color  of  the  ermine  and  alpine  hare  changes  to  white 
during  the  winter.     Cold  and  heat  have  a  marked 
effect  not  only  in  the  color,  but  in  the  quantity,  of  cloth- 
ing necessary  for  their  preservation.    Diet,  too,  has  its 
effect.     When  meagre  and  sparing,  it  has  a  tendency 
to  produce  hair — a  fact  which  may  help  to  explain  the 
acquisition   of  the  thick  coats  of  fur  by  arctic   ani- 
mals.    The  fur  becomes  finer  as  the  severity  of  the 
cold  increases,  for  cold  contracts  the  pores  of  the  skin, 
and  the  hair  takes  the  size  of  the  aperture  through 
which  it  grows.* 

241.  The  vital  organs  are  also  changed  by  circum- 
stances.    This   is  wonderfully   seen   in   the   Peruvian 
race  of  men,  who  are  noted  for  their  enormous  expan- 
sion of  chest.     They   lived   at   a  height   of  between 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  feet 

*  Goldsmith's  Animated  Nature,  vol.  i.  p.  72 ;  also  Krantz's  History 
Of  Greenland,  vol.  i.  p.   72. 


240  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

above  the  sea  level,  and  hence  a  much  greater  quan- 
tity of  air  was  necessary  to  be  inhaled  to  supply  the 
respiratory  functions:  in  consequence,  the  lungs  were 
enlarged,  and  the  thorax  from  infancy  abnormally 
dilated:  in  the  lungs  there  was  a  kind  of  natural  em- 
physema.* There  was  a  time  when  the  Incas  did  not 
dwell  on  those  extreme  heights,  at  which  time  their 
chests  were  not  unusually  developed:  such  enormous 
lungs  would,  if  supplied  with  common  air,  injure,  if 
not  rapidly  consume,  the  physical  system.  They  re- 
moved to  the  rarified  and  elevated  stratum  of  air,  and 
their  lungs  conformed  to  its  peculiar  influence,  and 
after  a  few  generations,  the  peculiarity  became  heredi- 
tary, and  was  possessed  by  the  unborn  child.  Thus  we 
see  the  production  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  physi- 
cal characteristics  of  the  Inca  race. 

242.  Organs  are  lost,  or  dwarfed,  by  inactivity.  If 
they  are  enlarged  by  conditions  bringing  them  into 
uncommon  activity,  they  are  decreased  by  influences 
unfavorable  to  their  growth.  Thus  the  mole  rat,  (mus 
typhlus,  Pal.,)  dwelling  constantly  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  consequently  in  total  darkness,  has 
no  use  for  organs  of  vision,  and  they  are  in  consequence 
undeveloped.f  That  such  is  the  fact,  and  that  it  is 
not  design,  is  clearly  proved  by  this  animal — having 
the  rudiments  of  eyes — mere  round  black  bodies — 
situated  beneath  the  folds  of  the  skin.  They,  however, 
serve  no  purpose,  and  are  failures  so  far  as  special 
design  is  concerned  in  the  structure  of  the  animal. 
The  common  mole  is  a  transitional  form.  It  has  little 
use  for  eyes  while  travelling  in  its  dark  subterranean 


*   Smith,  Natural  History  of  the  Human   Species,  p.  38. 
t  Cuvier's  Animal  Kingdom,  p.   116. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  241 

passages,  and  hence  they  have  become  so  small  that  it 
was  believed  at  one  time  that  it  was  blind. 

243.  Fishes  inhabiting  cavern  lakes  are  sometimes 
blind,  as  those  of  the  Mammoth  Cave,  in  Kentucky, 
U.  S. — a  result  of  similar  conditions  to  those  which 
destroy  the  vision  of  the  mole  rat. 

Mollusks,  when  they  inhabit  water,  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  carbonate  of  lime,  acquire  shells  of 
great  thickness;  the  presence  or  absence  of  a  single 
element  effecting  such  important  changes  that  it  is 
difficult  to  recognize  the  species.  In  water  strongly 
impregnated  with  carbonic  acid, — as  the  Lake  Sol- 
fatara,  in  Italy, — the  confervae,  and  other  simple  cellu- 
lar plants  flourish  so  vigorously  that  they  completely 
fill  the  water.  Around  springs  where  carbonic  acid 
escapes,  vegetation  partakes  of  an  almost  carbonifer- 
ous luxuriance. 

244.  There  are  conditions  furnished  by  some  coun- 
tries more  favorable  to  the  existence  of  particular  be- 
ings than  others.     Thus  North  America  is  the  oldest 
land  on  the  globe,*  and  we  find  its  fauna  remarkably 
harmonizing  with  its  ancient  character.    In  it  the  most 
ancient  beings  exist.    It  is  in  North  America  where  the 
gar-pike  lives,  and  the  gar-pike  is  the  only  existing  rep- 
resentative of  that  age  when  the  gar-pike  only  lived.* 
The  fishes  of  the  North  American  lakes  greatly  differ, 
but  live  in  similar  situations  as  allied  European  species. 
There  are  fishes  in  Lake  Superior  with  spines  on  their 
obercular  bones,  all  the  scales  hard,  and,  what  is  never 
observed  in  existing  hard-scaled  fishes,  they  have  fatty 
fins.      These    facts    are    set    down   by   naturalists    as 
strange.    But  they  are  in  beautiful  harmony  with  the 


*  Agassiz,  Geology  of  Lake  Superior. 
16 


242  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

theory  here  presented.  The  American  continent  was 
elevated  above  the  ancient  ocean,  and  its  northern  por- 
tion has  never  since  been  wholly  submerged.  It  has 
fostered  its  ancient  fauna,  some  of  which  have  had 
power  to  resist  the  changes  which  have  slowly  occurred 
without  being  removed  from  the  types  to  which  they 
belong;  others  have  completely  changed;  while  others 
still,  unable  to  withstand  the  opposing,  changing  influ- 
ences have  perished.  It  is  observed  that  the  fresh 
water  species  of  the  North  American  lakes  are  allied 
to  European  species  living  in  similar  situations, 
proving  that  similar  conditions  ever  reproduce  simi- 
lar forms. 

245.  Another  illustration  is  found  in  the  Australian 
continent,  which  does  not  carry  us  back  to  such  remote 
eras  as  America,  but  ushers  us  into  the  oolitic  epoch. 
By  influences  which  are  exerted  in  a  manner  of  which 
we  are  at  present  ignorant,  the  flora  and  fauna  of  the 
oolitic   period   are  retained.     Marsupials   occupy  the 
place  of  the  true  mammalia,  and  oolitic  rays  and  sharks 
swarm  the  adjacent  ocean. 

246.  It   is   objected   that   animals   cannot    change, 
because  their  instincts  are  permanent,  and  hence  are 
inadequate  to  maintain  life  under  any  other  circum- 
stances than  that  for  which  they  were  especially  de- 
signed.     But    instinct    is    far    from    permanent.      It 
changes  with  the  organic  modifications  effected  in  the 
animal.    A  few  facts  only  will  be  introduced  from  the 
innumerable  instances  where  such  changes  have  been 
produced.    The  wild  hare  digs  a  deep  and  intricate  bur- 
row, to  protect  itself  against  its  enemies;  but  when 
tamed,  and  conscious  of  protection,  it  neglects  to  pro- 
vide this  security  for  itself.*     It  has  been  observed 

*  Darwin,  vol.   ii.   p.   175. 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  243 

that  when  a  warren  is  stocked  with  tame  rabbits,  they 
and  their  immediate  offspring  neglect  to  dig  burrows, 
and  remain  exposed  to  the  weather;  but  after  two 
or  three  generations  they  find  the  necessity  of  provid- 
ing themselves  shelter,  and  resume  their  former  habits 
of  burrowing. 

247.  On   the   Pacific    Islands   early   voyagers   and 
travellers  found  the  birds  and  animals  extraordinarily 
tame.    They  could  be  approached  and  caught  with  the 
hand,   or  killed   with   a    switch.      On   the    Galapagos 
Islands,  which  are  but  little  frequented  by  man,  they 
are  very  tame;  in  the  Falklands  they  were,  accord- 
ing   to    Pernety,    once    quite    as    tame.     They    have 
learned  caution  by  experience.     In  early  times,  when 
all  the  other  birds  were  tame,  the  black-necked  swan 
was  wild  and  sly :  "  being  a  bird  of  passage,  it  brought 
with  it  the  wisdom  learned  in  foreign  countries.7' 

248.  "All  the  birds  at  Bourbon  Island  in  1571  and 
1572,  with  the  exception  of  flamingoes  and  geese,  were 
so  extremely  tame  that  they  could  be  caught  with  the 
hand.     Again,  at  Tristan  d'Acunha,  in  the  Atlantic, 
Carmichael  states  that  the  only  two  land  birds,  a  thrush 
and  a  bunting,  were  so  tame  as  to  suffer  themselves  to 
be  caught  with  a  net.     From  these  several  facts  we 
are  warranted  in  the  conclusion,  first,  that  the  wild- 
ness  of  birds,  with  regard  to  man,   is  a   particular 
instinct  directed   against  him,  not  arising   from  any 
general   caution    originating    from    other    sources    of 
danger;  secondly,  that  it  is  not  acquired  by  individual 
birds  in  a  short  time,  even  when  much  persecuted, 
but  that  in  the  course  of  successive  generations  it  be- 
comes hereditary.    With  domesticated  animals  we  are 
accustomed    to    see    new    mental    habits    or    instincts 
acquired,  and  rendered  hereditary;  but  with  animals 


244  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

in  a  state  of  nature  it  must  always  be  difficult  to  dis- 
cover instances  of  acquired  knowledge.  In  regard  to 
the  wildness  of  birds  towards  man,  there  is  no  way  of 
accounting  for  it,  except  as  an  inherited  habit.  Com- 
paratively few  young  birds  in  any  one  year  have  been 
injured  by  man  in  England;  yet  almost  all,  even 
nestlings,  are  afraid  of  him:  many  individuals  at  the 
Galapagos  and  Falkland  Islands  have  been  pursued 
and  injured  by  man,  but  have  not  yet  learned  a  salu- 
tary dread  of  him.  We  may  infer  from  these  facts 
the  havoc  the  introduction  of  any  new  beast  of  prey 
must  cause  in  a  country  before  the  instincts  of  the 
indigenous  inhabitants  have  become  adapted  to  the 
stranger's  craft  or  power."* 

Such  are  the  facts,  and  such  the  conclusions,  of  one 
of  England's  best  naturalists.  The  instincts  acquired 
by  domestication  are  of  such  a  character  as  to  be 
easily  referable  to  the  influences  brought  to  bear  on 
the  domesticated  species.  Lyell's  objection,f  urged 
against  the  unlimited  adaptation  of  habit,  because  the 
instincts  acquired  by  domestication  have  an  intimate 
relation  to  the  habits  of  the  species  in  a  wild  state, 
when  rightly  considered,  so  far  from  being  an  objec- 
tion, sustains  the  theory  it  is  designed  to  disprove; 
for  it  is  evident  that  the  original  habits  should  mod- 
ify the  influences  of  domestication  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent.  This  author  remarks,  "It  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  many  new  habits  and  qualities  have  not  only 
been  acquired  in  recent  times  by  certain  races  of  dogs, 
but  have  been  transmitted  to  their  offspring."  He 
might  have  extended  the  same  remark  to  all  domesti- 
cated species. 

*  Principles  of  Geology,  p.  594.       t  Principles  of  Geology,  p.  593. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  245 

249.  A  race  of  dogs  employed  in  hunting  the  deer 
on  the  Santa  Fe  table  land  in  Mexico  affords  a  beauti- 
ful illustration  of  a  newly-acquired  instinct.*      The 
dog  of  pure  breed  will  never  attack  a  deer  from  be- 
fore while  it  is  running,  but  will  step  aside,  and  make 
his  assault  on  its  flank  or  rear.     He  watches  the  fa- 
vorable moment  when  the  deer  rests  its  weight  only 
on  its  fore-legs,  and  then  by  a  sudden  effort  overturns 
it.     The  weight  of  the  animal  thus  thrown  often  ex- 
ceeds six  times  that  of  its  adversary;  whereas  newly- 
imported  dogs,  though  much  larger,  not  having  this 
instinct,  often  have  the  vertebrae  of  their  necks  dislo- 
cated by  the  violence  of  the  shock. 

250.  A  new  instinct  has  been  acquired  by  that 
mongrel  race  of  dogs  employed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Magdalena,    in   South   America,   to   hunt,   the   white- 
lipped  peccary.     The  address  of  these  dogs  consists  in 
not  attacking  any  individual  of  the  herd,  but  keeping 
them  all  in  check.     These  dogs,  when  first  taken  into 
the  field,  understand  this  mode  of  attack,  but  dogs  of 
another  breed  will  start  forward  at  once,  become  sur- 
rounded and  torn  in  pieces  in  a  moment. 

251.  The  English  greyhound,  when  transported  to 
the  Mexican  table  land,  situated  nine  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea,  where  the  mercury  in  the  barometer 
stands  at  nineteen  inches,  was  found  to  be  unable  to 
endure  the  fatigues  of  the  chase  in  the  attenuated  at- 
mosphere, lying  down  after  a  short  time  and  gasping 
for  breath.     But  the  offspring  of  these  same  hounds 
were  as  fleet  as  the  best  in  their  native  country,  and 
not  in  the  least  incommoded  by  the  rarefied  state  of 
the  atmosphere.f 

*  M.  Roulin,  Ann.  des  Science  Nat  tome  xvi.  P.  16. 
t  Principles,  594. 


246  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

252.  The  peculiar  habits  of  the  pointer  and  re- 
triever, first  taught  them  by  art,  have  become  heredi- 
tary, and  when  first  taken  into  the  field  their  peculiar 
traits  are  manifested  far  more  than  in  other  races 
after   long    and    patient    teaching.*     Shepherd    dogs 
manifest  a  remarkable  aptitude  for  their  vocation,  and 
dogs  to  which  any  peculiar  trick  has  been  taught  often 
transmit  the  same  to  their  descendants. 

Instances  are  on  record  in  which  dogs,  by  design 
having  been  deprived  of  their  tails,  have  transmitted 
this  lack  of  tail  to  their  offspring ;  but  there  are  breeds 
of  tailless  dogs  of  a  remote  origin.  There  is  a  wide 
field  open  for  investigation  in  regard  to  the  extent  the 
mental  influence  of  the  mother  affects  the  offspring, 
for  although  many  marvellous  fables  are  related  by 
credulity,  the  subject  is  of  great  importance.  "And 
when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  races  of  animals 
among  which  the  so-called  spontaneous  variations  are 
most  apt  to  spring  up,  are  also  those  which  are  most 
susceptible  of  the  modifying  influences  of  external  con- 
ditions, it  seems  highly  probable  that  these  spon- 
taneous variations  are  attributable  to  the  influence  of 
external  agencies  in  modifying  the  constitution  of  the 
parent,  "f 

253.  I  now  turn  to  the  consideration  of  another 
point  in  the  influence  of  conditions.     It  has  always 
been  argued  by  philosophers,  as  well  as  theologians, 
that  living  beings  were  created  by  design,  in  harmony 
with  the  position  they  occupy,  by  an  external  force; 
thus  inverting  the  true  order  of  cause  and  effect,  or 
rather  totally  ignoring  the  immediate  cause.     I  desire 
to  introduce  a  few  instances  which  are  said  to  show 


*  Experiment  of  Magendie. 

t  Smith,  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Human  Species,  p.  38. 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  247 

the  presence  of  design  in  the  most  remarkable  man- 
ner, and  apply  to  them  the  theory  presented  in  this 
chapter. 

254.  Paley,  in  his  Natural  Theology,  remarks  that 
the  similitude  between  the  form  of  a  fish  and  a  boat 
"is  not  the  resemblance  of  imitation,  but  the  likeness 
of  applying  similar  mechanical  means  to  the  same  pur- 
poses."   "In  their  mechanical  use,  the  caudal  fin  may 
be  reckoned  the  keel,  the  ventral  fins  the  outriggers, 
the  pectoral  fins  the  oars/'  and  we  may  now  add, 
"the  caudal  fin  the  screw-propeller.'7     Such  are  the 
supposed    instances    of    design    in   the    structure    of 
fishes.     Look  still   deeper,   and  answer  the  question 
how  the  form  of  fishes  could  be  changed  so  long  as 
they  are  inhabitants  of  the  water.       Whether  they 
conformed    or    not    to    the    conditions    imposed,    the 
nature  of  the  aqueous  element  would  soon  induce  the 
necessary  changes  to  establish  harmony  between  its 
inhabitants  and  itself.* 

255.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  birds.     In  their 
organization  are  combined  all  the  mechanical  contri- 
vances essential  to  aerial  locomotion.     Their  form  is 
the  only  one  compatible  with  flight.    As  the  elements 
through  which  transportation  is  effected  are  similar, 
except  in  density,  the  form  of  the  two  types  is  simi- 
lar; but  while  the  locomotive  organs  of  one  are  ex- 
erted on  a  dense  medium,  those  of  the  other  are  exerted 
on  -a  very  ethereal  one ;  hence  the  difference  in  the  size 
of  the  fin  of  a  fish  and  the  wing  of  a  bird.    Of  course 
the  body  of  the  bird  is  constructed  of  so  light  a  ma- 
terial, that  it  floats  upon  the  water,  and  its  limbs  are 
readily  converted  into  oars.     The  effect  of  its  feet  is 
further  increased  by  the  membrane  stretched  between 

*  See  Paley's   Natural   Theology. 


248  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

the  toes,  which  expands  when  the  foot  is  thrown  back- 
wards, and  contracts  when  brought  forward,  and  is 
further  favored  by  the  oar-like  backward  position 
of  the  legs — a  position,  however,  unfavorable  for 
walking. 

256.  Owen  refers  the  existence  of  marsupials  in 
Australia  to  special  design.    On  account  of  the  severe 
droughts  of  that  country,  and  the  extensive  fires  which 
follow,  the  native  animals  are  obliged  to  make  distant 
migrations,  such  as  the  young  of  the  herbivora  could 
not  accomplish.     But  the  marsupial  dam  has  a  pouch 
in  which  she  conveys  her  young,   and  thus  becomes 
adequate  to  transport  them   to  great  distances.    He 
here  shows  as  close  reasoning  in  the  relation  of  causes 
and  effects  as  he  has  on  another  page,  where  he  con- 
siders the  vacancy  between  the  incisors  and  molars  of 
the  horse  designed  to  receive  the  bit  of  his  master, 
man.    As  I  have  attempted  to  prove,  on  a  preceding 
page,  the  existence  of  marsupials  on  that  continent 
is  referable  to  entirely  different  causes,  and  their  adap- 
tation to  the  mentioned  peculiarities  of  the  climate  is 
incidental.     Had  they  been  natives  of  the  prairies  of 
the  west,  this  author  undoubtedly  would  have  seen 
design  in  their  relation  to  the  fires  which  annually 
sweep   over  those   vast  grassy  plains,   enabling  them 
to  escape  with  their  young;  but  it  is  found  that  the 
herbivora  are  enabled  to  escape  destruction,  and  multi- 
ply in  vast  numbers,   and  wihen  transported  to  the 
region  for  which  the  marsupials  were  designed,  flourish 
with  the  same  vigor  as  in  their  native  clime. 

257.  Darwin*  saw,  on  the  Paranas  of  South  Amer- 
ica, a  very  extraordinary  bird,  called  the  scissor-beak, 

*  Darwin,  vol.  ii.  p.  175. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  249 

which  he  considers  as  manifesting  design  in  a  remark- 
able manner.  This  is  shown  in  its  beak.  It  is  a  flat- 
tened laterally,  and  is  as  thin  and  elastic  as  a  paper- 
cutter;  and,  what  is  different  from  other  birds,  the 
lower  mandible  is  much  the  longest.  The  design  of 
this  arrangement  is  shown  by  the  use  made  of  it  by 
the  birds.  They  fly  like  swallows  over  the  water,  with 
their  lower  mandible  plunged  beneath  the  surface,  with 
which  they  plough  up  small  fish,  which  are  caught  by 
the  upper  and  shorter  half  of  its  bill.  The  experiment 
has  never  been  tested,  and  consequently  it  is  impossible 
to  say  how  long  a  time  must  elapse  before  the  bill  of  a 
swallow,  or  tern,  would  become  thus  flattened,  were 
they  to  adopt  the  habits  of  the  scissor-beak ;  but  this 
can  be  inferred — that  the  compression  of  the  beak  would 
continue  from  generation  to  generation  to  augment, 
should  such  habits  be  adopted ;  and  it  is  well  established 
that  the  instincts  of  species,  so  far  from  being  un- 
changeable, are  frequently  greatly  modified.  With 
every  modification  of  instinct  come  new  manners  of 
life,  and  these,  reacting  on  the  organism,  tend  to  make 
it  conform  to  the  given  influences. 

258.  The  same  naturalist,  speaking  of  one  of  the 
antarctic  aquatic  birds, — the  steamer, — says,  "It  feeds 
entirely  on  shell-fish  from  the  kelp  on  the  tidal  rocks ; 
hence,  its  head  and  beak,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking 
them,  are  surprisingly  strong."  Here  he  places  cause 
and  effect  in  proper  relation ;  but  the  special  design  he 
would  have  his  readers  infer  is  wholly  uncalled  for. 
As  the  blacksmith's  arm  is  developed  by  constant 
exertion,  the  beak,  and  the  muscles  which  give  it 
power,  increase  in  strength  by  the  constant  straining 
they  receive  in  detaching  from  the  rocks  and  crushing 
the  hard  shell  of  their  molluscous  food. 


250  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

259.  For  another  illustration,  take  an  instance  from 
the  great  numbers  which  present  themselves, — the  em- 
bryonic growth  of  the  human  lungs, — and  let  the  ad- 
vocates  of  design  give  a  philosophical  explanation  of 
its  meaning,  and  of  the  class  of  facts  it  represents,  if 
possible,  or,  if  they  cannot,  confess  the  error  of  the 
hypothesis  they  maintain.* 

260.  The  lungs  are  placed  at  first  on  each  side  of 
the  spine,  like  the  air  bladders  in  fishes,  and  to  carry 
out  the  analogy  of  the  fish-like  heart,  branchial  aper- 
tures appear  on  each  side  of  the  neck,  like  fishes'  gills, 
and  the  aorta  gives  off  a  regular  set  of  branchial  arte- 
ries, some  of  which  become  obliterated,  while  some  re- 
main in  the  adult  man.     No  one  will  maintain  that 
the  human  foetus  is  organized  for  aquatic  respiration, 
or  that  a  special  act  of  God  fashions  each  individual 
in  this  manner  for  no  possible  use.     On  the  contrary, 
it  better  accords  with  the  simplicity  manifested  in  na- 
ture to  refer  to  an  immutable  law  all  vital  organiza- 
tions, thus  referring  to  a  similar  origin  all  tribes,  races, 
and  species,  and  forming  of  the  diversified  world  of 
living  beings  a  unit. 

261.  It  were  a  useless  as  well  as  an  endless  task  to 
catalogue  the  instances  where  design — adaptation — of 
structure  is  apparent.     It  meets  us  on  every  hand, 
exciting  our  curiosity   and  wonder.     Were  there   no 
breaks,  however,  in  this  infinite  network,  the  support- 
ers of  Final  Cause  would  present  a  far  more  plausible 
theory.     As  it  is,  breaks  occur,  and  still  more,  we  see 
the  equilibrium  of  species  broken  and  restored  before 
our  eyes,  and  recognize  the  law  by  which  harmony  is 
produced.     In  such  instances  it  is  effected  by  the  dis- 
turbed or  newly-acting  forces,  not  by  special  design. 

*  For  further  illustration,  see  chapter  on  Origin  of  Man,  p.  338. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  251 

The  mastiff  transported  into  Denmark  becomes  the  lit- 
tle Danish  dog,  and  when  taken  to  warm  climates 
becomes  the  Turkish  dog,  almost  destitute  of  hair. 
Are  these  changes  the  result  of  special  design,  by 
which  the  animal  is  adapted  to  the  climate,  or  the  re- 
sults of  the  climate?  Some  countries  are  noted  for 
the  long,  soft  hair  of  their  native  animals,  as  Syria  and 
Persia.  The  sheep,  the  goats,  the  dogs,  and  the  rab- 
bits of  Syria  are  remarkable  for  the  fine,  glossy  length 
and  softness  of  their  .hair ;  and  even  the  cat  loses  its 
savage  color  and  assumes  the  most  beautiful  appear- 
ance. Is  this  design,  or  the  result  of  conditions  with 
which  we  are  but  partially  acquainted? 

262.  The  objection  resolves  itself  thus:  If  an  all- 
wise  Creator  fashioned  things  as  they  are,  why  has 
he  left  so  many  waste  places  and  deserts  on  the  earth  ? 
Why  did  he  not  create  the  world  perfect  in  the  begin- 
ning, and  not  leave  it  to  toil  through  an  infinitude  of 
ages  to  attain  the  position  it  might  as  well  have  occu- 
pied in  the  commencement.  Man,  when  first  seen  on 
this  earth,  was  a  savage,  and  from  that  primal  state 
he  has  arisen  by  slow  and  painful  progress.  Why  did 
not  an  omnipotent  cause  create  him  perfect  in  the  be- 
ginning? Not  that  I  deny  the  existence  of  an  om- 
nipotent Divinity,  but  I  deny  the  special  manner  in 
which  he  is  supposed  to  act.  If  such  theorists  believe 
in  the  existence  of  an  omnipotent,  wise,  and  benevolent 
cause,  acting  on  matter  by  special  design,  then  it  fol- 
lows, as  a  clear  and  logical  deduction,  that  the  universe 
should  have  been  created  as  absolutely  perfect  as  its 
cause;  and  from  this  conclusion  there  is  no  escape. 
What  are  the  facts?  Rude  and  imperfect  was  the 
first  rough  model  of  creation.  Amid  the  most  awful 
convulsions,  creation  after  creation  was  destroyed,  and 


252          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

new  ones  took  their  place;  each  succeeding  one  higher 
than  the  preceding.  By  a  slow  and  painful  progress, 
from  the  mollusk  of  the  cambrian,  the  sauroid  of  the 
devonian,  the  saurian  of  the  permian,  the  pachyderms 
of  the  tertiary,  to  man  of  the  present,  the  silent  but 
irresistible  forces  of  nature  have  labored  on.  Here 
rest  the  pertinent  questions,  Why  did  an  almighty  and 
benevolent  design  permit  so  much  waste  of  time  and 
such  infinite  suffering,  when  by  a  word  it  could  have 
been  obviated?  Why  not  have  created  man  perfect, 
and  not  a  savage,  and  thus  have  prevented  the  war, 
crime  and  misery  incidental  to  his  advance  from  that 
state  to  one  of  civilization? 

263.  Reject  it  we  may,  yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
there  is  something  connected  with  the  constitution  of 
matter  which  has  written  the  history  of  the   globe; 
and  so  long  as  this  remains  unchanged,  not  a  sentence 
of  that  history  could  have  been  written  differently. 

264.  An  omnipotent  design,  as  interpreted  by  reason, 
would  not  give  animals  useless  organs;  but  almost  all 
species  have  such.     Of  what  use  is  the  foetal  trans- 
formations by  which  the   mammalia    approximate  to 
fishes  and  reptiles  before  assuming  their  perfect  form  ? 
Of  what  use  are  the  branchial  arches  and  openings  to 
the    human    foetus?     Why    have    all    mammalia    the 
rudiments  of  organs  developed  in  reptiles?     Why  do 
the  males  of  all  mammalia  possess  the  sexual  organs 
of  the  female  in  an  undeveloped  state,  and  vice  versa? 
It  were  puerile  to  answer  these  questions  by  reference 
to  mystery,  when  they  so  plainly  point  to  the  great 
principles  which  chain  all  living  beings  together,  and 
make  life  in  all  its  manifestations  a  unity. 

265.  The  conclusions  to  which  the  facts  here  given 
lead,  may  be  concisely  presented,  and  when  expressed, 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  253 

form  the  theory  of  creation  of  organic  beings  we  have 
labored  to  support. 

(1.)  Living  beings  are  not  adapted  by  special  design 
to  the  conditions  in  which  they  are  placed,  but  are 
modified  by  the  conditions  which  surround  them.  The 
adaptation  and  harmony  observed,  is  the  result  of  the 
pliancy  of  life  to  physical  influences. 

(2.)  All  living  beings  originated  from  similar  points, 
and  species  are  only  differences  from  common  arche- 
type, and  have  no  more  real  existence  in  nature  than 
genera, 

(3.)  The  best  established  theory  in  natural  history 
cannot  be  proved  with  mathematical  certainty,  and 
such  clear  proofs  cannot  be  expected  in  a  theory  of 
such  extensive  application.  All  that  can  be  expected 
is  the  inferential  testimony  of  facts,  analogy,  proba- 
bility, and  induction.  By  such  a  course  I  have  en- 
deavored to  arrive  at  and  sustain  a  consistent  view 
of  organic  creation.  We  have  seen  how  unstable 
the  characters  of  species  are,  conforming  to  the 
influences  which  bear  on  them.  Lyell  remarks,  If 
once  there  appear  grounds  of  reasonable  doubt  in  re- 
gard to  the  constancy  of  species,  the  amount  of  trans- 
formation they  are  capable  of  undergoing  may  seem 
to  resolve  itself  into  a  mere  question  of  quantity  of 
time  assigned  to  the  past  duration  of  animate  exist- 
ence.* Linnaeus  asserted  that  "  genera  are  as  much 
founded  in  nature  as  the  species  which  compose  them ;" 
but  his  observation  was  limited  to  comparatively  few 
species,  and  so  far  from  supporting  this  view,  modern 
naturalists  are  confounded  in  the  maze  of  existences, 
and  are  not  only  at  a  loss  to  assign  the  true  character 

*  Principles  of  Geology. 


254  THE  ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

of  species,  but  still  more  of  genera,  which  ''have  no 
existence  in  nature."  These  latter  divisions  have  be- 
come purely  arbitrary,  and  science  is  fast  proving  that 
the  former  are  also  in  a  great  measure  conventional. 
Blumenbach  observes  that  "no  general  rule  can  be 
laid  down  for  the  determining  the  distinction  of 
species,  as  there  are  no  peculiar  characteristics  which 
can  serve  as  a  criterion.  In  each  case  we  must  be 
guided  by  analogy  and  probability."  We  see  on  what 
trivial  characteristics  naturalists  are  obliged  to  rely 
for  the  determination  of  specific  distinctions.  Facts 
which  we  have  recorded,  not  only  clearly  prove  that 
species  have  not  only  been  modified  into  other  species, 
but  even  changed  to  other  genera  by  the  influences 
brought  to  bear  on  them. 

266.  In  treating  on  this  subject,  vast  periods  of  time 
are  understood  to  have  elapsed,  through  which  ener- 
vating influences  operated.     Not  understanding  this 
well-determined  point,  numerous  objections  have  been 
urged  against  the  unitary  view  of  life  and  its  devel- 
opment.     The  changes  in  the  organic  as  well  as  in- 
organic world  are  slow,  and  rarely  are  observable  in 
the  brief  period  of  human  existence.     In  the  chro- 
nometer of  nature,  a  thousand  years  is  as  a  single 
swing   of   the    pendulum — a   moment   of    time.      The 
number  of  sand-grains  on  the  ocean's  shore  would  be 
scarcely  sufficient  to  express  the  duration  of  a  single 
epoch. 

267.  It  is  objected  that  we  never  observe  the  birth 
of  a  new  species.     Setting  aside  the  examples  pre- 
viously given,  which  incontrovertibly  prove  that  we 
Jiave  seen  new  species  produced  before  our  eyes;  and 
granting  that  the  creation  of  new  species  were  never 
observed,  of  what  avail  is  the  objection?     It  is  far 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  255 

more  easy  to  prove  that  species  once  numerous  have 
become  extinct,  than  to  prove  the  creation  of  a  new 
race.  Within  the  memory  of  persons  now  living,  the 
number  of  known  plants  and  animals  has  quadrupled 
in  some  classes.  New  and  conspicuous  species  have 
been  discovered  in  parts  of  the  old  continent  long  in- 
habited by  civilized  man.  According  to  Lyell,  it  is 
impossible  to  determine  whether  a  newly-discovered 
species  has  just  come  into  existence,  or  is  very  old.  He 
attempts  to  show  how  impossible  it  is  to  determine  this 
point.  Let  us  glance  at  the  number  and  distribution 
of  species.  The  phaenogamous  plants  are  computed  at 
80,000  species.*  If  we  take  the  data  furnished  by  the 
British  catalogue  of  insectsf  and  plants,  there  are  nine 
species  of  insects  for  each  kind  of  plant,  or  720,000  for 
the  globe — an  estimate  at  least  one  half  too  small.  The 
number  of  species  of  existing  mammals  known  is  1200  ;J 
of  fishes,  6000  ;§  of  birds,  8000. ||  To  these  must  be 
added  the  reptiles  and  tlje  whole  invertebrate  series. 
The  inhabitable  surface  beneath  the  water  is  computed 
to  be  twice  that  of  the  land,  and  of  the  denizens 
of  this  vast  tract  of  marine  wild  we  know  scarcely 
anything.  Every  portion,  however,  has  its  forms  of 
life,  even  where  the  water  is  below  the  freezing  point.lT 
"Whether  in  lakes  of  brine,  or  in  those  subterranean 
seas  hidden  beneath  volcanic  mountains,  or  in  warm 
mineral  springs,  the  wide  expanse  of  the  ocean,  the 
upper  region  of  the  air,  and  even  the  surface  of  per- 
petual snows,  supports  living  beings."  **  The  number 
of  polypes  exceeds  that  of  insects,  and  the  sea  swarms 
with  innumerable  forms  of  mollusca  and  zoophyta. 


*  Lindley.   t   Catalogue  of  British  Insects,     t  Waterhouse. 
§  Cuvier.       ||    Gray,   Genera   of   Birds.  f  Arctic    Explorations. 

**   Darwin,    Voy.    Nat.,    vol.    i.    p.    85. 


256  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

Parasites  are  supported  by  all  animals,  and  these  have 
their  parasites.  Without  including  the  innumerable 
infusoria,  we  may  safely  estimate  the  number  of 
species  at  present  inhabiting  the  globe  at  2,000,000. 
Hence,  should  one  species  become  extinct  every  year,  it 
would  require  2,000,000  years  to  depopulate  the  earth. 
If  this  extreme  rate  was  equally  distributed  over  all 
classes,  the  lot  would  fall  among  the  mammalia  but 
once  in  1666  years. 

268.  But  only  in  this  class  would  the  loss  be  marked 
and  obvious.     The  same  course  of  reasoning  equally 
applies  to  the  introduction  of  new  species.     The  lot 
might  fall  among  the  inferior  classes,  which  are  con- 
cealed from  view  beneath  the  ocean,  for  thousands  of 
years,  before  a  single  change  occurs  among  the  more 
prominent  occupants  of  the  land. 

269.  The  facts  relating  to  the  great  changes  effected 
in  the  dog  are  explained  by  some  naturalists  so  as  not 
to  contradict  the  popular  vi§w,  by  saying  that  the  dog 
is  probably  a  domesticated  wolf ;  and  great  as  it  varies 
in  different  lands,  there  is  anatomically  no  difference 
between  the  fur-clad  dog  of  the  arctic  zone  and  the 
almost  naked  dog  of  Guinea.     This  special  pleading 
does  not  explain  why  the  dog,  when  becoming  wild, 
does  not  revert  to  the  wolf,  which  it  should  do,  were 
species  permanent.     The  poodle  left  in  the  wilderness 
should  become,  not  a  wild  dog,  but  a  wolf!     Admit, 
for  argument,  that  all  races  of  dogs  had  a  common 
origin, — 

270.  The  dilemma  is  equally  unfortunate  for  the 
supporters  of  the  popular  view ;  for  these  races  are  per- 
manent, specific,  and  will  not  revert  to  their  original 
type.    So  far  as  anatomical  structure  is  concerned,  the 
fox  differs  less  from  the  wolf  than  the  poodle  dog  from 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  257 

the  Newfoundlander.  Singular  that  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  naturalists  should  introduce  as  an  argu- 
ment that  the  races  of  dogs  anatomically  agree.  So 
do  the  lion  and  tiger  agree  so  remarkably,  that  Cuvier 
found  it  difficult  to  distinguish  their  skulls.  But 
they  are  of  different  species.  It  might  be  thought 
otherwise,  however,  were  there  any  theory  to  sup- 
port. 

271.  The  mummies  have  been  dragged  from  their 
resting  place  in  the  catacombs  of  Egypt,  and  with  the 
pomp  bestowed  by  a  shallow  philosophy,  held  aloft  as 
settling  the  dispute  forever!     The  mummied  bulldogs, 
and  cats,  differ  not  more  from  the  recent  species  than 
the  mummied  human  beings  differ  from  the  present 
inhabitants  of  the  Nile.    Such  is  the  decision  of  scien- 
tific men.     With  what  species  of  dog  were  the  mum- 
mies compared — the  poodle  or  the  greyhound?    With 
what  species  of  ox — the  auroch  or  the  devon?    With 
what  species  of  cat — the  Syrian  or  American?     Such 
vagueness  shows  rather  haste  in  forcing  conclusions, 
than  scientific  exactness.    Were  no  differences  observa- 
ble, great  ones  might  really  exist,  as  Cuvier  failed  in 
pointing  out  any  difference  between  the  skull  of  the 
lion  and  tiger ;  and  were  one  known  only  as  a  mummy, 
and  compared  with  the  other  in  a  living  state,  the 
conclusions   derived  from  such  data  would  be   very 
erroneous. 

272.  Viewed  from  one  more  point:  Old  as  Egyp- 
tian civilization  is  considered,  it  by  no  means  stood 
on  the  verge  of  time,  and  animals  taken  under  the  care 
of  man  had  had  ample  time  to  assume  the  domesti- 
cated form,  from  which,  as  all  the  conditions  usually 
bestowed  had  been  applied,  the  departure  is  extremely 
slow,  until  science  lends  its  aid,  and  peculiarities  are 

17 


258  THE   AECANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

sought    and    obtained    by    bestowing    the    necessary 
influences. 

273.  It  has  been  objected,  that  as  every  change  in 
habit  or  organization  was  brought  about  slowly,   be- 
fore such  species  could  become  changed  by  new  cir- 
cumstances, others  already  adapted  to  such  would  sup- 
plant them.     This  may  be  true  of  the  present,  when 
almost  every  possible  set  of  influences  has  produced  its 
peculiar  species ;  but  it  is  not  true  of  the  ancient  world 
when  a  few  types  filled  the  places  of  the  countless 
number  of  the  present.     Then  before  there  were  other 
species  to  take  the  place  of  such  as  were  undergoing 
changes  to  meet  the  requirements  of  new  influences, 
it  will  be  admitted  that  those  influences  could  operate 
through  an  infinitude  of  ages  undisturbed.     Thus  fall 
all  the  baseless  objections  of  Lyell,  and  the  facts  he 
has  recited  become  abortive. 

274.  Hugh  Miller,   in  his  three  labored  volumes, 
though  the  most  popular  writer   on   the   theological 
side  of  this  question,  succeeds  little  better  in  estab- 
lishing his  own  position  than  in  defeating  his  antago- 
nists.   I  hold  the  argument  to  the  one  cardinal  point : 
Living  beings  are  changed  by,  not  adapted  to,  condi- 
tions.    What  has   this   author  written  to   controvert 
this  position?    Nothing.     Yet  it  is  the  cardinal  point, 
and  once  admitted,  the  creation  of  organic  beings  is 
explained.     He  has  found  what  he  calls  high  forms, 
too  low  in  the  rocks  to  accord  with  this  theory;  and 
he  has  found  all  the  four  great  divisions  represented, 
when  the  zoophyte  should  only  exist  by  the  theory. 
We  limit  our  statements  by  our  knowledge ;  and  should 
an  air-breathing  reptile  be  found  in  the  lower  silurian, 
it    would    not    invalidate    the    theory    presented.      It 
would  only  show  an  error  in   the  position   assigned 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OF   CREATION  259 

to  the  origin  of  that  branch,  and  instead  of  saying 
reptiles  originated  in  the  permian,  we  should  say  they 
first  existed  in  the  silurian.  What  if  pines  were  sup- 
posed to  be  first  introduced  into  the  coal  era,  and  they 
should  now  be  found  in  the  silurian?  A  mistake  as 
to  time;  that  is  all.  Life  is  said  to  have  begun  where 
we  first  find  organic  remains;  but  it  is  very  prob- 
able, nay,  certain,  that  it  existed  thousands  of  ages 
previous  to  its  leaving  any  trace  on  the  rocks.  What 
is  more,  all  the  great  divisions  should  be  found  side 
by  side,  each  ascending  a  pathway  peculiar  to  itself. 

275.  I  have  not  space  to  review  the  above-men- 
tioned works,  which  are  remarkable  for  the  effrontery 
which  pervades  them,  the  bold  and  unscrupulous  state- 
ments, garbling  and  misconstruing  the  words  of  his 
opponents.  He  has  blended  the  weakest  statements 
of  Oken  with  a  man-of-straw  theory  he  has  framed, 
and  made  Lamarck  responsible  for  its  folly;  and  with 
a  juggler's  art  confounded  both  of  these  with  the 
theory  of  creation  by  law,  as  it  stands  revised  today. 
But  many  facts  can  be  found  in  his  works  of  great 
weight  against  the  hypothesis  they  were  designed  to 
support.  Lyell,  in  controverting  the  progressive  theory, 
states,  that  when  a  body  of  salt  water  is  slowly  con- 
verted into  fresh,  the  salt  water  animals  are  invariably 
killed  outright,  and  never  make  any  advance  towards 
fresh  water  species.  Miller,  however,  much  as  he  has 
at  stake,  admits  that  at  the  Lake  of  Stennis,  on  the 
Isle  of  Stromness,  great  changes  occur  in  plants  and 
animals,  when  they  ascend  from  the  sea  into  the  fresh 
water  of  the  lake.  The  flounder  ascends  the  highest, 
and  is  changed  the  most.  It  becomes  thicker  and  more 
fleshy,  than  in  its  native  habitat,  the  sea.  The  sea 
weeds  greatly  change  as  they  enter  the  brackish  waters 


260  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

of  the  lake.  Some  of  the  hardier  kinds  become  so 
dwarfish  that  they  resemble  conf ervse,  and  only  by  trac- 
ing them  through  the  intermediate  forms  is  the  iden- 
tity of  species  established.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
fresh  water  species  approach  the  salt  water,  they  are 
dwarfed,  until  nags  and  aquatic  grasses  are  but  little 
tufts  a  few  inches  only  in  height. 

276.  Another  objection  has  been  urged :  that  if  con- 
ditions modify  species  subjected  to  their  influence,  all 
species  thus  operated  on  should  be  similarly  modified, 
which  it  is  said,  is  not  the  truth.  The  European 
subjected  to  the  climate  of  Negroland  never  becomes 
a  negro.  The  animals  of  the  old  world,  if  trans- 
planted to  the  new,  never  become  like  the  indigenous 
species  and  vice  versa.  It  is  asked,  If  climate  modi- 
fies the  species  peculiar  to  it,  why  is  there  such  a 
diversity  of  kinds  in  the  same  country  ?  This  appears 
at  first  a  very  plausible  and  weighty  objection,  but 
it  is  baseless.  The  European  is  not  changed  to  a 
negro  by  the  climate  of  Africa,  because  of  a  superior 
condition  which  he  personifies,  and  which  reaches  back 
to  the  birth  of  the  Caucasian  race.  That  the  African 
climate  may  produce  a  negro  race,  it  must  operate 
on  such  a  stock  as  it  did  when  that  race  sprang  into 
existence.  When  two  species  are  subjected  to  identi- 
cal conditions,  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  they  will 
produce  identical  offspring.  Every  species  stands  the 
representative  of  all  influences  which  have  ever  oper- 
ated on  it  since  its  birth,  and  these  become  a  condition 
in  determining  the  transformations  which  a  similar 
climate  will  produce.  The  reasoning  which  sustains 
the  contrary  is  like  that  which  would  assert  that  an 
equal  blow  would  drive  a  ball  weighing  a  thousand 
pounds  the  same  distance  as  a  ball  weighing  a  single 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  261 

ounce.  The  primordial  conditions  by  which  species 
originate  have  greater  power  than  external  circum- 
stances, and  changes  are  the  combined  result  of  both. 
The  dog  taken  to  the  arctic  circle  becomes  covered 
with  long  and  thick  fur;  if  to  the  tropics,  he  becomes 
almost  naked — varieties  resulting  between  which  specific 
distinctions  exist.  The  objection  here  urged  would 
presuppose  that  in  one  case  it  must  become  a  lion,  in 
the  other  an  arctic  bear,  thus  totally  rejecting  the 
influence  exerted  by  specific  character,  and  primordial 
difference  in  the  life  principle.  The  European  may 
be  greatly  changed  by  African  climate;  but  instead 
of  becoming  a  negro,  those  peculiarities  which  consti- 
tute his  race  will  divert  external  influences  into  another 
channel,  and  a  new  variety  will  be  the  result. 

277.  As  a  necessary  consequence,  as  the  doctrine 
of  creation  by  law  conflicts  with  that  of  miracle,  its 
combatants  are  of  the  theological  school.  Hence  the 
denunciatory  and  egotistical  style  which  even  their 
greatest  and  best  champion  assumes.  But  even  he 
cannot  remain  consistent.  In  one  place  he  states* 
"  Every  individual,  whatever  its  species  or  order,  begins 
and  increases  until  it  attains  to  its  state  of  fullest 
development  under  fixed  laws,  and  in  consequence  of 
their  operation.  The  microscopic  monad  develops 
into  a  foetus,  the  fcetus  into  a  child,  the  child  into  a 
man;  and  however  marvellous  the  process,  in  none  of 
its  stages  is  there  the  slightest  mixture  of  miracle: 
from  beginning  to  end,  all  is  progressive  development 
according  to  a  determinate  order  of  things."  Con- 
trary to  this,  he  devotes  several  pages  to  prove  the  pos- 
sibility of  miracles  when  he  asserts  miracles  "are 

*  Footprints   of   the    Creator,   p.   49. 


THE   AECANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

thus  evidently  not  impossibilities,  but  even  not  im- 
probabilities." Such  is  the  conflicting  reasoning  of 
this  author,  who  maintains  the  immutability  of  law 
in  one  place,  and  its  suspension  in  another.  In  the 
latter  opinion  he  is  sanctioned  by  Agassiz,  who,  unable 
to  account  for  the  existence  of  life  otherwise,  refers  it 
to  the  grand  miracle  of  creation.  The  harmony  of 
nature  proves  the  immutability  of  law;  miracle  pre- 
supposes the  suspension  of  law;  hence  nature  utterly 
repudiates  all  miraculous  interference  in  her  domain, 
where  every  thing,  from  the  mote  that  dances  in  the 
sunbeam  to  the  intellect  emanating  from  the  congeries 
of  the  human  brain,  is  governed  by  established  prin- 
ciples. 

278.  Leaving  for  a  time  the  discussion  as  based 
on  observation  of  the  living  world,  I  pass  downward 
to  the  beginning  of  life  on  this  planet,  and  endeavor 
to  give,  by  tracing  the  history  of  organic  beings 
through  the  vast  epochs  of  the  fossiliferous  strata,  the 
causes  which  have  swept  from  earth  existing  races,  and 
ushered  new  creations  into  existence. 


THE  HISTORY  AND   LAWS  OP  CREATION.  263 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
DAWN  OF  LIFE. 

The  primitive  States.  —  The  primitive  Ocean.  —  Dawn  of  Life.  —  Ges- 
tation of  the  Globe.  —  Difference  of  the  great  Divisions.  —  Progress 
of  Life.  —  Preservation  of  Organic  Remains.  —  Traces  of.  —  Ming- 
ling of  the  Extremes  of  Classes.  —  Permanency  of  Type.  —  Repro- 
duction of. 

279.  REPOSING  on  the  gneiss  is  the  vast  system  of 
primitive  strata.    They  are  composed  of  finer  material, 
and  were  consolidated  at  a  lower  temperature  than 
the  rock  on  which  they  repose.    During  the  myriads  of 
ages  which  slowly  passed  away  while  they  were  de- 
positing on  the  floor  of  the  ocean,  the  great  cooling 
process  went  on.     The  silent  forces  of  nature  labored 
amid  throes  of  volcanic  fury,  breaking  in  fragments 
the  thickening  crust,   or  belching  out  the  fiery  lava 
from   every  vent  or  opening,   preparing  the   angular 
and  unprogressed  world  for  the   reception  of  living 
beings,  which  as  yet  were  absent  from  this  desolate 
planet.     Life  was  absent,  except  the  all-pervading  es- 
sence, filling  the  atmosphere  and  the  sea,  beaming  in 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  ready  to  spring  into  identified 
existence. 

280.  The  primitive  ocean,  beneath  which  the  early 
stratified  rocks  were  deposited,  was  not  impregnated 
with  the  same  mineral  ingredients  as  the  present  sea. 
It  must  have  held  in  solution  a  greater  variety  of  ele- 
ments, and  in  greater  quantity.     It  was  hot,  but  not 
boiling,    as    was    the    ocean    of    gneiss.       The    light 
which  fell  into  its  shallow  depths  was  softened  and 
changed  by  penetrating  the  thick,  vapory  atmosphere. 


264         THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,  OR 

In  this  stage  of  the  infant  world,  all  those  conditions 
necessary  for  the  evolution  of  life  are  observed — a 
subdued  light,  warmth,  a  solution  of  aliment,  and 
intense  electric  currents  excited  by  the  solution  and 
precipitation  of  vast  quantities  of  matter! 

281.  As  the  dawn  of  life  is  fixed  at  this  point,  it 
were  well  to  extend  our  subject,  and  bring  all  possible 
light  to  bear  on  the  mysteries  of  its  origin. 

282.  In  placing  the  beginning  of  life  in  the  last 
ages    of    the    metamorphic — or    primitive    stratified — 
rocks,   I  am  well  aware  of  the  opposition  the  view 
will  receive  from  the  professors  of  geological  science. 
However  it  may  be  in  opposition  to  established  theo- 
ries, it  is  not  opposed  to  received  facts.     In  the  lower 
silurian  rocks  we  meet  with  low  organized  mollusks, 
and  these  extremely  rare.     Below  the  silurian  is  a 
vast  thickness  of  what  might  be  mistaken  for  non- 
fossiliferous  rocks,  called  the  Cumbrian  and  cambrian 
systems.      These    are    ten    thousand   feet    thick,    and 
hence  must  have  been  millions  of  years  in  forming,  as 
the  accumulation  of  sediment   at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  is  very  slow.     That  vast  series  of  deposits  has 
recorded  all  that  was  possible  of  the  first  denizens  of 
the  ocean.     In  the  lowest  portions  of  these  rocks  the 
indications  of  life  expire,  and  there  is  no  record  to  tell 
us  that  the  earth,  before  that  time,  was  otherwise  than 
a  bleak  and  desolate  waste.     Let  us  consider  how  re- 
mains are  preserved  in  the  rocks.     The  shell,  or  hard 
envelope,  is  all  that  is  ever  preserved,  and  if  the  animal 
has  not  this  covering,  or  an  equally  durable  frame- 
work, not  a  trace  of  its  existence  will  escape  the  de- 
composing action  of  the  vast  interval  of  time  we  eon- 
template.    Animals  like  the  slug,  the  unprotected  mol- 
lusks, the  hydra,  and  the  jelly-fish,  could  not  be  pre- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  265 

served.  Does  not  this  account  for  the  absence  of  fossils 
in  the  lower  cambrian?  If  we  continue  in  a  straight 
line  backwards  beyond  the  last  fossil  imprint,  as 
guided  by  the  waymarks  we  have  observed,  the  un- 
protected mollusk,  the  zoophyte,  jelly-fish,  and  such 
lower  forms  alone,  must  have  peopled  the  ocean  of 
the  slate.  They  could  not  leave  any  impression  on 
the  strata  forming  beneath  the  ocean  in  which  they 
dwelt,  and  though  they  swarmed  in  the  deep,  no  record 
of  their  existence  would  be  left.  The  only  method  by 
which  to  learn  the  existence  or  form  of  life  in  this 
non-fossiliferous  period  is  by  induction  from  the  facts 
we  have  given.  By  such  reasoning  we  infer,  or  rather 
prove,  that  living  forms  must  have  made  considerable 
advance  previous  to  the  silurian  period.  There  was 
time  sufficient  for  great  progress.  Every  foot  of  the 
cambrian  is  equivalent  to  thousands  of  years,  and 
during  all  that  vast  interval  of  time  the  great  principle 
of  progression  was  continually  active. 

283.  The  latter  ages  of  this  period  are  marked  by 
the  remains  of  a  few  shells,  indicating  the  advance 
of  the  unprotected  mollusks  in  the  acquirement  of 
protecting  organs.  Uncertain  traces  of  other  organ- 
isms are  also  stamped  on  the  rock.  These  were  marine 
vegetable  forms,  of  the  fucoidal  character — sea-weeds. 
Vegetable  food  must  have  been  in  existence,  or  rather 
coexistent,  or  the  first  animals  could  not  have  been 
sustained.  Vegetable  and  animal  life  undoubtedly 
appeared  at  the  same  time.  That  either  division  of 
life  could  exist  on  earth  without  the  other,  would  be 
inconsistent  with  facts  every  where  else  observed.  The 
identification  of  a  single  fucoid  is  evidence  of  the 
contemporary  existence  of  animals.  These  have  not 
left  a  trace  of  their  existence,  except  in  the  last  ages 


266  THE   AECANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

of  the  silurian  system.  But  dim  and  faint  as  these 
traces  are,  they  establish  the  theory  here  advocated, 
by  proving,  even  at  that  early  day,  that  the  plan  of 
organic  being  was  well  determined,  and  that  represen- 
tatives of  all  the  diversified  classes  existed.  Radiata, 
mollusca,  articulata,  and  vertebrata  were  then  repre- 
sented. 

284.  One  subject  more  remains  for  consideration 
here — the  CELL  reproduction.  As  life  advanced,  it 
could  not  be  unfolded  so  as  to  produce  higher  and 
more  perfect  forms  by  spontaneous  generation,  and 
hence  the  necessity  of  parentage.  As  a  law  of  nature, 
what  is  true  to-day  is  true  for  eternity ;  the  method  of 
increase  in  the  lowest  forms  of  life  now,  would  be  the 
same  as  that  in  the  early  silurian  period.  In  the  PRO- 
TOZOA, and  kindred  species,  reproduction  is  performed 
by  division.  The  little  sac  of  vitalized  matter  com- 
mences to  contract  about  its  centre,  and  continues  to 
be  more  and  more  divided,  until  the  two  portions 
break  asunder,  and  each  becomes  as  perfect  as  the 
original.  There  is  no  confluence  or  action  of  the 
male  and  female  principles,  both  being  united  in  the 
same  individual.  Reproduction  by  division  is  common 
to  all  the  lower  tribes.  In  the  protozoan,  (microscopic 
animals  of  the  lowest  kind,)  as  in  the  mineral,  if  it  be 
divided  into  any  number  of  parts,  each  will  give  a  per- 
fect idea  of  the  animal.  In  higher  types,  as  the  HYDRA, 
if  its  gelatinous  body  be  minutely  divided,  each  part 
will  become  as  perfect  as  the  parent.  The  same  is 
observed  in  the  plant;  a  twig  reproduces  the  perfect 
plant,  and  a  single  bud  generates  a  tree.  This  is  the 
first  and  lowest  form  of  reproduction.  The  parent 
subdivides,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  which  part  is  the 
parent,  which  the  offspring.  The  next  step  is  taken 


THE  HISTOEY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  267 

by  nuclei  forming  in  the  cellular  mass,  which  attract 
a  portion  of  the  material  in  which  they  are  embedded 
around  them,  and  then  bursting  the  cell  walls,  become 
independent  existences.  Both  of  these  processes  are 
imitated  in  the  tissues  of  all  living  beings.  The  ani- 
mal and  plant  grow  by  the  multiplication  of  cells. 

The  extreme  rapidity  with  which  they  multiply  is 
astonishing,  a  single  cell  often  increasing  in  a  single 
hour  to  a  million,  each  being  equally  perfect  as  the 
first.* 

285.  It  is  probable  that  life  has  been  produced 
spontaneously  in  all  ages;  but  when  so  produced,  it 
must  necessarily  begin  with  a  simple  cell,  similar  to 
those  first  introduced  on  earth.  The  cell  is  the  begin- 
ning of  all  forms  of  life;  even  in  reproducing  life  in 
any  manner,  as  by  division  or  parentage,  the  cell  is 
the  first  form,  and  from  this  simple  beginning  all  the 
infinite  series  of  vegetables  and  animals  have  proceeded. 
Having  discussed  the  origin  of  life,  we  shall  endeavor 
to  detail  its  history,  by  the  light  of  science  and  the 
revelations  of  the  rocks. 

*  General    Physiology.      Carpenter. 


268  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,   OR 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE   HISTORY   OF   LIFE   THROUGH  THE   SILURIAN 
FORMATION. 

The  Age  of  Mollusca.  —  Conformity  of  all  living  Beings  to  one  Arche- 
type. —  Silurian  Life.  —  Sea  of  the.  —  Groptolites.  —  Polypes.  — 
Corallines.  —  Crinoidians.  —  Lily  Encrinite.  —  Mollusks.  —  Cephalo- 
pods.  —  Crustaceans.  —  Trilobites.  —  Nautilus.  —  Vertebrata.  — 
Silurian  Scenery. 

286.  WHEN  the  SILURIAN  FORMATION  is  examined, 
it  will  be  observed  that  the  great  tribes  of  the  inver- 
tebrata  are  all  represented  by  types  of  their  lowest 
existing  forms.  This  is  a  highly  interesting  and  con- 
clusive proof  of  the  previous  reasoning,  and  renders 
untenable  the  theory  of  one  line  of  ascension,   and 
the  transformation  of  one  class  into  another.     Start- 
ing from  the  same  point  and  era  of  time,  they  continue 
side  by  side,  each  perfecting  itself  after  its  own  plan  of 
being.     Conditions  ever  varying  in  the  turbulent  state 
of    the    nascent    planet    would    greatly    change    the 
mode    of    development,    but   not    beyond   well-defined 
and  narrow  limits,  which  the  universal  causes  of  life 
imposed;    and    hence    the    resulting    resemblance    of 
structure. 

287.  The  plan  of  the  RADIATA  is  not  essentially  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  MOLLUSCA.    As  the  infinite  va- 
riety of  crystalline  forms  can  be  reduced  by  cleavage 
to  a  very  few  primitive  geometric  figures,  so  when  the 
external  and  superficial  organs  of  the  endless  series 
of  species  are  lopped  off,  a  few  types  only  remain ;  and 
these,  at  their  beginning,  meet  in  one.     The  diversity 
of  species,  is  the  result  of  external  acquirements ;  but 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  269 

all  are  true  to  one  type,  and  it  is  readily  seen  that  all 
conform  to  a  single  plan  or  archetype  of  growth. 
This  conformity  has  misled  the  naturalist,  and  in 
attempts  to  generalize  he  has  inferred  that  as  the  mol- 
lusk  approaches  so  near  the  fish,  it  must  have  been 
their  parent.  But  observation  refutes  this  view,  as 
there  was  not  sufficient  time  for  such  changes  before 
fishes  appear;  and  still  more,  nature  does  not  wait 
for  the  mollusk  to  become  perfected,  but  ushers  both 
into  existence  in  the  early  silurian,  in  their  lowest 
state.  The  true  place  of  the  lowest  mollusk  is  not 
below  the  lowest  fish,  but  by  its  side.  So  all  the 
highest  forms  of  the  four  great  classes  should  be 
arranged  side  by  side,  and  their  lowest  types  should 
be  arranged  in  the  same  manner,  just  above  the 
GELATINIFERA.* 

288.  The  tendency  of  each  type  is  not  to  change 
into  the  next  higher,  but  to  perfect  itself  after  its  own 
plan.  The  mollusk  does  not  attempt  to  transform 
itself  into  a  low  organized  vertebrate.  This,  from  its 
plan  of  structure,  would  be  impossible ;  but  it  changes 
by  degrees  to  a  more  perfect  mollusk.  The  cephalopod, 
in  its  way,  is  a  perfect  animal.  It  is  perfect  after 
its  own  plan  of  organization.  No  form  could 
be  more  admirably  adapted  to  the  demand  made  upon 
it.  It  is  entirely  above  whole  groups  of  fishes,  and  is 
evidence  of  the  wide  divergence  of  its  line  of  develop- 
ment from  the  fish  into  which  it  has  been  said  to  be 
transformed.  It  is  a  perfect  mollusk,  the  ultimate  of 
its  class.  The  same  holds  good  in  the  other  divisions, 
and  the  branches  given  off  by  these,  whenever  they 
reach  their  ultimate  of  progress,  become  extinct.  The 

*  The  lowest  form  of  the  cell   life. 


270          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

germinal  impulse  given  to  the  first  types  was  to  repro- 
duce their  own  peculiarities,  and  throw  off  branches 
of  a  higher  grade  of  the  same  class.  This  is  a  grand 
generalization,  and  is  supported  by  established  facts. 
Let  us  now  turn  to  the  early  strata  of  rocks,  and 
observe  how  well  their  testimony  accords  with  the 
present  theory.  Already  it  has  been  remarked  that 
slight  indications  of  organized  forms  are  found  in  the 
Cambrian,  beneath  the  silurian.  It  is  thus  rendered 
certain  that  the  earth  was  peopled  with  organic  beings 
for  an  immense  period  previous  to  their  leaving  any 
trace.  To  contemplative  science  the  beginning  of  the 
series  is  deficient.  It  is,  as  in  the  arithmetical  series  of 
figures,  1,  2,  3,  to  infinity,  when  the  first  terms  are  de- 
ficient, and  the  series  begins  with  4,  5,  &c.  But  these 
terms  can  be  readily  calculated  from  the  terms  given 
by  the  law  of  numbers.  So  can  the  first  terms  of  the 
organic  series  which  the  past  presents,  be  determined 
from  the  terms  given,  by  the  laws  of  life.  To  do  this 
has  been  the  aim  of  the  reasonings  and  inductions  of 
the  preceding  pages,  and  we  find  that  the  results,  theo- 
retically ascertained,  harmonize  with  observed  facts. 
That  part  of  the  series  which  has  been  determined  by 
a  course  of  reasoning  based  on  the  forces  of  nature, 
agrees  with  the  positively  determined  progress  of  life, 
presented  by  accurately  observed  phenomena  of  the 
present  era — an  interesting  evidence  of  the  correct- 
ness of  the  course  of  reasoning  pursued. 

289.  The  silurian  sea  was  far  from  teeming  with 
life.  Profound  silence  reigned  in  the  animate  world; 
the  wild  cry  of  the  sea  bird,  and  the  dashing  of  mon- 
sters in  the  ocean  foam,  did  not  enliven  its  desolation. 
The  dash  of  the  billows,  the  howl  of  the  storm, 
the  volcano  with  its  flames,  and  earthquakes,  were  the 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  271 

only  sounds  which,  roiled  through  the  atmosphere,  and 
these  only  spoke  of  turbulence  and  destruction.  Huge 
craggy  rocks  were  thrown  in  wild  confusion  every- 
where, and  between  the  rugged  islands  the  shallow  sea 
spread  its  black  and  desolate  waves.  Such  were  the 
scenes  surrounding  the  infancy  of  life.  At  this  early 
period  of  time,  the  innumerable  cells  composing  gela- 
tinous life  had  branched  off  into  the  four  great 
classes,  as  we  have  observed.  The  beings  that  inhab- 
ited the  dark  waters  were  such  as  our  theory  infers 
should  dwell  on  an  infant  planet.  They  combined 
in  one  being  the  characters  represented  in  several 
distinct  species  in  after  time. 

290.  The  GRAPTOLITE,  half  sea  weed,  half  coral, 
rooted  itself  in  the  floor  of  the  sea,  and  waved  its 
branches,  teeming  with  offspring,  in  the  flowing  tide. 
In  it  is  exemplified  the  great  law,  previously  referred 
to,  of  a  progress  from  the  compound  to  the  simple, 
whereby  the  first  types  were  compounds  of  several 
characters  afterwards  separated  into  distinct  types. 
This  principle  is  universal  and  will  be  often  referred 
to  in  future  pages,  as  the  primitive  types  of  plants 
and  animals  are  always  the  aggregation  of  two  or 
more  genera,  which,  perhaps,  in  the  next  period  are 
separated.  Thus  in  the  sponge  the  vegetative  prin- 
ciple predominates  over  the  animal.  In  the  graptolite 
the  animal  was  not  separated  from  the  fucoid.  In 
the  earliest  types  the  greatest  complexity  existed,  and 
classes  and  families  are  mixed  together  in  apparently 
strange  confusion.  Such  are  the  conditions,  our  in- 
ductions inform  us,  which  should  exist  in  the  infancy 
of  vitality.  Polypes,  as  the  lowest  types  are  called,  were 
the  first  to  stamp  their  impress  on  the  rocks,  and  they 
have  changed  but  little  under  all  the  varying  circum- 


272  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

stances  by  which  they  have  been  surrounded.  They 
are  organized  for  resisting  changes,  and  have  thus 
been  capable  to  abide  the  mutations  which  have  swept 
all  the  other  contemporary  tribes  from  the  globe.  It  is 
not  astonishing,  then,  to  find  the  identical  species  of 
polypes,  in  every  period,  and  inhabitants  of  the  present 
ocean.  The  corallines,  however,  were  lower  than  the 
existing  species. 

291.  Among  the  most  beautiful  forms  of  these  was 
the  chain  coral,  still  represented  in  tropical  seas.  These 
corallines  built  up  their  crystalline  skeletons  on  the 
rocky  elevations  beneath  the  waves  of  the  ocean,  ex- 
tracting particle  after  particle  from  solution,  and  de- 
positing in  the  form  of  solid  rock.  They  possessed 
the  power  to  extract  calcareous  particles  from  water 
containing  so  small  an  amount  of  lime,  that  no  chem- 
ical test  can  reveal  its  presence.  The  lime  rock  has 
all  passed  through  the  laboratory  of  life,  and  has  been 
principally  deposited  by  zoophytes.  This  may  appear 
startling  when  its  vast  thickness  and  extent  are  consid- 
ered, and  the  cause  referred  to  an  insignificant,  almost 
lifeless  mass  of  jelly ;  but  when  the  unceasing  labors  of 
these  world-architects  is  duly  considered,  doubt  will 
be  dispelled  by  admiration.  In  the  present  sea,  where 
their  labor  is  greatly  circumscribed,  and  they  possess 
few  of  the  advantages  of  former  times,  they  have  de- 
barred the  ships  of  commerce  from  access  to  large 
areas,  by  reefs  hundreds  of  miles  in  extent,  and  have 
converted  oceans  into  archipelagoes  by  the  countless 
islands  they  have  reared  from  the  crests  of  subma- 
rine mountains.  Polynesia  embraces  an  area  of  sev- 
eral hundred  thousand  square  miles,  thickly  inter- 
spersed with  islands,  of  their  architecture;  and  they 
iare  now  depositing  a  thick  stratum  of  limestone  over 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  273 

the  whole  of  that  area.  By  contemplating  such  wide- 
spread results  from  apparently  insignificant  causes,  the 
mind  in  a  measure  grasps  the  idea  of  the  astonishing 
activity  of  life  in  the  ancient  world. 

292.  If,  instead  of  the  mineral  particles  being  de- 
posited on  the  inside  of  the  polype,  we  suppose  it  to 
be  arranged  on  the  external  surface,  there  would  re- 
sult an  animal  of  the  same  grade  of  organization,  but 
widely  differing  in  its  form  and  habits;  and  these  cir- 
cumstances would  tend  to  make  it  diverge  from  the 
original,  and  in  time  become  a  totally  distinct  being. 
We  then  have  a  stony  plant,  a  soft  molluscous  ani- 
mal, invested  with  a  cup-like  shell,  or  what  is  called 
a  CRINOIDIAN.     A  few  unimportant  species  exist  at 
present,  but  at  their  first  introduction  they  occupied 
a  very  conspicuous  position.     The  lily  encrinite  was 
very  beautiful,  resembling  a  lily;  and  as  the  support- 
ing stalk  was  flexible,  it  could  move  in  the  water  in 
search  of  its  prey. 

293.  The  MOLLUSKS  were  similarly  protected  by  an 
exudation  from  their  previously  unprotected  skins,  of 
mineral  particles. 

The  CRUSTACEANS  were  represented  by  the  trilobite, 
a  singularly  formed  being,  resembling  the  young  lobster. 
It  had  only  the  rudiments  of  feet,  and  those  seem- 
ingly unnecessary  organs,  the  antenna?,  were  but  just 
budding  forth.  Its  eyes  were  immovable ;  but  this  in- 
convenience was  obviated  by  their  elevation  on  foot- 
stalks, and  formed  like  those  of  the  dragon  fly,  that  it 
might  see  in  every  direction. 

294.  The  MOLLUSCA  were  represented  by  their  lowest 
types,  in  conformity  to  the  views  already  expressed; 
but  many  of  its  genera  attained  a  much  greater  state 
of   perfection.     A   variety   of   cephalopods   swarmed 

18 


274  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

the  ocean.  Their  highest  type,  the  nautilus,  exhibited 
a  great  advance  in  the  structure  of  its  organs  and  its 
habits  on  univalve  mollusks.  It  has  a  powerful  mus- 
cular system  and  regular  organs  of  life.  The  rudi- 
ments of  a  true  internal  skeleton  and  the  nervous 
centres  are  enlarged  and  concentrated  in  the  head. 
The  organs  of  prehension  and  locomotion,  though 
simple,  are  powerful.  Its  mouth  was  furnished  with 
beak-like  jaws,  and  an  extensible  tongue.  In  some 
varieties  of  mollusks  designed  to  float  in  the  water,  the 
shell  is  so  thin  that  they  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have 
a  covering;  the  nautilus  was  furnished  with  an  ap- 
paratus for  rising  and  falling  in  the  water,  controlled 
by  its  will;  showing  that  it  had  an  instinctive  in- 
telligence— an  inference  supported  by  its  large  nerv- 
ous centres. 

295.  Bivalve   and  univalve   shells  were   extremely 
rare,  and  those  which  existed  were  such  as  were  able 
to  abide  the  great  changes  in  surrounding  conditions. 
The  rocky  character  of  the  early  seas  was  not  adapted 
to  their  support.     These,  with  fucoids,  the  stony  coral, 
the  encrinite,  and  the  trilobite  peopled  the  silurian  sea. 
The  trilobite  was  an  exact  representation  of  the  em- 
bryo lobster.     This  presents  curious  reflections  on  the 
advance  of  life.    The  lobster  begins  at  the  same  point 
where  the  early  crustaceans  leave  off,  perfects  the  plan 
they  foreshadowed,  and  acquired  organs  of  locomotion, 
movable  eyes,  antennae,  and  more  complicated  organs 
of  life.     The  same  principle  is  observable  here  as  in 
the  embryos  of  all  higher  animals,  which  have  a  strong 
resemblance  to  lower  types. 

296.  Thus  is  presented  the  history  of  the  dawn  of 
life.     We  are  astonished  at  the  predominance  of  the 
invertebrate  orders,  and  the  total  absence  of  the  verte- 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  275 

brate.  I  say  total  absence,  for  throughout  the  long 
duration  of  this  era  not  a  form  of  this  class,  sufficiently 
high  to  be  preserved,  flourished  in  the  marine  wilds. 
But  it  must  have  begun  in  the  same  era  with  the  others, 
and  preserved  a  parallelism  of  development,  though 
not,  until  nearly  the  close  of  this  period,  was  it  suf- 
ficiently developed  to  be  capable  of  preservation.  The 
first  trace  of  a  vertebral  column — the  distinguishing 
characteristic  of  this  class — would  be  nothing  more 
than  a  thin  line  of  cartilage.  This  would  enlarge,  but 
would  not  immediately  ossify.  Even  in  the  Devonian 
period  fishes  had  only  a  cartilaginous  skeleton,  and 
even  at  this  day  the  conspicuous  family  of  sharks, 
sturgeons,  and  rays  have  not  a  single  truly  ossified 
bone  in  their  skeletons.  But  this  line  of  cartilage 
could  not  be  preserved,  as  it  would  readily  decompose ; 
and  this  accounts  for  the  apparent  absence  of  verte- 
brata  in  this  period.  Subject  to  the  law  of  eternal 
progress,  the  simple  cartilaginous  being  gave  off,  as 
branches,  the  osseous  tribes,  and  perpetuated  itself 
in  the  cartilaginous  orders.  The  deposition  of  mineral 
particles  in  the  cells  of  the  cartilage  of  the  skeleton 
is  as  simple  as  their  exuding  from  the  surface  of  the 
body  and  forming  a  shell,  or  internally,  and  producing 
a  radiate  structure.  The  same  law  governs  all  these 
examples,  and  is  seen  at  work  in  the  vertebrate  embryo, 
ossifying  the  cartilaginous  framework.  Ossification 
would  proceed  gradually,  and  in  consequence  all  de- 
grees of  transition  would  result  from  the  amphioxus 
to  the  solid  frame  of  the  mammal. 

297.  Having  thus  glanced  at  the  types  of  the  silu- 
rian  age,  the  mind  is  enabled  to  comprehend  the  first 
steps  in  the  ascension  of  life,  and  the  beautiful  philoso- 
phy of  its  progress.  This  age  may  be  appropriately 


276  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,   OR 

styled  the  reign  of  mollusks.  They  were  the  predom- 
inating type,  and  the  cephalopods  that  roamed  the 
marine  wilds  of  the  silurian  seas  unquestionably  held 
the  first  rank  of  the  beings  which  peopled  the  ancient 
world.  Large,  strong,  and  voracious,  they  were  the 
aquatic  carnivora,  preventing  the  too  great  increase  of 
the  more  peaceful  forms.  They  were  the  kings  of  their 
age — what  the  sharks  are  in  the  present  sea;  and  no 
contemporary  animal  was  their  equal  in  fierceness  and 
courage,  or  the  strength  of  their  arms. 

298.  The  landscape  was  wild  and  stern.  The 
waving  forest,  the  beautiful  green  mead,  formed  no 
part  of  the  scene.  The  softness,  the  mildness,  and 
loveliness  which  enter  into  the  present  landscape,  were 
not  seen,  but  all  was  rugged  and  terrific.  The  dark 
ocean  spread  around  the  globe,  intersected  with  innu- 
merable islands,  which  reared  their  rugged  heads  above 
the  waves.  Continents  then  slumbered  beneath  the 
ocean,  and  on  their  surfaces  the  thick  strata  were  de- 
positing. The  earth  was  a  desert  waste  of  broken 
rocks  and  volcanic  fragments.  But  beneath  the  waves 
the  fucoids  waved  their  long,  green  leaves,  and  con- 
verted the  silent  abysses  of  the  ocean  into  gardens  of 
beauty.  There  they  exhibited  their  variegated  hues, 
and  furnished  exhaustless  food  for  the  myriads  of 
strange  forms  of  animal  life  in  that  early  age  of  won- 
ders. It  was  a  bleak  and  desolate  world  where  the 
ocean  concealed  the  germs  of  life.  The  sea  was  dotted 
with  islands,  covered  with  rocky  crags,  on  which  not 
the  least  vestige  of  life  appeared;  and  here  and  there 
a  higher  projection  or  ridge  gave  prophecy  of  future 
mountain  chains,  or  marked  the  configuration  of  con- 
tinents. Its  color  was  not  the  splendid  blue  of  the 
reflected  sky,  but  black  and  leaden— a  fit  covering  for 
the  ragged  surface  it  concealed  from  view. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  277 

299.  The  silent  and  invisible  forces  of  nature  were 
aided  by  the  storms   and  tornadoes  that   drove   the 
murky  and  dense  atmosphere  with  tremendous  fury 
over  the  waste.     The  earthquake  rocked  the  yielding 
crust  to  and  fro  in  great  undulations,  and  from  the 
deep  fissures  of  the  broken  strata  the  molten  lava  flowed 
out,  spreading  its  fiery  contents  over  the  bottom  of 
the  sea.    On  such  scenes  the  sun  and  stars  looked  luridly 
down  through  the  hazy  atmosphere,  and  from  the  murky 
sky  the  red  moon  threw  her  portentous  light.     The 
awful,  the  sublime  and  terrific  were  mingled  confusedly 
together  in  a  period  transpiring  but  once  in  the  life 
of  a  planet. 

300.  From  the  wide  extent  of  aqueous  surface, — the 
sea  covering  nearly  the  whole  globe, — and  the  internal 
heat  of  the  earth,  there  existed  an  almost  equal  temper- 
ature over  the  whole  globe,  and  consequently  a  unity 
of  type  in  all  latitudes.    Hence  we  do  not  meet  with 
zones  of  peculiar  fauna  or  flora,  for  a  nearly  uniform 
torrid  temperature  every  where  prevailed.     By  these 
means  life  in  all  the  early  periods,  from  the  poles  to 
the  equator  formed  a  single  flora  and  fauna. 


278  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 


CHAPTER    X. 
THE  OLD  RED  SANDSTONE  SERIES. 

Blending  of  the  Formations.  —  Definition  of  the  Term  Period.  —  Dura- 
tion of.  —  Disappearance  of  Species.  —  Reign  of  Fishes.  —  Ganoids. 
—  Cephalaspis.  —  Pterychthys.  —  Coccocteus.  —  Placoidians.  —  De- 
vonian Scenery.  —  The  Law  of  Progress. 

301.  ONE  leaf  of  the  volume  is  read;  turn  it  back, 
and  the  next  in  the  series  is  the  OLD  RED  SANDSTONE, 
or  DEVONIAN.  Here  let  us  pause  to  correct  the  com- 
mon error,  that  a  strong  demarcation  exists  between 
the  formations.  This  is  so  far  from  correct,  that  it  is 
impossible  ofttimes  to  decide  on  the  exact  point  where 
one  terminates  and  the  other  commences.  In  nature 
there  are  no  arbitrary  divisions,  as  in  the  books,  but  the 
formations  are  found  running  into  each  other  by  in- 
sensible degrees.  A  PERIOD,  in  geology,  does  not  rep- 
resent a  given  time,  but  an  immense  interval,  or  an 
almost  infinity  of  ages.  The  beings  which  flourish  when 
it  commences  may  die  out,  or  change  entirely  in  ap- 
pearance before  its  close.  To  say  that  such  an  age  was 
distinguished  for  the  high  order  of  its  fishes,  or  its  rep- 
tiles, is  extremely  vague;  for  at  its  commencement 
there  may  have  been  nothing  more  than  the  feeblest 
traces  of  those  orders,  while  they  may  have  swarmed 
the  sea  at  its  termination,  the  duration  intervening  be- 
tween the  dawn  and  eve  of  a  great  epoch  being  almost 
incomprehensible.  Understanding  this,  we  are  not  con- 
founded when  told  that  the  silurian  was  distinguished 
by  the  development  of  cephalopods,  as  though  they 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  279 

all  at  once  sprang  into  existence.  This  only  applies  to 
the  last  ages  of  that  period  when  it  changes  into  the 
Devonian. 

302.  The  cartilaginous  fishes  had  given  origin  to 
a  few  species  of  shark;  but  this  is  not  anomalous,  as 
the  duration  from  the  dawn  of  life  to  the  time  when 
the  latter  were  introduced,  is  as  incomprehensible  as 
the  number  of  leaves  in  the  forest.    By  almost  insensi- 
ble differences  the  silurian  rocks  pass  into  the  Devonian, 
and  the  development  of  its  living  forms  as  gradually 
takes  place.   It  is  those  only,  who,  blinded  by  prejudice, 
seek  to  sustain  the  traditionary  notion  that  each  era  is 
a  day  in  creation,  at  the  end  of  which  all  existing 
forms  were  swept  away,  and  then,  by  a  mandate  of 
God,  new  races  sprang  forth,  who  make  violent  demar- 
cations between  geological  periods.     Species  disappear 
one  at  a  time;  new  ones  are  introduced,  and  the  whole 
goes  on  in  such  a  quiet,  insensible  manner,  as  far  as  life 
is  concerned,  that  all  ideas  of  confusion,  disorder,  or 
arbitrary  rule  are  wholly  out  of  place.     The  mighty 
operations  of  Nature  may  work  on  in  ruin  and  desola- 
tion ;  but  her  greatest  effects  occur  in  the  slow  but  sure 
movements  which  silently  labor  through   decades   of 
centuries.     A  steady   advance  takes  place  each  day, 
but  these  advances  can  only  be  determined  by  compar- 
ing periods  of  time  thousands  of  years  asunder. 

303.  The  duration  from  the  dawn  of  life  to  the 
commencement  of  the  COAL  period,  has  not  inappro- 
priately been  called  the  REIGN  OF  FISHES: 

304.  During  this  long  course  of  ages,  fishes  were 
the  highest  forms  which  peopled  the  vast  but  shallow 
ocean.     As  has  previously  been  stated,  mollusJcs  pre- 
dominated in  the  silurian ;  but  near  its  close  the  ver- 
tebrate kingdom  was  represented  by  some  low  forms, 


280  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OB 

of  which  the  shark  was  the  highest  branch,  and  next 
the  ganoid  fishes,  hereafter  to  be  described.  These 
two  tribes  flourished  to  the  almost  total  exclusion  of 
all  others.  The  ganoids  are  represented  by  the  North 
American  pike  and  sturgeon.  They  were  much  more 
numerous  than  the  placoidians,  sharks,  or  rays.  In 
fact,  the  ganoids  attained  their  maximum  of  develop- 
ment, and  immediately  began  to  decline.  In  the  direc- 
tion of  their  singular  organization,  they  attained  the 
limits  of  perfectibility,  and  consequently  died  out,  to 
give  place  to  other  families  with  larger  progressive  lim- 
its. It  is  a  universal  law  that  species  exist  as  long  as 
they  advance,  but  the  moment  they  become  stationary 
they  begin  to  decline,  and  eventually  perish.  The  in- 
organic world  is  perfecting,  and  unless  species  advance 
in  the  ratio  of  its  advancement,  the  conditions  become 
unfavorable  to  their  existence.  This  is  a  law  to  which 
reference  will  be  frequently  made,  as  it  permeates  the 
entire  dominion  of  nature. 

305.  The  peculiarity  of  the  ganoids  is  their  com- 
pound character.     They  were  allied  to  the  archetype 
of  the  fish  on  one  hand,  and  to  the  insect  on  the  other ; 
and  not  until  ages  after,  were  these  two  characters 
separated.     They  were  covered  with  bony  plates,  pos- 
sessed a  rudimentary  cartilaginous  skeleton,  and  in  the 
arrangement  of  their  organs,  their  eyes  and  head,  were 
combinations  not  now  seen  in  distinct  species.     These 
large  plates  were  formed  by  the  consolidation  of  scales, 
which,  in  after  ages,  became  distinct. 

306.  Of  all  the  ganoids,  the  CEPHALASPIS  was  the 
most  singular.     It  was  a  compound  of  fish  and  trilo- 
bite.     Its  head,   or  rather  body,  was  shaped  like  a 
saddler's  knife,  while  its  tail  was  like  the  trilobite's.    It 
was  more  crustacean  than  fish,  having  all  the  habits 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  281 

of  the  former.  It  approached  in  many  particulars 
the  ray.  Rendered,  by  its  slow  motion,  incapable  of 
escaping  its  enemies  by  flight,  its  fine  armor  formed  a 
defence  which  was  undoubtedly  impregnable  to  the 
strongest  of  its  antagonists ;  for  the  soft-bodied  cephal- 
opods,  from  which  it  had  most  to  fear,  would  find  it 
difficult  to  crush  its  knife-like  shell. 

307.  The  PTERICHTHYS  was  another  species,  allied 
more  closely  to  the  insect  in  the  articulations  of  its  fins, 
and  its  head  connecting  with  the  body  by  a  very  small 
articulating  surface.     The  neck  of  fishes — if  they  may 
be  said  to  have  any — is  as  large  as  their  body,  while 
that  of  insects  is  so  small  that  the  head  is  almost  sev- 
ered.   Such  was  the  neck  of  the  pterichthys.    Its  body 
was  covered  with  large  enamel-coated  plates,  beauti- 
fully articulating  together,  both  serving  as  a  protection 
against  its  enemies,  and  for  the  attachment  of  muscles, 
the  osseous  system  being  so  imperfectly  developed  that 
it  was  useless  as  a  support  to  the  muscles.     Such  is 
the  unique  combination  of  characteristics  in  this  being, 
which  was  mistaken  by  eminent  naturalists  for  a  beetle, 
then  for  a  crustacean ;  and  not  until  after  great  research 
and  study  was  its  true  position  determined. 

308.  The  COCCOCTEUS  was  still  higher  in  the  scale. 
It  approached  the  fishes  in  the  greater  development  of 
its  skeleton  and  the  position  of  its  organs.     The  ar- 
ticulation of  the  head  was  like  the   insect.    It  was 
very  large,  and  its  jaws  powerful,  covered  with  enamel, 
and  set  with  sharp,  conical  teeth.     Its  body  was  pro- 
tected by  enamelled  plates.    Its  tail  was  long,  and  had 
two  fins  at  its  extremity,  and  from  its  flexibility  gave 
its  possessor  great  locomotive   power.     Protected  by 
its  enamelled  covering  and  swiftness  of  motion,  it  had 
no  enemy  to  fear. 


282  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

309.  Another  group,  of  similar  organization,   dif- 
fered only  in  their  envelopes,  or  covering,  which,  in- 
stead of  being  plates  of  enamel,  were  of  the  minutest 
scales,  giving  their  skin  the  appearance  of  shagreen. 

In  another  tribe  the  fins  were  very  much  enlarged, 
and  armed  with  spines,  and  the  scales  were  so  en- 
larged that  eight  or  ten  covered  the  whole  body. 

310.  While    the    ganoids    swarmed    the    sea,    the 
placoidians,   in  their  infancy,   were   few   in  number. 
They  were,  however,  fleeter  and  more  voracious  than 
their  contemporaries,  and  from  the  remains  of  their 
spines  and  teeth  preserved  in  the  rocks,  their  number 
was  large,  and  several  species  flourished.     The  rays 
or  scates  kept  them  company,  and  were  nearly  as  per- 
fect as  at  present. 

Such  were  the  inhabitants  of  the  Devonian  oceans. 
The  trilobites  had  almost  expired,  and  many  other 
curious  forms  of  the  previous  age  had  become  extinct, 
or  advanced  to  a  higher  plane. 

311.  The  land   becoming  more    elevated,    and   its 
area  enlarged,  began  to  be  clothed  with  a  green  man- 
tle,  as  vegetation   advanced   out   of   the   sea.      Those 
species  which  were  capable  from  the  constitution  they 
received  from  the  primordial  CELL  of  progress,  emerged 
from  the  sea,  and  clothed  the  shores   with  verdure. 
They  planted  themselves  on  the  tide-washed  shore,  and 
gradually  extending,  at  length  passed  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  tides,  as  they  became  more  and  more  adapted 
to  their  new  mode  of  life.    At  this  time,  and  from  this 
source,    originated    the    terrestial    CRYPTOGAMIA,    that 
clothed  the  rocks  and  shores  of  the  waning  Devonian 
period  with  dark-green  verdure.     The  moss  attached 
itself  to  the  rocky  surface,  the  fern  grew  in  the  low 
places  where  the  dampness  of  the  soil  furnished  a  f av- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  283 

orable  condition,  and  the  fungi,  the  mushroom,  puff 
balls,  &c.,  germinated  every  where.  It  has  been  previ- 
ously remarked  that  the  mushroom  is  one  of  the  simplest 
aggregations  of  cells.  Its  germ  is  a  simple  cell,  and 
when  this  becomes  subject  to  the  proper  conditions,  it 
contracts  on  its  axis,  and  produces  two  similar  cells. 
These  again  divide,  and  this  process  continues,  until 
the  germinal  force  becomes  exhausted.  This  multi- 
plication occurs  with  such  rapidity,  that  a  single  cell 
multiplies  into  billions  in  twenty-four  hours.*  The 
conditions  for  the  complete  development  of  the  cryp- 
togamia  (flowerless  plants)  were  extremely  favorable. 
AYarmth,  moisture,  and  intercepted  light  all  contrib- 
uted their  influence,  and  they  flourished  with  a  luxu- 
riance they  never  have  since  attained;  and  the  gigan- 
tic forms  which  then  towered  in  forests  of  unrivalled 
grandeur,  strike  the  imagination  with  wonder  at  the 
concurrence  of  conditions  which  could  develop  its  huge 
trunks  from  the  lowly  rush,  the  puff-ball,  and  the 
moss. 

312.  The  lowest  forms  of  the  vegetable  and  animal 
kingdoms  here  first  attained  their  maximum  of  growth, 
and  then  declined,  giving  place  to  the  next  higher 
tribes,  which  in  turn  were  displaced  by  others  higher 
formed  constitutionally  for  advancement.  However 
imperfect  this  vegetation  would  be  in  the  present  age, 
it  was  perfectly  adapted  to  the  period  in  which  it 
flourished.  This  reveals  the  fallacy  of  that  reasoning 
which  speaks  of  the  perfect  organization  of  these  an- 
cient forms.  True,  they  were  perfect  for  their  time 


*  This  curious  subject  is  illustrated  by  numerous  experiments,  in 
article  "Endosmosis,"  in  the  Cyclopedia  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology, 
in  Dutrochet's  M£moires  Animiques  et  Physiologiques,  and  in  Mat- 
teucci's  Lectures  on  the  Physical  Phenomena  of  Living  Beings, 


284  THE   ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

and  place,  but  far  from  perfect  in  the  absolute 
sense. 

Subject  to  higher  conditions  life  will  gradually  con- 
form, and  a  new  flora  and  fauna  will  be  evolved  from 
the  old.  Thus  are  we  prepared  to  see  the  forms  de- 
scribed in  this  section  unfold  in  the  next  age,  under 
the  stimulating  conditions  of  the  carboniferous  period, 
into  the  grandest  forests  that  ever  clothed  the  earth. 

313.  Whenever  an  animal  or  vegetable  type  has 
attained  its  highest  state,  and  is  becoming  extinct,  and 
another  of  a  similar  type  is  taking  its  place,  the  last 
is  always  higher  in  the  scale  of  being  than  the  first,  and 
is  caused  by  intermixture  with  some  other  genera,  or 
species  allied  to  it  in  its  form  and  habits. 


CHAPTER    XL 
CARBONIFEROUS  OR  COAL  FORMATION. 

Conditions  of.  —  Origin  of  the  Coal.  —  Lepidodendron.  —  Stigmaria.  — 
Arborescent  Ferns.  —  Calamites.  —  Norfolk  Island  Pine.  —  Carbonif- 
erous Scenery.  —  Luxuriance  of  Vegetation.  —  Islands  of  the  South 
Sea  represent  the  Coal  Era.  —  The  marine  Depths.  —  Fucoids.  — 
Orthoceras.  —  Cephalopods.  —  Terrebratula.  —  Productus.  —  Am- 
monites. —  Fishes.  —  Ganoids.  —  Sharks.  —  Sauroids.  —  Terres- 
trial Reptiles. 

314.  THE  coal  era  may  emphatically  be  termed  the 
reign  of  plants.  The  islands  were  low,  and  the  cli- 
mate, still  feeling  the  influence  of  the  external  heat, 


THE  HISTORY  AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  285 

was  extra-tropical,  and  warmer  at  the  poles  than  at 
present.  The  general  diffusion  of  the  ocean,  and  the 
entire  absence  of  continental  masses,  greatly  contrib- 
uted to  this  result.  The  atmosphere  was  damp,  and 
of  a  high  temperature.  Its  thick  and  murky  charac- 
ter moderated  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun.  It  con- 
tained a  large  amount  of  carbonic  acid.  Thus  com- 
bined the  best  possible  conditions  for  the  growth  of 
cryptogamic  vegetation,  and  it  came,  clothing  the  low 
islands  with  gigantic  forests. 

315.  Fossil    coal    is    unquestionably   formed    from 
plants,  after  a  somewhat  similar  manner  as  peat  forms 
in  the  bog.    The  vegetation  from  which  it  was  formed 
was  succulent,   and  easily  decomposed,   and  has  left 
slight  traces  to  the  eye  of  the  organic  origin  of  its 
product.     To  the  microscope  it  reveals  its  vegetable 
structure.     But  the  characters  presented  are  not  those 
of  the  present.     The  observer  discovers  a  new  world. 
He  is  ushered  among  lepidodendrons,  sigillarias,  and 
arborescent  ferns,  plants  combining  the  characteristics 
of  several  species  in  a  single  form. 

316.  The  LEPIDODENDRON  was  a  large  forest  tree, 
allied  to  the  pine,  and  still  closer  to  the  club-moss. 
The  club-moss  of  the  present  is  a  very  small  plant, 
but  a  few  inches  in  height;  but  this  ancestor  of  the 
present  plant  was  a  noble  tree,  rearing  its  fluted  and 
scarred  trunk  sixty  feet  or  more  without  branches. 
Then  it  sent  out  numerous  arms,  leaving  the  trunk  at 
an  acute   angle,   and  covered  with  moss-like  leaves, 
forming  a   delicate   and  somewhat  beautiful   foliage. 
When  stripped  of  its  leaves  it  resembled  a  decaying 
pine. 

317.  The   STIGMARIA  were  the  roots  or  types   of 
another  forest  tree,  half  pine,  half  cycadea,  or  palm. 


286  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

It  closely  resembled  the  zamia  in  its  internal  struc- 
ture, and  the  palm  in  appearance.  The  leaves,  like  the 
palm,  were  attached  directly  to  the  trunk,  and  fluted 
the  trunk  where  they  grew,  and  scarred  it  where  they 
were  attached.  It  was  one  of  the  few  woody  plants, 
and  entered  largely  into  the  production  of  the  coal. 

318.  The  humble  fern,  or  brake,  we  left  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  silurian  sea,  added  frond  to  frond,  until  it 
became  a  forest  tree,  rivalling  the  palm  in  beauty,  and 
dividing   into   innumerable   species,   spread   in   dense 
jungles  over  marsh  and  plain.     The  brakes  of  our 
swamps   and  marshes   seldom   exceed   a   few   feet  in 
height,  and  at  the  present  time,  even  in  the  torrid 
clime,  but  few  species  attain  a  height  of  more  than 
four  feet.    The  gigantic  carboniferous  ferns  were  thirty 
or  forty  feet  in  height,  and  supported  a  crown  of  leaves 
rivalling  the  palm. 

319.  The   scene   presented   was    gloomy    and   sad. 
A  sombre  hue  pervaded  the  dense  islands  covered  with 
ferns,  interspersed  here  and  there  with  gray  rocks.    The 
sooty  blackness  of  the  sky  was  similar  in  character  and 
appearance  to  stone  coal  smoke,  casting  a  gloom  over 
the  whole  landscape. 

320.  All  the  low  lands  were  clothed  with  tree  ferns, 
forming  the  densest  and  most  impenetrable  jungles. 
Beneath  these  the  humble  ferns  found  shelter.     The 
more  barren  and  sterile  places  were  occupied  by  the 
tapering  spires  of  the  CALAMITES.     Above  these  the 
lepidodendron  bore  aloft  its  splendid  coronal,  singu- 
larly disproportioned,  however,  to  its  huge  columnar 
trunk.    Above  these,  in  the  forest,  "the  sigillaria  ele- 
vated its  crown  of  leaves  on  its  fluted  and  gracefully 
tapering  column.    More  than  a  hundred  feet  above  all 
of  these,  the  Norfolk  Island  pine  reared  its  pyramid  of 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  287 

foliage,  rising,  tier  above  tier,  in  a  magnificent  cone  of 
vegetation." 

A  dark,  sombre  green  pervaded  the  whole  scene,  un- 
enlivened by  the  bright  and  brilliant  coloring  which, 
by  contrast,  constitutes  the  chief  attraction  and  beauty 
of  the  present  vegetable  world. 

321.  From  these  dense  forests  the  coal  was  formed, 
and  stored  away  in  the  earth's  great  garner  house  for 
tlie    use    and    advancement    of    man.      The    extreme 
luxuriance  of  vegetation  during  the  deposition  of  the 
coal  can  be  faintly  appreciated  when  it  is  considered 
that  a  century's  growth  of  a  tropical  forest  would  not 
produce  more  than  a  stratum  of  coal  one  or  two  inches 
in  thickness.     The  total  thickness  of  the  English  coal 
beds  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  it  cannot  be 
less  in  America.     To  produce  this  great  thickness,  it 
thus  appears,  would   require   eighteen   hundred  such 
forests,   each   requiring  a   century's  growth,  or  more 
than  one  million  of  years.    A  single  stratum  of  coal, 
four  feet  in  thickness,  would  be  produced  in  a  tropical 
region,  if  the  material  could  all  be  saved,  in  about  five 
thousand  years.     The  esculent  coal  plants  were  not  as 
productive  of  coal   as  the  tropical  forest  trees,   and 
hence  the  time  of  their  formation  must  greatly  exceed 
this  estimate. 

322.  The  greater  portions  of  the  forests  were  in  the 
valleys  and  basins,  partially  covered  with  water.     The 
plants  grew,  and,  falling  down,  became  the  soil  for  the 
next    generation;    and    although    decomposition   went 
rapidly  on,  the  growth  was  so  rapid  that  a  stratum  of 
organic    matter   slowly    accumulated,    and   when   the 
whole  became  submerged  beneath  the  waves  a  cover- 
ing of  sand  or  mud  was  thrown  over  it.     When  the 
land  again  emerged  from  the  ocean,  it  was  prepared 


288  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

for  the  support  of  a  new  forest.  The  organic  mate- 
rial thus  collected,  subjected  to  the  enormous  pressure 
of  the  superincumbent  strata,  and  acted  on  by  the  in- 
ternal heat,  formed  the  crystalline  coal,  which  is  so 
necessary  to  the  progress  of  civilization.  To  obtain 
an  idea  of  the  coal  plants,  and  the  aspect  of  the  earth 
while  they  clothed  its  surface,  we  must  go  to  the  low 
islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  where  a  uniform  temper- 
ature and  a  moist  atmosphere  prevail.  New  Zealand 
and  the  neighboring  isles  furnish  the  best  examples 
of  the  coal  flora:  there  it  yet  lingers,  still  resem- 
bling its  former  appearance.  The  lepidodendron,  club 
moss,  and  fern,  are  nearly  the  only  plants  in  their  for- 
ests. There  we  observe  the  same  sombre  hue,  the 
same  death-like  silence,  uninterrupted  by  a  warbler's 
note,  or  the  least  stir  of  animal  life.  With  its  coralline 
seas,  and  islands  clothed  with  cryptogamic  forests, 
this  region  of  the  South  Sea  is  a  miniature  of  the 
coal  era. 

323.  Dense  as  were  the  terrestrial  forests,  the  fu- 
coids  which  covered  the  floor  of  the  deep  flourished  with 
equal  luxuriance.    They  furnished  sustenance  and  pro- 
tection for  innumerable  aquatic  animals.     The  ammo- 
nite, the  orthoceros,  and  other  cephalopods,  were  in 
their    decline.     Terebratula    spirifer    and    productus 
are  characteristic  types. 

The  fishes  of  the  silurian  were  small  and  clumsy. 
The  predominant  tribes  of  the  Devonian  were  much 
larger,  and  more  numerous;  but,  from  the  first,  they 
were  accompanied  by  a  cartilaginous  tribe,  the  plan 
of  whose  structure  was  wholly  different,  and  aiming 
at  higher  results. 

324.  The  ganoids  of  the  Devonian  attained  their 
maturity.     They  had  reached  the  end  of  their  line  of 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  289 

progress,  and  now  the  bony  pike  and  sturgeon  alone 
survive  the  depressing  influences  which  have  blotted 
out  their  more  gigantic  progenitors.  The  sharks  rap- 
idly increased  in  numbers,  and  became  the  terror  of 
the  deep.  Their  hardihood  and  endurance  adapted 
them  to  all  circumstances  and  places.  The  contem- 
porary family  of  sauroids  were  a  compound  of  fishes 
and  reptiles,  or  rather,  half-developed  reptiles  from  the 
fishes.  The  analogy  between  them  and  the  reptile  has 
not  been  allowed,  and  much  dispute  has  occurred  in 
assigning  them  their  true  place.  They  were  larger 
and  more  powerful  than  the  shark.  In  the  structure 
of  their  teeth  they  approached  the  crocodile,  while 
the  structure  of  their  jaws  was  as  truly  lacertian.  In 
them  are  found  the  first  traces  of  ossification;  which, 
singular  as  it  may  appear,  is  highly  corroboratory  of 
our  theory.  This  commenced  in  those  centres  which 
first  begin  to  ossify  in  the  embryo  reptile. 

325.  In   the   different   species   of   sauroids   which 
swam  in  the  carboniferous  sea  are  found  all  grades, 
from  the  fish  to  the  imperfect  reptilian;  the  former 
abounding  at  the  commencement  of  the  period,  and 
the  latter  near  its  termination. 

In  some  species  are  observed  the  wrinkled  and  knot- 
ty covering,  the  jaws  and  teeth,  of  the  crocodile,  and 
other  reptiles.  Thus  the  diffarreation  between  fishes 
and  reptiles  is  actually  presented  to  our  observation. 

Though  the  traces  of  terrestrial  reptilian  life  which 
have  been  discovered  are  extremely  dubious,  yet,  as 
they  could  live  either  in  the  water  or  on  the  land,  it  is 
almost  certain  that  some  of  the  lowest  species  of 
reptiles  inhabited  the  cryptogamic  forests.  They,  how- 
ever, acted  a  minor  part  in  the  earth  drama. 

326.  While  huge  and  insatiably  carnivorous  sharks 

19 


290  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

and  gigantic  sauroids  swarmed  in  the  ocean,  the  coral 
and  associate  zoophytes  were  building  their  island 
homes,  laboring  on  from  century  to  century,  rearing 
the  groundwork  of  continents  yet  unborn.  The  sea- 
weed waved  its  delicate  fronds  around  the  continen- 
tal germs,  and  in  its  unique  foliage  forms  of  fishes  and 
mollusks  found  their  home.  In  the  reign  of  fishes, 
no  higher  forms  (except  near  its  close)  disputed  their 
supremacy,  and  their  different  types  and  modifica- 
tions filled  all  the  offices,  performed  all  the  functions, 
now  executed  by  manifold  classes  of  beings. 

The  coal,  emphatically,  was  the  reign  of  gigantic 
cryptogamic  vegetation.  There  was  nothing,  however, 
but  what  was  in  strict  accordance  with  the  conditions 
of  the  earth.  Law  ruled  as  sternly  then  as  now,  and 
was  unfailingly  producing  order  and  beauty  from  the 
wildest  confusion. 


CHAPTER    XII. 
PERMIAN  AND  TRIAS  PERIODS. 

Changes  of  Conditions.  —  Permian  Flora.  —  Magnesian  Limestone.  — 
Fishes.  —  Reptilian  Fishes.  —  Plants.  —  The  Sea.  —  Grand  Convul- 
sions, and  Change  of  Level.  —  Inference  and  Proof.  —  Confirmed 
by  the  Trias.  —  Ideas  of  Perfection.  —  Mollusks.  —  Sauroids.  — 
Petrified  Sea  Beaches.  —  Office  of  the  Ocean.  —  Sand  Rock  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley.  —  Nature  ever  the  same.  —  Chelonians.  —  Birds. 
—  Ornithorhynchus.  —  Labyrinthodon.  —  Saurians.  —  Rhinochosau- 
rus.  —  Extinction  of  the  Coal  Flora.  —  Distribution  of  Plants  and 
Animals.  —  Convulsions  the  Exception.  —  Gypseous  Deposits.  —  Salt 
Beds.  —  Scenery  of  the  Trias. 

327.    HAVING  glanced  over  the  first  ages  of  life,  and 
from  its  origin  traced  its  history,  we  enter  another 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  291 

vast  period  of  duration.  It  will  be  readily  compre- 
hended that  better  conditions  prevailed  on  the  earth 
for  the  maintenance  of  animal  life  after  the  renova- 
tion of  the  atmosphere  effected  by  the  deposition  of 
the  coal.  The  carbon,  which  before  had  prevented 
the  existence  of  any  high  order  of  animal  life,  was 
stored  away  in  the  coal  measures  and  limestone  rocks, 
and  the  atmosphere  approached  its  present  composi- 
tion or  state. 

328.  The  vast  interval  of  time  under  consideration 
may  be  divided  into   the   Permian  and  Trias.     The 
Permian  flora  was  little  more  than  a  continuation  of 
the  coal. 

The  deposition  of  the  magnesian  limestone  was  ac- 
companied by  too  great  convulsions  to  allow  the  work- 
ing of  the  peaceful  energies  of  vitality.  The  deposit 
immediately  above  the  coal  is  apparently  formed  of  the 
debris  of  worn-down  granite,  and  is  a  proof  of  the 
powerful  disintegrating  force  of  the  Permian  ocean. 
The  coal  strata  were  closed  or  covered  up  by  volcanic 
convulsions  and  sedimentary  deposits. 

329.  On  this  deposit  of  coarse,  sandy  material,  the 
magnesian  limestone  reposes.     This  undoubtedly  was 
formed  by  chemical  precipitation.     The  precipitating 
agent  must  be  looked  for  in  the  volcanic  exhalations, 
which  must  have  been  thrown  out  during  such  great 
disturbances,  as  the  conditions  of  the  strata  indicate. 
If  it  is  considered  as  a  precipitate, — and  it  can  be  ac- 
counted for  in  no  other  light, — it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  it  took  place  suddenly,  or  in  a  year,  or  a  century, 
but  was  slowly  deposited,  during  which  time  genera- 
tion after  generation  of  mollusks  and  corals,  and  the 
little  animalcula  of  the  deep,  flourished,  and  at  death 
were  entombed  in  this   great  charnel  house,   by  the 
fine  sediment  cast  down  by  the  waters. 


292  THE   ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

330.  The  fishes  of  this  period  were  small  in  size 
and  slow  of  motion.     The  reptilian  fishes  were   also 
small  and  feeble,  compared  with  their  ancestors,  al- 
though numerous  in  some  localities,  charging  the  entire 
rock  with  animal  matter  arising  from  their  decay.    A 
remarkable  feature  of  all  the  fishes  of  the  early  ages 
is  the  formation  of  their  tails  after  lacertian  models; 
and  only  in  later  times  do  we  meet  with  fishes  with  a 
tail  formed  of  two  equally  divided  parts. 

331.  There  was  a  dwarfish  tendency  in  plants,  and 
few  large  species  existed.     There  is  nothing,  in  fact, 
remarkable  in  this  portion  of  the  earth's  history,  ex- 
cept the  convulsions  which  prepared  it  for  the  predomi- 
nance of  reptilian  life  in  the  next.     It  was  an  age 
of  renovation,  when  antagonistic  conditions  were  re- 
moved, the  atmosphere  purified,  the  sea  cleansed  of  its 
surplus   magnesia   and    lime.      Life    remained   nearly 
stationary  until  all  this  was   accomplished,   when   it 
branched  out  in  different  channels,  and  advanced  with 
great  rapidity  towards  its  ultimate  state  of  perfection. 
The  sea  has  been  the  great  nursery  of  animate  ex- 
istence. 

332.  During  the  first  periods   of  time,  when  the 
earth   was   nearly   covered   by   the    ocean,    and    only 
islands  reared  their  unstable  heads  above  the  waters 
of  the  deep,  the  germs  of  life  grew,  and  matured,  and 
sported    on    the    crest    of    the    billows.     When    the 
desert  land  turned  its  desolate  front  to  the  scorching 
sun,  the  sea  swarmed  with  living  beings.     The  ocean 
is  the  stimulating  element,  the  great  storehouse  of  cel- 
lular life. 

333.  The  Permian  is  remarkable  for  the  changes 
effected  at  that  time  in  the  position  of  the  strata  of 
the  earth.     The  convulsions  which  prevailed  through- 


THE  HISTORY  AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  293 

out  its  duration,  have  left  their  stupendous  impress, 
deep  and  wide,  on  the  rocky  framework  of  the  globe. 
Vast  upheavals  and  corresponding  depressions  oc- 
curred, whereby  the  relative  positions  of  sea  and  land 
were  wholly  changed.  Even  in  large  areas,  the  strata 
of  rocks  were  forced  up  in  dome-like  elevations,  like 
blisters.  Fissures,  hundreds  of  miles  in  extent,  were 
produced,  which  gave  vent  to  lava,  that  overflowed 
the  surface  in  extensive  sheets.  These  fissures,  how- 
ever, did  not  always  discharge  lava,  but  simply 
produced  anticlinal  ridges,  descending  on  either  side. 
The  earth's  crust  was  broken  by  the  most  terrible 
and  tremendous  convulsions,  and  the  fissures  thus 
formed  were  filled  and  often  overflowed  with  volcanic 
matter. 

334.  After  these  changes,  new  conditions  were  pre- 
sented to  living  beings,  and  stimulated  by  them,  they 
commenced  a  rapid  advance. 

From  the  waymarks  observed  in  the  sauroid  fishes 
and  reptilian  forms,  and  remembering  the  principle, 
already  advanced,  of  the  extinction  of  a  lower  order  as 
soon  as  it  has  attained  its  ultimate  development,  and 
the  introduction  of  an  order  having  a  greater  progres- 
sive limit,  we  should  now  infer  the  existence  of  rep- 
tiles. Turning  one  leaf  over,  the  TRIAS  is  brought  to 
view,  and  confirms  the  correctness  of  our  inference. 

335.  THE    TRIAS. — After    the    igneous    force    had 
spent  its  energy,  contorting  and  twisting  the  strata  in 
every  possible  manner,  filling  up  the  fissures  with  trap, 
and  pouring  out  rivers  of  basaltic  lava,  there  came  a 
period   of  repose.     Magnificent  results  had  been  ac- 
complished by  the  vast  forces  called  into  activity.    The 
thick  beds  of  magnesia n  limestone,  produced  by  chemi- 
cal solution,  had  been  precipitated,  and  the  purified 


294  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

sea,  exerted  a  new  influence  by  the  inorganic  elements 
that  were  presented  to  the  beings  that  made  it  their 
home.  The  oscillation  in  the  earth's  surface,  and  the 
new  disposition  of  land  and  water,  produced  climatic 
changes,  which  reacted  in  modifying  the  various  ter- 
restrial types  of  life. 

336.  The  past  age  was  one  of  change  and  renova- 
tion. It  introduced  few  new  species,  but  modified  the 
inorganic  elements.  It  prepared  the  way  for  the 
TRIASIC  fauna,  which  came  as  prophesied  by  the  sau- 
roid  fishes  and  reptiles  of  the  preceding  era,  and 
which  the  changes  wrought  by  the  convulsions  of  the 
Permian  proclaimed  would  be  produced.  From  the 
changes  wrought  in  the  sea  we  infer  that  as  it  was 
capable  of  sustaining  a  higher  order  of  beings,  they 
would  occupy  the  new  field  it  afforded.  How  correct 
the  inference!  How  in  accordance  with  the  theory 
that  conditions  essentially  change  or  modify  living 
types !  A  few  feeble  reptiles,  and  a  few  small  marine 
types  of  the  same  order,  but  a  little  above  the  sau- 
roids,  sported  on  and  near  the  fern-clad  islands  of  the 
coal.  These  survived  the  wreck  of  the  Permian;  and 
when  nature  again  exerted  her  creating  powers,  when 
the  equilibrium  was  established,  they  began  a  rapid 
advance.  The  purified  sea  greatly  affected  the  radiata. 
The  lily  encrinite  grew  in  splendid  groves,  and  all 
the  allied  species  attained  their  acme  of  perfection. 
The  lily  encrinite  has  been  often  produced  as  an  illus- 
tration of  the  perfection  of  ancient  animals,  and  as 
proof  that,  instead  of  progressing,  the  world  is  at 
present  at  a  standstill,  or  is  retrogressing.  This  en- 
crinite 's  shell  was  composed  of  over  thirty  thousand 
distinct  pieces,  set  together  in  an  admirable  manner 
to  meet  the  wants  of  the  enclosed  animal.  It  was 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  295 

provided  with  a  long,  flexible  stalk  to  support  it, 
jointed  like  a  vertebral  column,  and  allowing  the  en- 
crinoid  to  search  in  every  direction  for  its  prey.  But 
it  is  a  question  whether  complexity  of  structure  is  an 
indication  of  development.  On  the  contrary,  the  most 
complex  beings  are  often  the  lowest.  Animals  are 
always  adapted  to  the  conditions  which  surround 
them,  and  in  this  aspect,  and  this  alone,  may  be  re- 
garded perfect.  A  fish  is  perfect  in  its  adaptations  to 
the  element  in  which  it  lives,  but  is  very  imperfect  in 
regard  to  terrestrial  conditions.  Man  is  perfect  for  his 
sphere,  but  unqualified  for  an  aquatic  life. 

337.  The  encrinites  were  perfect  in  their  adapta- 
tions, as  are  all  other  types.     They  were  the  scaven- 
gers of  the  deep,  feeding  on  decaying  substances  which 
floated  within  their  reach.     Their  bony  armor  shielded 
them  from  enemies.     Their  complexity,  however,  does 
not  show  advancement.     Some  writers,   in  speaking 
of  the  ancient  beings,  always  refer  to  their  extreme 
complexity  and  perfection,  and  some  go  so  far  as  to 
consider  bulk  a  measure  of  advancement.     The  ichthy- 
osaurus is  pronounced  the  highest  form  of  lizards,  as 
its  structure  was  complex,  and  its  size  extremely  large. 
It  is  now  known,  however,  that  several  contemporary 
forms  were  altogether  superior  to  it  in  every  respect. 
This  method  of  reasoning  into  which  many  fall,   is 
fallacious. 

338.  The   mollusks  of  the   TRIAS  show   a   marked 
approach  to  those  in  the  present  seas;   and  this  ap- 
proximation is  also  seen  in  its  fishes.     As  previously 
intimated,  the  ganoids,  placoids,  and  sauroids  were  the 
predominant   inhabitants  of  the  deep.     All   of  these 
had  the  reptilian  conformation   of  their  tails.     The 
same  is  found  in  the  embryo  of  the  fishes  of  the  pres- 


296  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,   OR 

ent  time.  This  fact  has  an  important  bearing  on  the 
progressive  theory.  The  mature  shark  is  on  the  same 
plane  where  the  white  fish  begins  its  life,  or  the  white 
fish  begins  where  the  shark  leaves  off.  We  cannot 
too  strongly  impress  this  principle,  derived  from  re- 
searches in  embryonic  growth;  for  the  fact  that  the 
embryos  of  one  age  represent  the  beings  of  a  former 
age,  shows  a  close  connection  between  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  animal  kingdom,  and  is  a  strong  evidence 
of  their  unity  of  original  form.  The  fishes  of  the 
present  have  almost  without  exception  equally  lobed 
tails.  The  sauroids  of  the  trias  were  small  and  vora- 
cious. They  had  parallel  teeth  and  strong  jaws,  with 
which  to  crush  the  shells  of  mollusks,  and  the  harder 
portions  of  their  other  prey.  The  external  row  of 
teeth  were  long,  and  pointed  inward,  enabling  them  to 
take  sure  hold  of  and  preventing  the  escape  of  their 
slippery  prey.  They  had  attained  their  glory  long  be- 
fore, and  were  slowly  expiring. 

339.  In  many  localities  the  ancient  sea  beach  has 
been  fossilized,  preserving  the  minutest  traces  of  the 
beings  that  flourished  when  it  was  sand  or  mud,  and 
washed  by  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tides.  The  im- 
pressions that  arise  while  viewing  such  a  formation 
are  indescribable.  Here  was  once  the  shore  of  the 
ocean,  now  hundreds  of  miles  away.  Here  was  the 
ancient  coast  line,  against  which  the  wild  storms 
drove  the  mad  billows  in  ceaseless  strife,  to  wear  down 
and  disintegrate  the  rocky  breastwork.  Here  is  the 
labor  of  millions  of  ages.  And  an  appreciation  of  the 
powerful  agency  of  the  waves  breaks  on  our  minds. 
The  ocean  has  been  the  great  leveller  by  which  hills 
and  mountains  have  been  washed  away  and  strewn 
over  its  coralline  floor.  Its  waves  never  rest.  Ceaseless 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  297 

as  the  march  of  time,  either  in  gentle  calm  or  angry 
storm  it  labors  on  in  its  self-appointed  task.  The  lunar 
influence  is  constantly  disturbing  its  repose;  and  thus 
is  the  moon  made  the  instrument  of  developing  the 
capabilities  of  our  planet.  Yes,  here  the  blue  waters 
rolled  in  wild  freedom,  and  these  strata  of  sand  rock 
were  then  formed,  with  their  markings  and  fossils,  the 
whole  consolidated  into  rock,  and  preserved  as  a  section 
of  earth's  history,  written  by  the  rolling  billows.  Here 
the  same  appearances  are  observed  as  are  now  seen 
on  the  sandy  shore — the  ripple  marks,  the  fossils,  and 
the  tracks  of  birds.  When  the  tide  ebbs,  it  frequently 
leaves  large  flats  strewn  with  shells,  marine  insects 
and  worms.  The  sea  birds  are  attracted  to  these 
places,  and  cover  it  with  their  tracks  in  their  search  for 
food.  Worms  burrow  along  the  surface,  and  crabs 
wander  from  one  small  pool  to  another.  The  whole 
surface  is  indented  with  ripple  marks.  This  is  pre- 
cisely the  appearance  formed  in  the  petrified  sea  beach 
of  the  Connecticut  valley,  and  elsewhere.  Undoubt- 
edly the  strata  in  which  they  occur  when  depositing 
were  extensive  flats  left  dry  by  the  ebb,  and  covered 
by  the  flood  tide.  On  these  marine  birds  and  reptiles 
would  congregate,  and  would  leave  the  impressions  of 
their  feet.  The  sea  worms  and  crustaceans  would  each 
leave  their  peculiar  track.  The  retiring  waves  would 
deposit  a  new  stratum  of  sand  over  the  whole,  on  which 
the  same  process  would  be  repeated. 

340.  As  we  uncover  and  remove  layer  after  layer 
of  the  sandstone,  all  these  diversified  markings  are 
brought  to  view.  The  footprints  of  birds,  reptiles,  and 
turtles,  the  marks  left  by  the  sea  worm  and  crusta- 
cean, and  the  ripple  marks,  are  as  fresh  as  those  now 
seen  on  the  sea  shore.  And  not  only  these,  but  the 


298  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

rain  drops  of  the  storm  are  impressed  in  the  now  solid 
rock.  When  these  strata  were  a  level  tract  bordering 
the  ocean,  when  the  birds  and  reptiles  congregated 
there  the  shower  wrote  its  history  also.  Wonderful 
reflection,  that  so  simple  an  occurrence  as  the  falling 
shower  should  be  permanently  registered.  Men  may 
toil  and  strive  with  all  their  energies  to  write  their 
names  on  the  scroll  of  fame — their  giant  efforts  are 
failures,  compared  to  these.  Here  in  the  sandrock, 
the  triasic  shower  has  written  its  ineffaceable  history, 
as  a  chapter  in  that  of  the  globe.  Not  only  this,  but 
the  direction  of  the  wind  is  also  recorded  by  the  slant 
of  the  indentations.  Thus  are  we  reminded  that  the 
great  laws  of  physical  nature  were  ever  the  same  as 
now.  In  those  remote  ages,  the  winds  blew,  the  tem- 
pest raged,  the  shower  descended,  the  ocean  heaved 
restlessly  by  the  action  of  the  tides,  as  they  rose  and 
fell  on  its  shore,  or  calmly  rippled  over  the  exten- 
sive flats.  Birds  and  reptiles,  guided  by  instinct,  fre- 
quented their  appropriate  haunts  in  search  of  food; 
the  marine  lacertians  crept  along  the  oozy  shores.  In 
all  her  physical  and  instinctive  actions,  Nature  was  the 
same  as  now.  Her  laws  were  progressive  as  at  pres- 
ent, and  ever  tended  to  a  higher  plane. 

341.  We  will   now  inquire  what  were  the  forms 
that  frequented  those  banks,  and  what  are  the  conclu- 
sions of  geologists  in  regard  to  the  fossil  footprints. 
A  great  variety  of  species  are  readily  determined ;  for 
such  is  the  unity  of  nature  in  all  ages,  that  from  a 
footprint,    a    fragment    of   bone,    a    tooth,    or    scale, 
the    form    and   habits    of   the    species   can   be    deter- 
mined. 

342.  The  same  stock  from  which  the  carboniferous 
reptiles  originated  also  gave  birth  to  the  CHELONIAN 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  299 

or  turtle  tribe,  and  to  birds.  On  the  surface  of  the 
rock  the  marks  of  the  turtles  can  be  seen  in  connec- 
tion with  the  footprints  of  gigantic  birds.  The  turtle 
does  not  differ  from  the  saurians  as  much  as  from  the 
present  birds,  but  it  does  quite  as  much  as  the  primi- 
tive forms  of  that  class.  A  turtle  is  little  more  than 
a  lizard  enveloped  with  a  shell.  The  ribs  of  the  lizard 
are  flattened,  the  vertebrae  consolidated  into  the  shell, 
the  breast  bone  is  spread  out  on  the  under  side, 
but  the  internal  structure  conforms  to  the  reptilian 
archetype. 

The  primitive  birds  were  of  gigantic  size.  The 
length  of  a  footprint  of  some  species  is  over  twenty- 
one  inches,  and  the  length  of  step  five  feet.  To  ob- 
tain an  idea  of  birds  of  such  enormous  size,  we  must 
take  the  Australian  emu  and  its  congeners,  to  which 
they  approach  in  structure.  They  have  not  the  power 
of  flight,  are  roughly  shaped,  and  have  strong  analo- 
gies to  mammals  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  reptiles 
on  the  other. 

343.  The  ornithorhynchus  of  the  Australian  conti- 
nent, where  the  ancient  fauna,  as  well  as  flora,  appears 
to  have  been  regenerated,  marks  the  gradation  of  the 
bird  into  the  lizard  and  the  mammal. 

344.  These  primitive  birds  were  low  in  organiza- 
tion.   They  were  waders,  half  aquatic,  half  terrestrial. 
Their  heavy  bodies  were  not  calculated  for  flight,  and, 
like  the  ostrich,  they  had  small  wings,  useful  for  run- 
ning, but  not  for  flight.     I  would  not  be  understood 
as  saying  that  the  ostrich,  emu,  and  their  congeners  are 
on  the  same  plane  as  these  ancient  birds.     They  have 
advanced  very  much  from  that  stock.    The  birds  are  a 
branch  thrown  off  from  the  principal  trunk ;  but  I  shall 
not  trace  out  their  analogies,  except  as  far  as  necessary 
to  establish  their  origin. 


300  THE   ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

345.  The  haunts  of  birds  being  on  the  land,  and 
their  bodies  so  light  as  to  float  on  the  water,  they 
could  hardly  escape  being  devoured;  or  should  they 
by  chance  or  accident  be  carried  or  fall  into  the  sea, 
few  remains  of  course,  could  be  preserved.  Geologists 
do  not  recognize  the  existence  of  birds  from  the  trias 
to  the  chalk.  Their  remains  could  not  be  preserved 
on  dry  land,  though  it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that 
they  did  exist  through  all  that  vast  period  of  duration. 
They  had  not  multiplied  so  greatly  as  now;  and  if 
one  of  their  carcasses  should  float  down  into  the  sea, 
and  sink,  and  should  escape  the  million  chances  of  be- 
ing devoured  by  some  ravenous  shark  or  reptile,  and 
become  invested  with  sediment,  which  is  hardly  pos- 
sible, how  infinite  the  improbability  that  the  geologist 
should  strike  the  exact  spot,  and  exhume  its  remains! 
Where  the  remains  of  an  animal  are  found  in  two 
ages,  but  not  in  an  intermediate  one,  it  is  the  simplest 
induction  of  philosophy  that  it  existed  in  the  interme- 
diate time.  Though  not  the  least  indication  of  birds 
has  been  discovered  from  the  trias  to  the  chalk,  yet 
they  must  have  certainly  existed  during  that  almost 
infinite  number  of  ages,  and  advanced  towards  their 
final  destiny;  for,  in  the  chalk  period,  birds  like  the 
albatross  sailed  over  the  deep ;  and  its  allied  types  peo- 
pled the  earth.  This  advance  must  have  occurred  in 
this  unwritten  interval.  Bold  as  this  proposition  may 
appear,  it  is  fully  borne  out  by  analogy. 

In  connection  with  the  other  markings  in  the  trias, 
or  new  red  sandstone,  are  the  curious  impressions  of 
the  feet  of  a  quadruped.  These  resemble  the  impres- 
sion of  a  gigantic  hand.  The  fore  feet  were  extremely 
small,  while  the  hind  feet  were  disproportionately  large. 
They  belonged  to  a  huge  batrachian,  whi^h,  ifor  sj&e 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  301 

and  structure  ranks  the  first  of  its  class.  It  has  re- 
ceived the  name  of  labyrinthodon.  It  was  not  wholly 
frog,  but  partook  strongly  of  lacertian  (lizard-shaped) 
characteristics,  as  did  all  the  types  of  the  primordial 
world.  In  it  we  see  the  batrachian,  separating  from 
the  saurian,  just  as  in  the  tadpole  we  see  it  separa- 
ting from  the  fish.  Its  jaws  were  greatly  prolonged, 
broad  and  flattened  like  the  alligator,  with  a  deep-sculp- 
tured exterior.  They  were  thickly  set  with  irregular 
conical  teeth,  prolonged  in  front  into  tusks,  like  the 
alligator 's,  and  the  analogy  was  continued  in  the  warty 
covering  of  some  species,  and  the  conformation  of 
the  ribs.  On  the  other  hand  it  approached  the  fishes. 
In  the  smallness  of  its  fore  extremities  and  extreme 
development  of  its  posterior,  it  approached  the  mar- 
supials, as  also  in  the  internal  structure  of  its  bones. 
An  eminent  comparative  anatomist  affirms  that  one 
species  actually  leaped  about  on  its  posterior  extremi- 
ties, like  the  kangaroo.  At  this  point. we  date  the 
advent  of  the  marsupial  type  of  MAMMALIA  in  which 
began  this  extensive  order,  which  now  stands  preemi- 
nent over  all  others. 

346.  SAURIANS  were  stated  to  have  been  contempo- 
rary with  the  unique  beings  already  described.  These 
were  of  the  composite  character  so  often  remarked. 
At  present  the  saurians  are  isolated,  and  there  are  but 
few  intermediate  species  connecting  it  with  other 
orders.  This  gap  is  supplied  by  the  extinct  fauna  so 
completely  that  not  a  link  in  the  chain  is  wanting,  nor 
a  vacancy  left  unsupplied.  The  PHYTOSAURUS  was 
allied  to  the  bird  and  the  mammal,  while  it  was  closely 
related  to  the  CHELONIA,  or  turtle,  and  had  the  general 
form  of  the  lizard.  Its  jaws  were  converted  into  a 
horny  beak,  like  the  bird,  or  turtle,  and  wholly  devoid 
of  teeth.  It  was  terrestrial  and  herbivorous. 


302  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

347.  The   DYCINODON  was  a  closely  allied  genus. 
Its  relations  were  with  the  poisonous  serpents,  the  car- 
nivorous quadrupeds,  the  tortoise,  and  the  true  lizards. 
Its  jaws,  or  rather  beak,  had  sharp,  cutting  edges,  and 
from  the  upper  grew  two  long  tusks,  like  the  fangs 
of  serpents.     It  was  carnivorous,  and  probably  used 
them  in  attack  and  defence. 

348.  These  saurians   and  their  congeners  form   a 
curious   and  remarkable   group,   in  which  we   see   a 
union  of  beings  now  widely  separated.     They  consti- 
tuted at  that  era  of  time  a  waymark  by  which  to  trace 
the  ascent  of  life,  slowly  but  surely,  urged  on  by  per- 
fecting conditions,  until  it  mounted  upward  to  supe- 
rior forms. 

349.  There  was  a  gradual  extinction  of  the  coal 
flora,  and  the  substitution  of  higher  species.     The  cli- 
mate yet  remained  tropical  farther  north  than  at  pres- 
ent.    The  ocean  was  not  yet  divided  by  continental 
masses,  and  by  its  circulation  preserved  a  more  equal 
temperature   than   at   present.     As   islands   enlarged 
and  mountain  chains   became   elevated,  marking  the 
outlines  of  the  present  continents,  the  oceanic  circula- 
tion became  impeded,  and,  combined  with  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  land   and  decreasing  temperature  of  the 
interior  of  the  earth,  served  to  depress  the  temperature 
of  the  atmosphere.     As  different  localities  began  to 
have  widely  diverse  climates,  the  fauna  and  flora  also 
changed  so  as  to  conform  to  the  new  state  of  the  earth. 
Animals  and  plants  nearly  resembling  each  other,  but 
of  different  species,  are  found  on  both  continents,  as 
the  wolf,  bear,  deer,  ox:  how  came  they  so  nearly  to 
resemble    each    other,    and    yet    not   identical?      The 
question    is   answered   by   considering   the   time    and 
conditions  in  which  they  flourished  up  to  the  Permian 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  303 

or  new  red  sandstone,  allowing  the  types  then  in  ex- 
istence to  universally  diffuse  themselves;  then,  as  the 
climate  and  conditions  changed,  they  conformed  or  be- 
came extinct.  This  view  does  not  do  the  least  vio- 
lence to  established  science,  as  the  modifications  as- 
sumed are  slight,  perhaps  only  requiring  a  change  of 
color,  or  the  acquisition  of  a  shaggy  coat,  or  a  few 
spots  and  markings.  Each  continent  has  now  its  own 
fauna  and  flora,  distinct,  yet  resembling  each  other, 
and  differing  only  as  much  as  the  climate  and  other 
conditions  of  the  localities  vary.  The  influences 
which  have  been  exerted  on  living  beings  have  been 
slow  and  silent,  but  have  acted  through  millions  of 
years,  and  are  fully  sufficient  to  account  for  the  grad- 
ual change  of  species. 

350.  Nature  labors  slowly  and  silently.  Convul- 
sions and  disasters  are  the  exceptions.  The  catastro- 
phes some  writers  have  pictured  by  their  imaginations 
have  been  much  exaggerated,  or  have  no  reality. 
Great  changes  and  stupendous  oscillations  have  oc- 
curred, but  most  of  them  with  the  comparative  still- 
ness and  with  the  ordinary  forces  of  nature. 

At  intervals  the  booming  of  the  earthquake,  or  the 
thunder  of  the  volcano  belching  out  its  igneous  flood, 
interrupted  the  general  calm;  but  such  were  excep- 
tions to  the  silent,  onward  movement.  It  is  customary 
with  popular  writers  to  speak  of  universal  commotions, 
disasters,  and  convulsions,  as  though  the  elements  of 
the  globe  held  a  very  unstable  equilibrium.  This  is 
very  true  of  its  infancy;  but  from  the  silurian  up- 
wards, comparatively  few  terrific  convulsions,  chang- 
ing materially  the  surface  of  the  earth,  have  occurred, 
and  these  have  been  separated  by  vast  intervals  of 
time.  Some  of  these,  however,  must  have  been  of 


304  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

the  most  awful  and  violent  character.  The  oscilla- 
tions of  level  that  occur  in  the  course  of  ages,  are  so 
slow  that  long  periods  of  observation  are  necessary 
to  detect  them.  In  different  countries  this  is  now  occur- 
ring on  the  most  extended  scale,  as  in  Greenland, 
Scandinavia,  and  South  America,  elevating  or  depress- 
ing at  the  rate  of  a  few  inches  only  in  a  century ;  but 
no  disorder  is  observed.  Disturbances  as  slight  as 
these,  acting  through  long  periods,  would  produce  great 
changes. 

351.  The  mysteries  of  geology  have  been  made  the 
stronghold  of  those  who  desire  to  see  confusion  and 
the  miraculous  interposition  of  Deity  in  every  thing 
they  cannot  comprehend;  but  as  the  light  of  facts  in- 
crease, they  are  driven  out  of  this  position. 

352.  The  sulphate  of  lime  or  the  gypseous  deposits, 
interspersed  through  the  saliferous  formation,   origi- 
nated by  the  exhalations  of  sulphuric  acid  gas  from 
the  earth  acting  on  the  carbonate  of  lime.     This  ori- 
gin is  indicated  by  the  total  absence  of  organic  re- 
mains; also  that  wherever  it  comes  in  contact  with 
limestone,  the  latter  is  corroded  and  changed  from  a 
carbonate  to  a  sulphate  of  lime.     At  this  era  of  time, 
the  earth  emitted  vast  quantities  of  this  acid ;  hence  the 
gypseous  deposits  are  mostly  found  in  this  formation. 

Salt,  (chloride  of  sodium,)  though  occurring  in  con- 
nection with  the  beds  of  gypsum,  had  not  a  common 
origin.  It  was  formed  in  the  early  epochs  of  earth's 
history,  intimately  combined  with  water  and  many 
other  substances,  and  is  evidently  of  marine  origin. 
Some  authors  have  asserted  that  the  salt  found  in  the 
ocean  is  of  terrestrial  origin,  and  was  washed  down  and 
deposited  there  by  rivers.  This  theory  is  not  sus- 
tained by  good  evidence.  Of  the  many  rivers  that 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  305 

discharge  their  contents  into  the  ocean,  but  few  of 
them  have  the  least  trace  of  salt.  And  the  very  small 
quantity  so  found  can  be  satisfactorily  accounted  for 
in  the  rivulets  and  springs  that  take  their  rise  in  beds 
of  salt,  the  porous  salif  erous  rocks,  or  of  earth  impreg- 
nated with  salt  in  consequence  of  its  being  in  a  recent 
period  of  time  covered  by  the  ocean,  and  also  from 
the  millions  of  tons  annually  used  by  the  inhabitants 
of  earth. 

The  beds  of  salt  were  undoubtedly  formed  by  arms 
of  the  sea  being  cut  off  by  bars  formed  across  their 
entrances,  and  also  by  portions  of  the  sea  being  raised 
above  its  surface,  taking  with  it  a  large  quantity 
of  salt  water  in  its  basins,  or  depressed  parts.  If  the 
water  running  or  falling  into  these  places  is  less  than 
the  evaporation,  salt  would  soon  be  deposited.  Much 
of  the  salt  of  commerce  is  made  in  this  manner  in 
artificial  beds.  When  an  arm  or  bay  of  the  sea  is 
cut  off,  and  rivers  run  into  it  loaded  with  mud  or 
sand,  but  not  equal  to  the  evaporation,  the  sediment 
would  mix  with  the  salt,  and  in  time  a  saliferous 
rock  be  formed.  The  sudden  falling  or  sinking  of 
these  salt-beds  and  rocks,  and  their  being  covered  over 
with  deposits  of  earth,  are  well  understood,  and  need 
no  further  description. 

353.  All  the  deposits  of  salt  in  the  earth  testify  to 
their  marine  origin.  Many  examples  of  this  kind  are 
now  going  on.  In  the  eastern  continent,  between 
the  Black  Sea  and  the  Sea  of  Aral,  is  an  extensive 
tract  of  country  showing  abundant  evidence  of  its 
being  but  a  short  time  since,  covered  by  an  arm  of  the 
ocean.  The  basins,  or  depressed  places,  are  filled  with 
salt  water;  some  of  them  are  fully  saturated,  and 

depositing  salt,  while  others  are  being  mixed  with. 
20 


306  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

sediment  carried  into  them.  The  wells  dug  in  this 
tract  are  brackish,  and  often  very  salt.  This  large 
extent  of  country,  including  the  Black  Sea,  the  Cas- 
pian Sea,  and  the  eastern  end  of  the  Mediterranean, 
is  probably  more  than  one  hundred  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  According  to  Humboldt, 
the  Caspian  has  a  depression  of  near  two  hundred 
feet.  Lakes  in  different  parts  of  the  world  are  found 
with  the  water  salt  at  the  bottom  and  fresh  at  the  sur- 
face; they  receive  'and  discharge  fresh  water,  without 
mixing  with  the  heavy  salt  water  at  the  bottom.  On- 
ondaga  Lake,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  is  an  example 
of  this  kind.  Further  evidence  of  the  depression  of 
these  seas,  and  the  causes  of  their  being  so,  will  be 
found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

354.  The  scenery  of  the  trias,  and  saliferous  peri- 
ods, was  wild  and  beautiful.  On  the  far  extended 
flats,  washed  by  the  tides,  and  strewn  with  sea  weeds, 
gigantic  birds  congregated.  The  marine  turtles,  leav- 
ing their  briny  homes,  crawled  over  the  oozy  or  sandy 
shores,  and  the  unique  labyrinthodon  slowly  moved 
among  the  wondrous  group.  On  the  higher  grounds 
the  zamia  and  palm  sheltered  the  rhynchosaurus,  the 
parent  of  the  oolitic  marsupials,  and  in  the  thick  for- 
ests reptiles  fought  their  battles  of  extermination. 

Let  us  now  turn  over  another  leaf,  covered  with 
the  dim  hieroglyphics,  which  we  have  endeavored  to 
read,  and  the  OOLITIC  page  is  presented  to  view. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  307 


CHAPTER    XHI. 

OOLITE.  —  LIAS.  —  WEALDEN. 

Lias.  —  Pentacrinite.  —  Cuttle  Fish.  —  Belemnite.  —  Sauroids.  —  Le- 
pidoteus.  —  Port  Jackson  Shark.  —  Rays.  —  Marine  Reptiles.  — 
Nothosaurus.  —  Ichthyosaurus.  —  Plesiosaurus.  —  Oolite  Proper.  — 
Corals.  —  Description  of  a  Coral  Isle.  —  Terebratula.  —  Insects.  — 
Gavial.  —  Cetiosaurus.  —  Megalosaurus.  —  Plan  of  Vertebral  Articu- 
lation. —  Pterodactyle.  —  The  Wealden.  —  Iguanodon.  —  Heliosau- 
rus.  —  Dawn  of  Mammals  in  the  Marsupials.  —  The  Saurian  Age. 
—  Scenery  of  this  Era. 

355.  FOR  convenience,   the   oolite  is  divided  into 
three  sections — lias,  oolite  proper,  and  wealden. 

The  LIASIC  sea  was  muddy  and  unsuitable  for  the 
growth  of  corals.  The  zoophyte  cannot  exist  in  water 
the  least  muddy;  and  this  fact  reveals  the  agency 
which  has  suddenly  extinguished  whole  banks  of 
polypes  in  the  ages  of  the  past.  They  can  only  live  in 
the  clear,  pure  sea.  The  mud-like  series,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  age,  plainly  indicates  why  there  were 
no  corallines.  Their  place  was  occupied  by  the  cri- 
noids,  animals  of  the  same  class,  but  higher  in  struc- 
ture. We  have  already  become  familiar  with  some  of 
its  genera,  for  they  were  long  ago  introduced,  and  their 
habits  were  traced  in  the  encrinite  and  stone  lily. 

356.  The  PENTACRINITE  of  the  lias,  from  the  crys- 
talline growth  of  its  shell  and  its  perfection,  is  the 
most  interesting.    The  long,  supporting  stem  was  built 
up  of  rings,  enveloping  a  thin  line  of  flesh.     On  this 
stem  the  body  rested  in  the   exquisitely  cup-shaped 
shell.     The  mouth  was  surrounded  by  numerous  arms, 
enveloped   nearly   to   their   extremities    by   the  same 


308 

shell-like  covering.  Its  shell  was  composed  of  150,000 
pieces.  Its  stem  was  usually  attached  to  floating  tim- 
bers or  other  floating  bodies,  like  the  barnacle,  which 
attaches  itself  to  the  -bottom  of  ships,  and  depended 
entirely  on  winds  and  tides  for  locomotion.  From  the 
luxuriance  of  the  entire  group,  and  their  abundance, 
and  the  absence  of  other  tribes,  which  had  previously 
acted  as  scavengers,  they  must  have  subserved  the 
latter  purpose,  and  cleansed  the  sea  of  many  of  its  im- 
purities. 

357.  Of  the  CUTTLE  FISH  there  are  two  divisions, 
represented  by  the  sepia  and  the  nautilus,  or  its  an- 
cient prototype,  the  ammonite.     The  'ammonites  were 
provided  with  a  shell  not  unlike  the  spiral  univalves, 
except  that  it  was  divided  into  chambers  by  parti- 
tions, while  the  sepia  had  no  other  external  protec- 
tion than  its  dense  dermal  mouth.     It  had  also  the 
rudiments  of  an  internal  skeleton,  and  was  higher  in 
its  organization. 

358.  The  BELEMNITES  combined  both  these  char- 
acteristics so  uniquely,  that  it  has  long  puzzled  the 
researches  of  the  paleontologist.     The  chambered  shell 
was   straightened    out   into    a    cone,    and    instead    of 
being  on  the  outside,  was  placed  within  the  animal. 
This  shell  acted  as  a  float,  by  which  the  animal  could 
sink  or  rise  at  will  in  its  native  element.     The  bel- 
emnite  was  strong  and  rapacious,   and  its  powerful 
tentaculaB    could    sustain    successful    warfare    against 
much  larger  fishes.     Standing  upright  in  the  water,  it 
rapidly  ascended  from  the  marine  depths,  and  unper- 
ceived   seized   its   fishy  prey,    and    dragged   it    down 
into  the  sea  caverns,  to  devour  at  its  leisure.     When 
pursued,    it  ejected   a  'black   and    acrid  fluid,   which 
blinded  its  enemies  and  concealed  its  flight.     This  ani- 


THE  HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  309 

mal  had  all  the  characteristics  which  now  belong  to  all 
the  species  of  the  family,  exemplifying  the  plan  be- 
fore alluded  to,  that  the  compound  always  came  be- 
fore the  special. 

359.  Of  the  higher  groups  of  fishes,  a  few  species 
of  sauroids  still  lingered — the  lepidoteus,  resembling 
the  bass,  and  other  types  resembling  those  of  the  Aus- 
tralian seas.  The  Port  Jackson  shark,  a  family  found 
nowhere  else  but  around  the  shores  of  that  strange 
land,  would  almost  seem  a  direct  descendant  from  the 
fishes  of  the  lias.  Its  mouth,  as  in  all  other  sharks,  is 
on  the  under  side,  and  so  far  back  of  the  nose  that  it 
cannot  seize  its  prey  without  turning  on  its  side.  To 
do  this  with  requisite  rapidity  while  in  motion,  re- 
quires a  firmer  apparatus  than  the  simple  fin;  and 
this  is  supplied  by  long  and  bony  spines,  deeply-rooted 
in  the  flesh,  and  moved  by  powerful  muscles.  Its  fins 
are  large  and  numerous,  and  are  erected  or  depressed 
by  spines.  These  spines  are  the  only  remains  pre- 
served of  these  fishes,  for  their  soft  bodies  rapidly 
perished,  and  by  their  size  and  markings,  and  by  re- 
mains of  teeth,  the  various  species  are  determined. 
We  are  to  hope  that  the  science  of  comparative  anat- 
omy will  yet  attain  a  perfection  sufficient  to  enable 
the  expert  investigator  from  seeing  a  single  tooth, 
or  fragment  of  bone,  to  give  a  full  description  of  the 
beings  to  which  they  belong,  their  habits,  &c.  This 
certainly  is  attainable;  for  all  science  can  be  reduced 
to  an  absolutely  positive  state. 

Rays  were  introduced  during  this  period.  They 
are  a  singularly  formed  family.  'The  eyes  are  on  one 
side  of  the  body,  and  the  mouth  on  the  other.  They 
are  colored  like  the  sea  bottom,  to  avoid  their  enemies, 
and  steal  unperceived  on  their  prey. 


310  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

360.  Reptiles  became  the  rulers  of  this  age.    While 
the  reptiles  of  the  trias  inclined  to,  and  partook  of,  the 
character  of  birds,  batrachians,  and  crocodiles,  those 
of  the  lias  inclined  to  the  type  of  marine  lizards.     Of 
these  only  one  species  is  at  present  known,  the  bliryn- 
chus  cistatus,  a  small  lizard  of  the  recent   volcanic 
Galapagos  Islands. 

361.  The  NOTHOSAURUS  was  exclusively  marine,  of 
large  size  and  insatiably  carnivorous.     Contemporary 
with  this  were  the  PLESIOSAURS  and  ICHTHYOSAURS. 
The  plesiosaurus  was  beautifully  formed.     Its   body 
was  slim  and  gracefully  rounded,  resting  on  the  water 
like  the  swan,  which  it  closely  resembled  in  the  arched 
and  serpent-like  neck.     Its  neck  was  longer,  in  pro- 
portion to  its  body,  than  that  of  any  other  animal. 
The  giraffe  has  but  seven  vertebrae  in  its  neck,  and 
the  swan  has  but  twenty-three;  but  the  plesiosaurus 
had  between  thirty  and  forty.     This  long  and  slender 
neck  supported  a  small,  serpent-like  head,  so  that  this 
reptile  resembled  a  large  serpent,  joined  to  the  smooth 
body  of  a  lizard.    Four  strong  paddles,  representatives 
of  the  four  limbs  of  quadrupeds,  propelled  it  through 
the  waves.     It  was,  however,  a  sluggish  animal,  and 
preferred  the  estuaries  and  shoals,  where  it  would  lie 
motionless ;  or,  being  drifted  by  the  tides,  with  its  neck 
arched  backward,  it  was  ready  to  dart  its  head  at  any 
fish  that  chanced  to  approach  sufficiently  near. 

362.  The  ICHTHYOSAURUS,  or  fish-lizard,  as  its  name 
imports,  was  a  compound  between  the  fish  and  lizard, 
as  the  preceding  was  of  a  snake  and  lizard.     Its  body 
was  like  the  porpoise,   its  head  and   jaws  were  like 
those  of  the  crocodile,  its  tail  like  that  of  the  fish.   Its 
head  was   very  large,   its   jaws  long   and   slim,   and 
provided  with  a  terrible  array  of  conical,  curved  sharp 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OF   CREATION.  311 

teeth.  This  class  of  animals  seized  their  food  by  sud- 
denly snapping  their  jaws  together— this  being  nec- 
essary in  order  to  obtain  a  firm  hold  of  their  slippery 
prey.  The  eyes  were  very  large,  and  gave  the  mon- 
ster a  hideous  aspect.  They  were  formed  somewhat 
like  the  eagle's,  a  series  of  scales  surrounded  the 
pupil,  by  which  the  sight  could  be  greatly  contracted 
or  expanded,  and  the  eye  flattened,  so  that  the  reptile 
could  see  as  well  under  water  as  above.  The  Ichthy- 
osaurus was  thus  adapted  to  all  depths,  and  moved  as 
freely  in  the  darkness  of  the  deep  as  in  the  broad 
sunshine.  Its  small  brain  indicates  feeble  instinctive 
cunning  and  stupid  habits.  Its  vertebral  column  was 
precisely  like  that  of  the  fish,  opposing  concave  sur- 
faces to  each  other,  the  borders  being  united  by 
cartilage. 

363.     The    greatest   freedom   of   motion   was    thus 
given,  by  which  it  could  propel  itself  through  the  water 
by  the  use  of  its  tail  alone.     The  latter  was  formed 
like  the  heterocircal  fishes.    Like  the  whale,  it  was  pro- 
vided with  large  paddles,  differing,  however,  from  the 
cetacea,  in  having  four  instead  of  two,  thereby  ap- 
proaching mammals.     These   enormous  paddles  were 
wielded    with    great    muscular    force.      The    ichthyo- 
saurus must  have  excelled  the  shark  in  rapidity  of 
motion.     To  make  its  analogy  still  closer  to  the  ceta- 
ceans, its  skin  was  smooth,  and  it  inhaled  air  by  breath- 
ing ;  and  to  make  its  adaptation  to  its  home  and  mode 
of  life  in  the   great   deep   still   more   perfect,   by  a 
peculiarity  of  its  organization,   it  could  swallow  its 
prey  while  under  water,  and  remain  for  a  long  time 
deprived  of  air.    This  completes  a  hurried  view  of  the 
liasic  fauna.    Its  flora  was  nearly  the  same  'as  that  of 
the  preceding  period,  but  there  was  a  remarkable  de- 


312  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,   OR 

velopment   of   cycadea,   palms,   pines,   fir,   and   other 
conifera. 

364.  OOLITE. — This  formation  is  characterized  by 
the  deposit  of  calcareous  matter,  either  in  the  form  of 
mud  or  pure  limestone.     In  the  labors  of  world-build- 
ing, the  corals  again  flourished,  not  as  luxuriantly  as 
in  previous  ages,  but  still  sufficiently*  to  rear  extensive 
reefs,  and  fill  up  large  areas  entirely  with  their  re- 
mains-.    In  examining  fossil  islands  formed  by  these 
corallines,  the  same  habits  are  observed  which  char- 
acterize  the  corallines   of  to-day.     They  built  their 
structures  in  the  shallow  parts  of  the  ocean,  where 
the  sea  was  warm  and  the  waters  calm.     And  in  the 
same  manner  they  grew  or  worked  in  a  circular  form, 
and  when  they  reached  the  surface  of  the  water,   a 
beautiful    lagoon   was   enclosed,    in   which   the    quiet 
fishes  and  the  delicate  denizens  of  the  deep  congre- 
gated, free  from  the  rough  billows  without. 

365.  There  the  coral-feeding  fishes  dwelt   within 
the  purple  branches  of  the  living  grove,  and  at  death 
their  remains  were  embalmed  in  the  fast-forming  rock. 

366.  The  sea  urchin  and  its  congeners  floated  with- 
out, and  the  sea  weed  lodged  on  the  jagged  coast,  as 
the  little  architects  piled  up  their  rocky  skeletons  in 
defiance  of  the  waves.     Fishes  of  innumerable  kinds 
here  sported  in  the  calm  waters,  waiting  for  the  rough 
ocean  without  to  become  tranquil  and  clear. 

367.  The  coral  family  teach  us  one  of  the  processes 
of  world-building.    The  zoophyte  attaches  itself  to  the 
rocky  apex  of  a  submarine  mountain,  and  slowly  its 
stony  framework  rises  above  the  waves.     Ages  pass 
away,  and  an  earthquake  elevates  the  isle  above  the 
surrounding  waste.     Now  the  sea  weed  drifts  up  on 

*  Smith,  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Human  Species,  p.  38. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  313 

the  glittering  beach,  and  a  soil  gradually  accumulates, 
in  which  seeds,  drifted  by  currents  from  distant  climes, 
could  spring  up  and  clothe  the  coral  beach  with  vege- 
tation. In  the  Pacific,  the  palm  first  rears  its  splendid 
coronal  of  leaves  above  the  rocky  isle,  while  yet 
the  waves  dash  by  its  side.  Now  a  reptile,  from  a 
distant  continent,  after  a  long  voyage,  alights  on  the 
beach,  and  terrestrial  animal  life  begins  to  flourish  in 
this  little  world. 

368.  This  process  is  one  way  or  form  of  world- 
making,  except  the  animals  and  plants  are  already  in 
existence.     The  order  of  their  introduction,  however, 
is  the  same  by  necessity;  for  if  animals  were  intro- 
duced  before   plants,    they  would   inevitably   perish. 
Plants  prepare  the  way  for  animals.     Time  sufficient 
does   not   elapse    for   development    and   growth,    and 
under  the  prevailing  conditions   that   would   be   im- 
possible.    Nature  introduces  certain  types,   and  ever 
after  takes  them  as  archetypes,  ever  reverting  to  the 
original  stock. 

369.  On  the  coral  banks,  where  the  sea  weed  waved 
and  the  purple  polype  spread  out  its  arms  in  search 
of  food,  crustaceans, — descendants  of  the  trilobite,  the 
lobster,   the  crab,   the  shrimp,   and  limulus — sported 
on  the  sparkling  sands  and  there  too  the  mollusca  and 
other  aquatic  forms   congregated.     The   hardest   and 
most    vigorous    of    these,    the    terebratula,    found    as 
congenial   a  home   as  among  the  wave-washed  rocks 
of  the  silurian  wastes.     It  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the 
theory  presented.     It  attained  a  high  degree  of  per- 
fection early  in  the  morn  of  creation ;  but  by  its  native 
vigor  it  has  met  all  the  changes  which  have  overtaken 
and  destroyed  contemporary  races.     It  became  modi- 
fied, however,   by  every  new  condition,  yet  remains 


314  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,    OR 

essentially  the  same  to  the  present  day.  Insects  began 
to  sport  with  tiny  wings  through  the  forests.  They 
were  mostly  of  the  beetle  tribe,  but  they  -are  too  un- 
important to  require  more  than  a  passing  notice  in 
this  general  survey. 

370.  Marine  reptiles  were  multiplied  by  the  intro- 
duction of  a  huge  GAVIAL,  of  exclusively  aquatic  hab- 
its.   The  cetiosaurus  presents  a  compound  of  the  whale 
and   the   carnivorous    saurians.     Although    it   had   a 
whale-like  body,  it  was  covered  with  a  thick,  warty 
skin,  and  had  four  crocodilian  extremities,  armed  with 
long,   sharp   claws,   and  was  web-footed  like  aquatic 
birds.     Its  head  was  like  the  gavial  of  the  Ganges, 
with  long  jaws  and  conical  teeth,  enabling  it  to  dash 
through  the  water  with  extreme  rapidity  and  seize  its 
finny  prey. 

371.  The  terrestrial  saurians  approached  very  near 
the  lowest  of  the  thick-skinned  mammals;  and  as  this 
occurred  myriads  of  ages  before  the   birth  of  those 
quadrupeds,  it  is  a  strong  indication  of  the  develop- 
ing process  silently  at  work.    Never  has  the  lizard  so 
nearly  approached  the  mammal;  and  where  these  ap- 
proximate types  die  out,  the  true  mammal  begins. 

372.  The  megalosaurus  represents  the  carnivorous 
genera.    It  is  difficult  to  obtain  an  idea  of  the  colossal 
proportions    of    this    monster.      The    crocodile    could 
sport  between  its  limbs,  and  would  furnish  it  with  a 
slight  breakfast.     Such  is  the  plan  of  creation,  that 
the  first  individuals  introduced  advance  in  size  for  a 
certain  period,  and  then  decrease  as  they  approach  a 
more  developed  state.     The  body  of  the  megalosaurus 
is  short  and  barrel-shaped,  covered  with  a  smooth  skin, 
and  supported  on  huge,  elephantine  limbs.     Its  tail, 
though  reptilian,  was  much  reduced  in  size  and  length. 


THE   HISTORY  AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  315 

Its  head,  though  long  and  laterally  compressed,  was 
in  appearance  quite  mammalian.  The  shortening  of 
its  head  and  tail,  and  the  swelling  out  and  shortening 
of  its  body,  and  its  elevated  position,  were  approaches 
to  the  mammalian  type.  The  bones  of  the  extremi- 
ties were  round  and  hollow,  like  quadrupeds',  and  its 
vertebra  were  united  by  flat  surfaces.  The  different 
classes  of  animals  are  distinguished  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  vertebra  articulate.  The  vertebra  of  the 
fish's  spines  are  concave,  uniting  only  at  their  edges; 
those  of  reptiles  are  ball-and-socket  articulation;  those 
of  mammals  unite  by  flat  surfaces,  with  intervening 
cartilage,  allowing  the  least  motion  and  greatest 
strength.  Between  these  extremes  exist  all  shades  of 
conformation.  This  distinction  is  a  certain  index  of 
the  position  of  the  animal.  The  vertebra  of  the 
megalosaurus  opposed  merely  flat  surfaces  to  each, 
other — a  strong  indication  of  its  close  alliance  to 
quadrupeds;  an  analogy  carried  still  farther  by  five 
vertebras  being  united  to  support  the  hind  part  of  the 
animal  instead  of  two,  as  in  reptiles. 

373.  Another  strange  form  of  this  age  of  wonderf 
was  the  pterodactyle,  or  flying  lizard.  In  the  bird 
the  wing  is  of  the  same  form  as  the  fore  arm  of  quad- 
rupeds, and  the  necessary  resistance  to  the  air  is  fur- 
nished by  long,  stiff  feathers.  In  the  bat,  which  is  the 
only  truly  flying  quadruped,  the  bones  of  the  fingers, 
by  their  extreme  prolongation,  furnish  a  framework 
over  which  a  thin  membrane  is  spread  as  a  sail  is 
extended  over  the  yards  of  a  ship.  But  the  pterodac- 
tyle was  formed  on  a  different  plan.  The  prolonga- 
tion of  the  little  fingers  of  the  fore  limbs  furnish  the 
framework  by  which  the  membrane  of  its  enormous 
wings  was  extended.  Its  neck  was  long  and  slender* 


316  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,    OR 

supporting  a  crocodilian  head,  with  large  eyes  like  the 
ichthyosaurus.  It  was  the  cormorant  of  the  oolite, 
flying  over  the  sea  and  darting  down  on  its  finny  prey. 
It  was  at  home  on  the  billows  of  the  sea,  and  moved 
with  great  celerity  through  the  waters.  It  would  dash 
the  spray  from  its  powerful  wings,  and  fly  away  like 
a  huge  condor  to  some  jutting  crag,  where  its  young 
were  nestled. 

374.  The  WEALDEN  is  not  divided  from  the  pre- 
vious deposits  by  any  sharp  line  of  demarcation.     It 
is  a  local   deposit,  the  delta  of  a  great  river  which 
probably  poured  its  waters   across  a  vast  continent, 
now  beneath  the  Atlantic  Ocean.     A  few  new  species 
of  reptiles  were  introduced,  having  close  analogies  to 
the  mammalia. 

375.  The  IGUANODON,  now  represented  by  the  little 
iguana    of    the    tropics,    roamed    through    the    dense 
forests,  browsing  the  tender  shoots  of  the  trees.    Like 
the  megalosaurus,  its  body  was  short,  and  supported 
by  huge  legs.     Like  the  hippopotamus,  it  possessed  a 
short,  thick  head,  and  a  short,  vertically-flattened  tail. 
Its  teeth  were  at  first  sharp  and  conical,  then  knife-like 
as  they  were  worn  off,  thus  becoming  admirable  instru- 
ments to  clip  off  the  twigs  and  herbage  on  which  it  fed. 

Before  the  true  affinities  and  relation  of  parts  of 
the  animal  to  the  whole  were  understood,  from  broken 
vestiges  of  the  iguanodon  it  was  'assumed  that  it  must 
have  been  at  least  seventy  feet  in  length.  Now,  how- 
ever, as  this  intricate  subject  is  better  understood, 
its  length  has  been  determined  at  twenty-five  feet,  and 
its  height  eleven  feet.  The  head  and  neck  were  one 
fourth  its  length,  the  tail  one  third,  leaving  fourteen 
feet  for  its  barrel-shaped  body.  In  it  we  see  the  pachy- 
dermal  type  strongly  represented  both  in  external 
appearance  and  internal  organization. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  317 

376.  The   heliosaurus,  the   wood-saurian,   and   the 
saurian  of  the  wealden  roamed  the  wild  forest. 

377.  The  dawn  of  mammalian  life  in  the  MARSU- 
PIAL type  has  already  been  adverted  to.    Unmistakable 
traces   of   its    existence   occur   in   the   oolite.      Three 
genera  are  there  represented,  and  are  related  to  the 
kangaroo  and  the  opossum.     The  marsupials  are  the 
lowest  mammals,  and  are  allied  to  the  batrachians  of 
the   trias,   as  has  been  already   shown.     Slowly   had 
those  primordial  types  progressed  through  the  millions 
of  years  which  elapsed  from  that  time  to  the  first  indi- 
cations of  marsupials  in  the  oolite.    If  time  is  all  that 
is  required  for  such  changes,  time  sufficient  elapsed  for 
greater  ones  to  take  place.    But  something  more  than 
the  lapse  of  time  is  required.     The  great  principle  is, 
that  life  is  altered  by  conditions,  and  every  modifica- 
tion in  those  conditions  modifies  the  organic  beings 
which  they  originate.   Thus  marsupials  were  like  those 
of    the    recently-formed    Australian    continent.      The 
structure  of  their  bones  was  like  the  batrachians,  from 
which  they  are  removed  only  by  a  single  stage  of 
progress. 

378.  Such  are  the  animals  which  roamed  the  land- 
scape of  what  has  appropriately  been  called  the  sau- 
rian age.     They  attained  their  maximum,  and  from 
this  point  gradually  declined.     The  low,  flat  country 
was    their    favored    haunt.      There    the    iguanodon 
trampled  down  the  tree  fern  and  the  cycadea  and  fed 
on  their  tender  leaves,  and  the  huge  megalosaurus  pur- 
sued its  prey  with  thundering  roars  through  the  for- 
est.     Out    on    the    deep    the    ichthyosaurus    plunged 
through  the  foaming  billows  with  the  swiftness  of  the 
wind,  while  by  its  side  the  cetiosaurus  sported  in  the 
foam,  or  engaged  in  fierce  conflict.    In  the  quiet  estu- 


318  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

aries,  where  the  small  fishes  congregated,  the  plesio- 
saurus  watched  with  eagle  eye  its  unsuspecting  prey. 
Over  the  oozy  shore  reptiles  of  monstrous  form  and 
terrific  aspect  drew  their  slimy  bodies,  or,  emerging 
from  the  sea,  basked  in  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  ich- 
thyosaurus often  left  the  deep,  and  straggled  up  the 
beach  to  enjoy  the  warmth,  as  the  seal  is  now  often 
seen  to  do.  High  above,  flapping  the  air  with  its 
enormous  wings,  the  pterodactyle  screamed  over  the 
watery  waste,  or  suddenly  darted  down  on  its  prey, 
dashing  the  white  foam  from  its  breast,  and  arising 
with  the  velocity  of  an  eagle  into  the  upper  air. 

379.  Land  and  sea  witnessed  the  terrible  encounters 
between  the   gigantic  >and  ferocious  denizens  of   the 
forest,  and  the  equally  voracious  monsters  of  the  deep. 
Viewing  nature  as  it  now  is,  as  the  ideal  of  beauty, — 
trained  as  our  minds  have  been  to  recognize  nothing 
but  nice  adaptations  and  perfection  of  design, — it  is 
impossible  to  contemplate  the  wildness  of  the  ancient 
world   without   awe.     The  uniqueness   of   its   forms, 
their  gigantic  proportions,  the  fierce  and  savage  dispo- 
sition pictured  in  strong  jaws  and  jagged  teeth,  im- 
press us  more  with  fear  than  beauty.     Their  colossal 
bones  were  made  for  deadly  struggles,  and  their  strong 
claws  and  jagged  teeth  were  made  to  tear  and  rend 
their  prey. 

380.  The  booming  roar  which  rolls  through  the  for- 
ests skirting  the  Granges  or  the  Mississippi,  or  terrifies 
the  timid  animals  on  the  banks  of  the  Orinoco,  was 
echoed  by  a  thousand  voices,  rolled  in  thundering  tones 
over  the  sea,   and   reverberated  through  the   forest. 
There  too  were  cries  of  combatants  in  the  agonies  of 
death,  'as  those  huge  reptiles  grappled  in  deadly  strife, 
breaking  down  forest  trees  in  the  encounter,  and  rivu- 
lets of  blood  flowing  from  their  lacerated  veins. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  319 

381.  Death  has  always  existed.  Carnivorous  races, 
with  their  instincts  of  destruction,  were  always  present, 
as  the  police  of  nature,  to  keep  within  proper  limits  the 
herbivorous  tribes  which  otherwise  would,  by  their 
own  increase,  die  out  by  starvation.  The  capabilities 
of  life  necessitate  those  of  death.  The  conditions  of 
life  are  such  as  presuppose  death.  The  same  conditions 
which  build  up  one  organization  compel  the  destruc- 
tion of  another.  The  existence  of  the  carnivora  neces- 
sitates the  death  of  the  herbivora.  All  things  grow 
old  and  decay.  The  period  of  their  existence  is  termi- 
nated by  death,  when  the  atoms  of  their  structure 
enter  new  organizations,  and  perform  the  offices  of 
life  in  a  perpetual  state  of  progression  towards  its 
ultimate  state  of  perfection.  Thus  life  and  death  are 
balanced  in  perpetual  oscillation. 


CHAPTER    XIY. 
THE  CRETACEOUS  OR  CHALK  PERIOD. 

A  Transition  Age.  —  Existence  of  Species.  —  Origin  of  the  Chalk.  — 
Now  forming.  —  Of  Flints.  —  Birds  like  the  Albatross.  —  The  Poly- 
phychodon.  —  Mososaurus.  —  Ichthyosaurus. 

382.  THIS  was  a  transitional  period,  like  the  Per- 
mian. The  conditions  which  supported  the  reptiles  of 
the  oolite  were  slowly  changing  to  those  best  adapted 
to  mammals.  The  rocks,  however,  are  silent  here,  and 
it  seems  that  this  link  in  the  chain  of  beings  was  want- 
ing; but  because  the  relics  of  mammals  are  not  yet 
discovered,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  they  did 
not  exist.  As  the  record  now  stands,  a  great  abyss 


320  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

exists  between  the  reptiles  of  the  oolite  and  the  mam- 
mals of  the  tertiary.  A  section  of  the  history  is  want- 
ing; but  further  research  may  supply  it  at  any  time, 
and  until  then,  analogy  must  fill  up  the  gap.  Because 
the  transition  types  of  mammalia,  which  the  chalk 
should  contain,  are  not  yet  discovered,  they  are  not  to 
be  considered  wanting,  any  more  than  the  interval 
elapsing  between  the  sandstone  deposits  of  the  Con- 
necticut valley,  in  which  the  tracks  of  birds  exist,  and 
the  chalk  should  not  be  considered  destitute  of  birds, 
although  there  'are  no  vestiges  of  their  having  existed 
during  that  vast  interval  of  time.  Reason  and  analo- 
gy teach  us,  that  from  the  first  introduction  of  a  race, 
or  species,  until  its  last  appearance,  it  must  have  ex- 
isted. A  species  cannot  exist  after  it  has  once  lyeen 
extinguished;  but  it  may  be  dwarfed  by  unfavorable 
circumstances,  and  remain  undeveloped  until  stimu- 
lated in  succeeding  ages.  Though  we  have  no  certain 
indications  of  these  transitional  quadrupeds  during  the 
chalk  period,  they  must  have  existed.  The  marsupials 
of  the  oolite  must  have  continued,  and  the  conditions 
of  the  mammalian  reptiles  would  lead  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  they  only  changed  their  forms  to  reappear  in 
the  pachyderms  of  the  tertiary. 

383.  The  chalk  undoubtedly  originated  in  the  de- 
composition of  mollusks  and  corallines.  But  the  inten- 
sity of  this  process  has  been  greatly  over-rated.  The 
growth  of  zoophytes  was  not  more  luxuriant  than  in 
the  Pacific  Seas  at  the  present  time,  where  the  identi- 
cal chalk-forming  process  may  be  seen  in  the  lagoons 
of  the  coral  isles  in  the  deep  ocean.*  Whole  genera 
of  fishes  are  expressly  adapted  to  feeding  on  coral,  and 

*  Matteucci,  Lectures,  &c.,  pp.  5,  73. 


THE  HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OP   CREATION.  321 

in  the  clear  water  of  the  blue  lagoons  they  may  be 
seen  quietly  browsing  the  tender  branches,  like  a  herd 
of  herbivorous  animals.  The  fecal  matter  of  these  is 
pure  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  lime,  and  from  it  the 
great  mass  of  chalk  is  formed.  Specimens  of  this 
recently-formed  chalk  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
that  of  the  cliffs  of  England.  In  the  chalk,  the  petri- 
fied fecal  matter  of  these  coral-feeding  fishes  is  found 
in  great  abundance,  clearly  indicating  a  common 
origin  with  the  beds  now  forming  in  the  Pacific  and 
Indian  Seas. 

384.  In  the  lower  chalk,  singular  beds  of  flint  occur 
in  stratified  bands,  like  water-worn  pebbles  on  the 
'beach.  Fanciful  conjectures  have  been  formed  of 
their  origin,  but  are  only  conjectures,  except  that  of 
crystalline  aggregation,  by  which  it  is  supposed  that 
silicious  particles  were  separated  and  drawn  together, 
while  the  chalk  existed  in  a  semi-fluid  state.  On  care- 
ful microscopical  examination,  it  is  found  that  the 
basis  of  the  pebbles  is  usually  a  sponge.  Sponges  flour- 
ished in  the  chalk  seas  in  great  abundance,  and  we  can 
readily  comprehend  how  a  growth  of  sponges  followed 
a  growth  of  corals.  Their  skeletons  are  admirably 
calculated  to  catch  the  floating  particles  in  the  water, 
or  the  silicious  shells  of  animalcula,  and  bind  them 
together;  and  we  often  find  that  the  flint-pebbles  imi- 
tate the  sponges  in  their  grotesque  forms.  Meagre  as 
are  the  relics  left  us,  we  readily  discern  that  there  was 
a  manifest  approximation  to  the  present  forms  of  life. 
Could  all  the  beings  which  flourished  during  the  chalk 
period  be  exhumed,  it  is  certain  that  there  would  be  no 
blank,  but  a  complete  gradation  from  the  wealden  to 
the  tertiary  pachyderms.  The  positive  traces  which 
we  do  possess  are  the  remains  of  some  aquatic  birds 
21 


322  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,   OR 

like  the  albatross,  of  the  polyphychodon,  of  a  huge 
marine  saurian,  and  of  the  mososaurus,  allied  to  the 
existing  monitor.  The  ichthyosaurus  and  plesiosaurus 
still  lingered,  with  many  of  their  congeners;  but  the 
great  reptilian  day  had  passed  forever,  and  mammals 
were  to  take  the  place  of  the  iguanodon  and  the  ich- 
thyosaurus, and  marine  reptiles  were  to  be  supplanted 
by  sharks.  In  the  never-ceasing  revolutions  of  organic 
nature,  the  lower  must  give  precedence  to  the  higher; 
the  superior  always  tramples  on  the  inferior. 

385.  But  we  will  not  longer  contemplate  the  expir- 
ing period  of  the  huge  reptiles  which  we  have  so  long 
observed  with  feelings  akin  to  awe.  Guided  by  induc- 
tive reason  and  the  chart  furnished  by  analogies,  we 
are  now  prepared  to  fold  back  another  leaf  in  our  his- 
tory, and  enter  on  the  examination  of  the  higher  types 
of  the  tertiary  period. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    TERTIARY. 

Eocene.  —  Miocene.  —  Pliocene.  —  Drift.  —  Climatic  Changes.  —  Zones 
of  Temperature.  —  Origin  of  Flora  and  Fauna.  Eocene  Fauna.  — 
Lophiodon.  —  Palseotherium.  —  Rhinoceros.  —  Anoplotherium.  — 
Gracilis.  —  Cetaceans.  —  Zeuglodon.  —  Scenery.  —  Approach  to  the 
Present.  European  Fauna.  —  Mastodon.  —  Mammoth.  —  Dinotheri- 
um,  &c.  Indian  Fauna.  —  Sivatherium,  &c.  South  American 
Fauna.  —  Gigantic  Sloths.  —  Megatherium.  —  Mylodon.  —  Glypto- 
don,  &c.  —  Theory  of  Drift.  —  Causes  of,  —  Now  forming. 

386.  THE  convulsions  which  occurred  near  the  dawn 
of  the  tertiary  substituted  a  new  equilibrium  for  the 
old. 

387.  The  elevation   of  mountain  masses,   and  the 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  323 

increasing  height  of  mountain  chains,  produced  great 
climatic  changes.  Land  and  water  were  divided  by 
deeper  channels  from  each  other.  Continents  were 
reared  from  the  waves  in  such  forms  as  the  mountain 
chains  had  previously  determined.  The  currents  of 
the  ocean  were  changed.  These  forbid  the  wide  dis- 
semination of  species,  and  mountain  chains  and  oceans 
prevented  their  free  access  to  all  countries.  Thus  cut 
off  in  detached  provinces,  each  country,  presenting 
different  conditions  of  climate  or  soil,  fashioned  its  in- 
habitants to  suit  the  circumstances  it  presented.  Each 
continent  took  the  same  types,  and  modified  them 
into  its  own,  differing  from  all  others  in  proportion  as 
its  conditions  differed,  or,  if  the  circumstances  were 
unfavorable,  the  species  or  race  became  extinct.  Look 
at  the  bear  of  Europe  and  of  America.  For  an  al- 
most infinite  period  they  must  have  remained  distinct, 
yet  how  slight  the  difference  presented !  Does  not  this 
point  to  a  common  origin  at  some  period  in  the  past? 
And  the  wolf,  the  fox,  and  a  large  number  of  other 
animals,  how  near  is  the  resemblance  of  the  different 
species  of  both  hemispheres!  This  certainly  indicates, 
if  it  does  not  prove,  a  common  origin  in  the  past. 

388.  This  change  of  climate,  although  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  mammals,  was  the  death  knell  to  the 
great  saurian  tribe,  and  they  passed  away,  and  in  their 
place  came  the  tertiary  quadrupeds,  the  huge  pachy- 
derms, the  ancestors  of  the  elephant  and  the  hippopot- 
amus. 

389.  EOCENE. — The  flora  of  the  lower  tertiary  was 
composed  of  palms,   pines,  and  cycads.     It  was  the 
flora  of  the  tropics,  and  indicates  a  diversity  cf  low, 
moist,  hilly,  and  mountainous  land.    In  its  forests  the 
gigantic   pachyderms   found   sustenance   and   shelter. 


324  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

There  roamed  those  types  nearest  approaching  the 
wealden  reptiles,  the  iguanodon  and  dinosaurus. 
There  the  LOPHIODON,  and  extinct  tapir,  and  the  PAL^E- 
OTHERIUM,  allied  to  the  tapir  and  rhinoceros,  dwelt  in 
the  dense  jungle. 

390.  The    ANOPLOTHERIUM    was    still    farther    re- 
moved from  the  tapir  towards  the  ruminants.    As  yet 
there  were  no  true  ruminants ;  and  these  indications  of 
their  dawning  existence  are  remarkable  and  interest- 
ing.    Like  the  hippopotamus,  it  traversed  the  bottom 
of  rivers,  feeding  on  the  aquatic  herbage. 

391.  Approaching  still  nearer  the  ruminants,  the 
ANOPLOTHERIUM   GRACILIS  possessed  all  the  elegance 
and  rapidity  of  motion  of  the  gazelle. 

In  the  marine  fauna  we  discover  the  advent  of  the 
CETACEANS.  The  zeuglodon,  a  whale-like  animal,  hav- 
ing reptilian  affinities,  indicates  an  arctic  climate,  as 
warm  water  to  some  species  of  the  whale  is  like  fire. 
In  the  cetiosaurus  the  whale,  the  porpoise,  and  croco- 
dile were  united.  These  animals  were  still  further 
separated  and  individualized  in  several  species. 

392.  The  scenery  of  the  older  tertiary  had  all  the 
sublimity  and  grandeur  of  the   weald.     The  billows 
sang  the  requiem  of  the  entombed  monsters,  it  is  true ; 
but  equally  gigantic  mammals  supplied  their  places. 

In  the  marshes  these  singular  forms  waded  through 
the  oozy  soil,  browsing  the  succulent  herbage  in  com- 
pany with  the  alligator  and  the  gavial.  The  cry  of 
foxes  and  wolves  rang  through  the  forests  of  pines 
and  palms,  proclaiming  the  presence  of  the  destroyers 
of  the  herbivora.  Perhaps  bears  and  hyenas  were 
there  to  assist  in  the  work  of  destruction. 

On  the  uplands  species  were  intricately  blended 
— the  opossum  and  kangaroo  dwelling  by  the  roots 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  325 

of  trees,  amid  whose  branches  troops  of  monkeys 
sported  in  company  with  birds  of  gaudy  plumage. 
Over  the  extensive  plains  strewn  with  flowers,  and 
teeming  with  insects,  the  gracilis  flew  with  the  rapid- 
ity of  the  wind. 

393.  NEWER  TERTIAKY. — The  higher  we  ascend  in 
the  strata,  the  nearer  the  forms  approach  present  ex- 
isting fauna.     We  no  longer  observe   one  fauna  on 
each  continent:  by  causes  previously  explained,  each 
had  its  own. 

394.  In  Europe  the  lower  lands  were  inhabited  by 
the    hippopotamus,    rhinoceros,    mastodon,    mammoth, 
several  species  of  elephant,  ox,  deer,  horse,  and  ante- 
lope.    In  the  rivers,  half  buried  in  mud,  the  colossal 
dinotherium,  or  terrible  beast,  wallowed  in  search  of 
aquatic  herbage.     It  was  several   times   larger  than 
the  elephant,  and  was  a  compound  of  the  tapir,  the 
elephant  and  the  hippopotamus.     The  most  bulky  of 
any  land  animal  that  ever  dwelt   on  the   globe,   it 
wielded  its  huge  carcass  with  difficulty  on  land,  and 
was  at  home  only  when  buoyed  up  by  the  waters  of 
stagnant  rivers. 

395.  The   Indian  fauna  was  distinguished  by  the 
sivatherium,  which  combined  the  characteristics  of  the 
tapir  and  hippopotamus  with  those  of  the  RUMINANTS. 
Its  tapir-like  head  was  surmounted  by  two  pairs  of 
horns,  one  like  those  of  the  ox,  the  others  palmated, 
like  the  deer's. 

The  South  American  continent  was  remarkable  for 
its  gigantic  sloths.  The  little  sloth,  which  now  climbs 
among  the  branches  of  the  trees,  cannot  be  compared 
with  its  elephantine  ancestors  that  with  their  powerful 
claws  tore  down  large  forest  trees.  The  megatherium 
and  mylodon  are  the  most  prominent  genera,  connect- 
ing the  sloths  with  the  pachyderms. 


326  THE   AEG  AN  A   OF   NATURE,    OR 

396.  The  glyptodon  connected  the  sloth,  the  pachy- 
derms, and  armadillo,  and  like  the  mylodon,  was  cov- 
ered with  the  scaly  envelope  of  the  armadillo,  and  like 
it  attained  the  same  colossal  proportions. 

397.  Contemporary   with   these   was    a   species    of 
horse,  since  become  extinct.     The  ox,  deer,  lion,  tiger, 
hyena,  bear,  wolf,  all  were  represented  by  their  proto- 
types.    The  landscape  was  almost  like  that  now  pre- 
sented, for  nature  had  put  on  its  present  aspect  with 
the  introduction  of  advanced  beings. 

398.  THE  DRIFT.    This  period  of  time  was  marked 
by  excessive  cold.    It  commenced  near  the  close  of  the 
tertiary  formation,   and  continued   until   a    compara- 
tively recent  period  of  time.     The  whole  earth  was 
affected  by  its  influence.     A  climate  similar  to  wrhat 
is  now  found  within  the  arctic  circle  existed  as  far 
south  as  the  thirty-fifth  parallel  of  latitude,  embracing 
most   of   the   space  now   occupied  by   the  temperate 
zones.     The  equatorial  portions  of  the  earth  had  only 
a    temperate    climate.      These    statements    are    fully 
borne  out  by  the  following  facts :    Immense  bodies  of 
rocks,  stones,  and  earth  are  found  in  various  places  in 
both  continents,   and  in  both  hemispheres,   deposited 
on  earth  and  rocks  totally  different  in  character  from 
each  other.     Granite,  gneiss,  trap,  sienite,  and  various 
other  substances,  are  now  found  lying  promiscuously 
on  limestone,  shale,  clay,  &c.,  often  in  great  quanti- 
ties.    These  substances  are  often  worn  and  grooved, 
bearing  similar  marks  of  transportation  that  are  now 
found  within  the  arctic   circle.      The  nearest  places 
where  these  boulders  are  found,  in  their  proper  place, 
in  connection  with  rocks  of  like  character,  are  often 
many  hundred  miles  distant.     These  boulders,  or  lost 
rocks,  as  they  are  often  called,  are  found  in  North 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS  OF   CREATION.  327 

America  in  considerable  quantities  as  far  south  as  the 
Ohio  River,  in  nearly  all  parts  of  Europe,  in  Asia 
near  Mount  Sinai,  in  Arabia,  and  in  India.  In  Africa 
they  are  found  in  Liberia,  within  a  few  degrees  of  the 
equator.  They  are  also  found  in  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere in  corresponding  latitudes.  We  see  the  same 
process  now  going  on  near  the  north  pole;  and  as  like 
causes  produce  like  effects,  we  are  justified  in  ascrib- 
ing the  removal  of  the  rocks,  stones,  &c.,  to  this  cause, 
especially  as  no  other  theory  is  adequate  to  account 
for  these  effects.  The  drift  came  on  gradually,  and 
left  in  a  similar  way.  It  was  geologically  of  brief 
duration,  compared  to  the  tertiary  and  earlier  eras 
of  earth's  history.  It,  however,  probably  continued 
at  least  forty  thousand  years.  A  few  great  convul- 
sions evidently  took  place  during  this  period,  espe- 
cially the  one  that  ended  the  tertiary.  The  evidence 
of  this  is  seen  in  the  different  degrees  of  elevation  the 
drifted  materials  are  found  above  the  ocean,  or  any 
large  body  of  water.  These  substances  are  found  at 
all  elevations,  to  more  than  a  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  and  near  to  many  places  that  evidently  prove  a 
sudden  and  violent  upheaval,  they  being  found  below 
as  well  as  above  these  ruptures. 

399.  The  large  lakes  of  North  America  were  in  the 
early  period  of  the  drift  connected  together,  forming 
an  immense  body  of  fresh  water.  Much  of  this  exten- 
sive area  was  covered  with  shallow  water,  which  is 
proved  by  the  long,  narrow  depressions,  or  hollows, 
that  are  found  through  this  region,  made  by  icebergs, 
as  attested  by  the  many  boulders  left  in  them.  In  no 
other  part  of  the  world  is  stronger  evidence  of  the 
arctic  character  of  the  climate  than  in  this.  The 
grooves  worn  in  the  solid  rock  are  larger  and  more  nu- 


328  THE   ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

merous  than  are  found  any  where  else,  many  of  the 
transported  boulders  weighing  more  than  one  hundred 
tons,  and  coming  from  many  hundreds  of  miles.  As 
this  area  of  country  is  elevated  several  hundred  feet 
above  the  ocean,  containing  no  marine  fossils  that  be- 
long to  this  period,  it  fully  refutes  the  theory  advo- 
cated by  some  persons,  that  the  drift  was  produced  by 
strong  currents  of  water  wafting  icebergs  from  the 
Polar  Ocean  to  more  tropical  regions. 

400.  The  position  of  the  drift  on  the  earth's  sur- 
face is  an  interesting  subject  of  inquiry.    As  the  for- 
mation of  transporting  masses  of  ice,  and  the  genera- 
tion of  the  currents  which  bore  them  towards  the  equa- 
tor, were  polar  phenomena,  and  only  extended  so  far 
as  the  heat  of  the  tropics  permitted,  we  can  infer  that 
at  the  equator,  and  on  either  side  to  a  distance  vary- 
ing between  twenty  and  thirty  degrees,   a   mild  and 
beautiful  climate  prevailed,  even  during  the  severest 
portion  of  the  drift.    The  parching  heat  of  the  tropics 
would  be  mitigated  by  the  winds  and  currents  from 
the  colder  regions,  and  an  eternal  spring-time  would 
prevail  in  the  favored  zone.     Here  the  scattered  rem- 
nants of  the  tertiary  fauna  could  seek  refuge,   and 
abide  the  coming  of  a  more  propitious  age.     The  ter- 
rific movements  of  icebergs,  and  the  coldness  of  the 
atmosphere,  undoubtedly  blotted  out  every  vestige  of 
life  on  either  side  of  this  tropic  zone.     Whole  tribes 
of  animals  became  extinct,  but  the  seed  of  other  races 
preserved  a  precarious  existence  by  flying  to  the  equa- 
torial regions. 

401.  This  tropical  zone  did  not  correspond  to  the 
present  equator.     Facts  strong  and  conclusive  prove 
that  great  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  position  of 
the  poles,  and  hence  of  the  equator.     Geological  ob- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  329 

servations  show  that  during  the  drift  the  tropics  in  the 
new  world  were  removed  north  of  the  present  equa- 
tor, while  in  the  old  world  they  were  removed  to  the 
south.  Lyell*  records  the  existence  of  drift,  com- 
posed of  sand,  pebbles,  and  boulders,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Ganges,  four  hundred  feet  below  the  surface. 
While  he  admits  that  these  boulders  could  never  have 
been  transported  by  the  water  of  the  river,  he  loses 
himself  in  idle  conjecture.  By  only  one  method  can 
the  existence  of  drift  in  this  situation  be  accounted 
for.  When  it  was  deposited,  the  Ganges  must  have 
flowed  from  an  arctic  country,  and  borne  on  its 
bosom  masses  of  ice,  with  these  pebbles  and  boulders 
frozen  into  them.  The  river,  in  no  other  manner 
could  have  formed  this  deposit,  flowing  as  it  does  for 
several  hundred  miles  through  a  level  alluvial  country, 
formed  of  rocky  masses  torn  from  the  Himalaya 
Mountains,  and  transported  nearly  a  thousand  miles. 
This  fact  is  almost  a  positive  proof  that  an  arctic  cli- 
mate prevailed  along  the  course  of  the  Ganges,  and 
perhaps  to  the  south  of  its  mouth.  The  stratification 
of  the  four  hundred  feet  of  superincumbent  deposit 
unmistakably  shows  the  great  length  of  time  since 
such  a  climate  prevailed.  Judging  from  the  premises, 
it  is  rational  to  suppose  that  here  the  drift  began,  and 
we  observe  its  first  ages,  while  in  North  America, 
on  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  its  last  or  closing  ages  are 
observable.  Between  these  periods  the  north  pole  had 
changed  from  its  position, — which  must,  probably, 
have  been  near  the  Sea  of  Aral,  or  the  Caspian,  to  its 
present  position, — and  the  equator  swung  round  con- 
formably, bringing  the  Indias  into  the  tropics,  and 
giving  North  America  a  temperate  clime. 

*  Principles  of  Geology,  p.  280. 


330  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

402.  The  closing  of  the  drift  period  is   strongly 
marked  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  and  all 
the  great  North  American  lakes,  and  it  is  clearly  indi- 
cated that  they  had  assumed  nearly  their  present  form 
at  that  period. 

403.  No  more  favorable  position  of  land  and  water 
can  be  conceived  of  for  the  production  of  powerful 
currents   than   that   of   the    present   Atlantic    Ocean. 
The  American  continent  checks  the  great  equatorial 
current,  forcing  most  of  it  north,  through  the  deep 
Atlantic,  into  the  polar  basin,  as  an  under  current, 
when  it  rises  and  becomes  a  surface  current,  carrying 
with  it  immense  quantities  of  ice  to  a  more  southern 
clime.    Yet  in  no  place  south  of  the  sixty-fifth  degree 
of  latitude  is  exhibited  any  thing  to  prove  a  climate 
of  equal  intensity  to  the  drift,  as  it  appeared  at  this 
period  very  much  nearer  the  equator. 

404.  As  to  the  cause  of  the  extraordinary  depres- 
sion  of  temperature,    unique   in   the  history   of   the 
globe,  several  theories  have  been  advanced,  none  of 
which,  however,  offer  an  adequate  explanation.     One 
conjecture  only  approaches  probability.     This  hypoth- 
esis is,  that  the  solar  system,  in  its  journey  around  the 
great  central  sun,  passes  through  regions  of  space  of 
widely  varying  temperature.      This   is   an   extremely 
plausible  conjecture,  but  is  wholly  unsubstantiated  by 
facts. 

405.  During  the  drift,  little  progress  was  effected 
in  the  vegetable  or  animal  worlds.     Life  in   all  its 
phases  appeared  almost  suspended.     It  was  compara- 
tively a  long  Sabbath  of  rest.      A  large  proportion  of 
the  animal  kingdom  disappeared  forever.     The  earth, 
however,  was  far  from  tranquil.     Several  violent  con- 
vulsions   occurred,    materially    changing    its   surface. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  331 

But  however  cheerless  the  aspect  our  planet  then 
assumed,  it  was  essential  to  the  great  plan  of  its  devel- 
opment. It  prepared  the  way  for  the  brilliant  and  im- 
portant era  which  succeeded  it,  when  man  became  the 
ruler  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
A  CHAPTER  OF  INFERENCES. 

406.  AFTER  the  foregoing  brief  survey  of  the  struc- 
ture of  the  earth,  we  are  ready  to  discuss  the  meaning 
of  our  observations.     As  mammalian  vertebrata  stand 
at  the  head  of  the  animal  kingdom,  if  we  trace  their 
origin  to  lower  types,  the  argument  will  be  sustained 
without  entering  into  the  detailed  account  of  the  origin 
of  the  other  branches  and  kingdoms.     In  this  course 
of  reasoning  we  shall  be  guided  by  analogy  and  the 
relations  subsisting   between  the  different  groups  of 
beings  examined. 

407.  It  will  be  remembered,  if  we  examine  existing 
beings  only,  that  many  of  the  connecting  links  are  lost, 
and  a  far  greater  isolation  is  observed  than  really 
exists.     The  connecting  links  are  buried  in  the  rocks; 
that  is,  the  transitional  forms  have  become  extinct.   Of 
these  our  knowledge  is  extremely  limited ;  for  although 
a  great  number  have  been  entombed,  each  era  may  be 
supposed  to  have  had  as  great  a  number  of  beings  as 
the  present,  and  meagre  indeed  is  the  whole  number 
discovered,  compared  with  that  o-f  existing  beings.    If, 


332          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

then,  the  material  appear  so  unsatisfactory  and  inade- 
quate, it  is  not  surprising,  but  rather  the  amount  of 
testimony  the  rocks  unfold  is  astonishing.  All  that 
they  tell  us  sustains  the  progressive  development  of 
living  beings,  and  we  feel  assured  that  were  they  fully 
examined,  they  would  continue  to  confirm  our  posi- 
tion, and  never  furnish  a  contradictory  fact. 

408.  In  this  chapter  we  shall  point  out  only  a  few 
of  the  analogies  which  exist — only  those  directly  rela- 
ting to  the  'ascent  of  the  main  branch  which  terminates 
in  man.  It  is  a  false  idea  that  infers  progressive 
development  teaches  that  all  animals  stand  directly 
related  to  each  other  in  a  line  of  progress,  and  were 
derived  one  from  the  other.  That  this  is  false  will 
soon  be  made  apparent.  The  frontispiece  represents 
the  theory  here  advocated.  The  dark  shaded  line  is 
the  main  branch,  having  its  roots  in  the  primitive 
state,  and  ascending  upward  through  all  the  different 
strata.  It  begins  with  sauroid  fishes,  but  in  the  coal 
saurians  assume  the  supremacy,  and  the  sauroids,  con- 
tinuing in  another  direction,  at  length  expire.  In  the 
coal  another  branch  is  thrown  off — the  batrachians — 
which,  at  the  termination  of  that  period,  gives  rise  to 
birds,  and  in  the  oolite  to  marsupials.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  main  branch  has  continued  on,  slightly  diver- 
ging, and  in  the  beginning  of  the  tertiary  period  the 
saurian  stock  gives  birth  to  pachyderms.  The  main 
branch,  continuing  upwards,  gives  off  the  herbivora. 
carnivora,  quadrumana,  &c.  The  sauroid  fishes  were 
the  first  vertebrata  of  high  organization  which  were 
introduced.  As  their  name  implies,  they  united  the 
reptilian  character  with  that  of  the  fish.  They  did 
this  in  all  degrees,  and  so  remarkably  that  Ansted,  in 
his  Ancient  World,  page  104,  remarks,  ^Sjo  intima+&.  ij?j 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  333 

the  resemblance,  and  so  nearly  perfect  is  the  passage 
between  fishes  and  reptiles  through  these  sauroid  fishes, 
that  very  little  is  wanting  to  complete  our  knowledge 
of  the  extinct  forms,  notwithstanding  the  variety  of 
existing  species  with  which  to  compare  them/'  In 
the  old  red  sandstone,  fishes,  it  would  seem,  "  attained 
their  maximum  of  development  in  point  of  vigor,  and 
in  some  respects  in  structure;  and  it  is  not  a  little 
interesting  to  find,  that  at  this  point,  so  far  as  we  can 
tell,  the  true  reptiles  were  introduced."  Some  of  the 
sauroid  fishes  in  the  Devonian  attained  the  size  of  the 
largest  reptiles,  to  which  they  approached  in  almost 
every  point  of  structure.  Immediately  after,  we  meet 
with  reptiles  as  strongly  approaching  the  sauroids — a 
character  long  retained,  and  appearing  strongly  in  the 
ichthyosaurus,  or  fish-lizard.  Now,  I  put  the  question 
to  those  who  believe  in  special  causes,  Why  is  this,  if 
no  great  principle  is  concerned  ?  Why  is  this  blending 
at  the  very  point  where  inductive  reasoning  places  the 
divergence  of  the  reptilian  character  from  its  combina- 
tion in  the  sauroids?  The  theory  presented  offers  a 
plain  and  philosophical  explanation,  and  on  no  other 
grounds  can  a  rational  cause  be  presented.  The  sau- 
rians  point  to  the  sauroids  for  their  origin,  and  no- 
where else  is  the  analogy  observed.  The  inference  is, 
then,  strong,  and  to  our  mind  certain,  that  they  origi- 
nated there. 

409.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  diagram,  that  we  have 
made  the  batrachians  (frogs)  a  branch  of  the  saurians, 
and  the  marsupials  and  birds  diverging  branches  of 
the  batrachia,  and  that  the  era  of  this  division  is  placed 
in  the  Permian.  The  reasons  for  this  theory  are, 
the  analogies  presented  by  the  intermediate  members 
of  the  groups  under  consideration.  The  tracks  of 


334  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE.   OR 

batrachians  and  birds  are  found  in  the  strata  of  the 
new  red  sandstone;  the  reptiles  have  left  a  few  frag- 
ments of  bone,  from  which  their  affinities  can  be 
deduced;  but  of  the  birds  nothing  but  the  tracks  re- 
main. According  to  the  great  osteologist,  Owen,  the 
batrachians  of  the  Permian,  of  which  the  labyrintho- 
don  may  be  taken  as  the  representative,  were  superior 
to  the  present  batrachians,  because  they  approached 
nearer  the  saurians — a  higher  type.  This  objection 
rests  on  the  assumption  that  each  succeeding  branch 
must  be  superior  to  the  preceding,  while,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  reverse  is  often  true.  The  branches  repre- 
sent lines  of  separation  of  peculiar  characters,  and  not 
necessarily  of  progress.  If  the  present  theory  be  true, 
and  the  batrachians  really  sprung  from  the  saurians, 
the  first  batrachians  should  be  saurian  in  character. 
Such  is  the  fact;  the  labyrinthodons  were  like  the 
saurians  in  the  form  of  the  head,  the  teeth,  and  the 
position  of  the  breathing  apparatus  at  the  end  of  the 
snout,  as  in  the  crocodiles,  allowing  them  to  drag  their 
prey  under  water,  and  devour  it  without  ceasing  to 
respire.  Its  affinities  with  the  reptile  is  still  further 
shown  by  the  bi-concave  form  of  the  vertebrae, — a  char- 
acteristic of  fishes, — which  Owen  affirms  indicates  a  de- 
cided "aquatic,  if  not  marine  theatre  of  life."*  The 
present  batrachians  have  the  ball-and-socket  articula- 
ting vertebrae,  but  in  their  embryonic  state  they  have 
the  bi-concave,  thus  reverting  in  the  same  remarkable 
manner  to  the  original  labyrinthodons,  as  the  lobster 
to  the  trilobite  of  the  early  ages. 

410.     The  marsupials  and  cursorial  birds  show  a  re- 
markable   affinity   to   the    batrachia.      Rymer   Jonesf 

*Owen  On  the  Reptilian  Fossils  of  South  America,  Phil.  Trans.,  1845, 
t  General  View  of  the  Structure  of  the  Animal  Kingdom. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  335 

considers  the  former  the  connecting  link  between  the 
oviparous  and  placental  vertebrata.  The  affinities 
of  the  bird  and  the  marsupial  is  shown  by  the  small 
size  of  the  brain,  the  exposure  of  the  cerebellum,  the 
absence  of  the  septum  lucidum  and  corpus  callosum; 
in  the  great  development  of  hind  limbs  at  the  expense 
of  the  fore  extremities;  in  the  tendency  of  the 
feathers  of  one  to  the  hairy  covering  of  the  other; 
and  in  the  rudiments  of  the  pouch  in  birds,  which 
is  developed  for  the  protection  of  their  young  in 
marsupials.  I  do  not  understand  these  similarities 
as  proving  so  much  the  development  of  one  from  the 
other  as  their  common  origin.  If  both  are  considered 
branches  of  the  batrachia,  the  similarity  of  organiza- 
tion is  readily  explained,  as  each  would  partake  more 
or  less  of  the  original  stock. 

411.  What  do  the  rocks  say  on  this  point  ?    In  the 
Permian  the  tracks  of  batrachians  are  preserved,  hav- 
ing all  the  characteristics  of  the  marsupials.    There  is 
the  large  and  strong  hind  foot  and  limb,  the  small  and 
weak  fore  extremity,  the  walking  and  leaping  locomo- 
tion.   In  the  next  age  the  true  marsupials  appear.    If 
intermediate  forms  teach  anything,  or  if  comparative 
anatomy  is  of  any  value,  the  origin  of  the  two  groups 
under  consideration  is  clearly  referable  to  the  saurians. 
It  will  thus  appear  that  the  mammals  were  not  devel- 
oped from  batrachians  through  marsupials  or  birds,  but 
the  latter  had  taken  a  course  peculiarly  their  own,  and 
progressed  upwards  in  a  channel  parallel  or  slightly 
diverging  from  the  former. 

412.  The     marine     mammalia — whales,     &c. — also 
pursued    a    path    peculiar    to    themselves.     The    first 
advance  is  made  by  the  ichthyosaur,  in  the  form  of  its 
body  and  shape  of  its  paddles;  then,   after  several 


336  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

intermediate  forms,  each  approximating  closer  to  the 
cetacea,  in  the  oolite  the  cetiosaur,  which  is  decidedly 
whale-like,  and  in  the  tertiary  the  true  whale  make 
their  appearance.  Can  a  more  beautiful  illustration 
and  proof  of  the  theory  of  development  be  presented? 

413.  The  origin  of  the  pachyderms  can  be  traced  to 
the  dinosaur  of  the  oolite  and  wealden.     In  this  line 
of  progress  first  we  have  the  fish  saurian,  then  the 
true  saurian,  next  saurians  advancing  to  the  pachy- 
dermic  mammals,  and  lastly,  true  pachyderms,   even 
before  we  leave  the  age  remarkable  for  its  reptilian 
types. 

414.  By  tracing  out  such  analogies  the  herbivorous 
mammals  are  referred  to  the  herbivorous  saurians,  and 
the  carnivora  to  the  carnivorous  saurians  of  the  oolite. 
The  quadrumana,  in  the  form  of  their  teeth,  general 
structure,  habits,   &c.,   approach  the  carnivora;   and, 
as  will  be  shown  in  the  next  chapter,  their  highest 
species  closely  approach  the  lowest  of  the  human  race. 

415.  How  can  these  facts  be  explained?     Is  not 
their  testimony  conclusive  in  establishing  the  suprem- 
acy of  great  principles,  and  the  government  of  nature 
by  an  established  order?    I  leave  the  reader  to  judge. 
I  would  not  befog  his  understanding  with  words,  but 
present  him  the  plain,  ungarnished  facts  on  which  the 
theory  of  law  reposes. 

416.  Before  I  do  so,  however,  I  would  render  him 
such  assistance  as  he  requires  to  a  full  understanding 
of  the  position  entertained,  by  the  following  series  of 
engravings : — 

The  amphioxus,  (Fig.  4,)  standing  at  the  foot  of 
the  vertebrata,  almost  worm-like,  and  only  determined 
to  be  a  vertebrate  by  characters  traced  upward  through 
intermediate  groups. 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION. 


337 


Fig.  4. 


Fig.  5. 


The  different  species  of  sauroid  fish,  typical  form, 
(Fig.  5,)  present  an  uninterrupted  transition  from  fish 
to  reptile. 

In  the  ichthy- 
osaurus, (Fig.  6,) 
we  see  the  charac- 
ters of  the  reptile 
slowly  predomina- 
ting over  those  of 
the  fish. 


Fig.  6. 


The  cetiosaurus, 
typical  form,  (Fig. 
7,)  is  the  original 
of  the  whale. 


Fig.  7. 

Carnivorous  and  herbivorous  saurians,  typical  forms, 
(Fig.  8  and  9.)  Here  we  see  the  dawn  of  the  herbiv- 
ora  and  carnivora. 


Fig.  8. 


Fig.  9. 


338 


THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 


Fig.  10, 


Fig.  11. 


P  a  chy  de  rmoi  d 
Saurian,  (typical 
form,)  (Fig.  10.)  The 
original  of  the  Pachy- 
derms, or  thick-skin- 
ned animals,  as  the 
elephant,  hippopota- 
mus, &c. 

The  Labyrintho- 
don  (Fig.  11)  is  the 
earliest  batrachian 
type,  indicating  its 
origin  by  its  strongly- 
marked  saurian  char- 
acter— the  original 
of  the  oviparous  and 
implacental  verte- 
brata. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
ORIGIN  OF  MAN. 

Embryonic  Growth  of.  —  His  Relations  to  the  Animal  World.  —  From 
whence  derived.  —  A  Savage.  —  Human  Fossils.  —  Their  Testimony. 
—  Caucasian  Civilization.  —  Its  Origin.  —  Disseminated  from  the 
Highlands  of  Asia.  —  Earlier  Period  still.  —  Number  and  Origin  of 
Races.  —  Primitive  History  of. 

417.  As  the  crowning  work  of  creation,  and  the 
ruler  of  the  alluvial  age,  man,  by  his  prominent  posi- 
tion, appears  isolated  from  the  animal  world.  But 
this  separation  is  only  apparent,  for  in  reality  the  clos- 
est relation  exists.  As  life  in  its  ascension  has  left,  as 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  339 

waymarks  along  its  pathway,  all  gradation  of  species 
from  the  cell  to  the  most  perfect  animal,  it  has  left  a 
gradation  from  the  animal  to  the  most  perfect  human 
beings. 

418.  He  is  the  perfection  and  personification  of  the 
grand  archetype  of  creation.     In  him  are  combined 
zoophyte,  fish,  reptile,  and  mammal,  and  he  acknowl- 
edges this  relationship  in  bone  and  muscle,  in  diges- 
tion, nutrition,  and  reproduction.     In  one  respect,  and 
only  one,   does  he  rise  above  the  animal.     He  pos- 
sesses morality  and  spirituality.     In  every  other  re- 
spect, whether  organic  or  functional,  man  is  an  animal. 

419.  His  embryonic  growth  proves  this  in  a  conclu- 
sive manner.     Man   commences   at   the    foot   of   the 
scale,  and  advances  over  the  whole  vast  interval  that 
life  has  traversed  since  its  early  dawn.     Let  us  not 
revolt  at  the  facts  of  fetal  growths,  nor  evade  the  sub- 
lime generalizations  it  supports.     Man  at  first  is  a 
zoophyte.       The    embryo    is    a    confused    gelatinous 
body,  without  the  least  appearance  of  different  organs. 
Gradually  this  primordial  model  is  transformed,  first 
to  the  rank  of  the  fish ;  not  agreeing  in  external  form, 
it  is  true,  but  in  the  conformation  of  its  brain,  its  nerv- 
ous  and   circulating   systems — relations   of   vital   im- 
portance.    It  next  ascends  to  the  rank  of  reptiles, 
then  to  that  of  mammals,  and  lastly  its  brain  is  still 
farther  developed,   and  it   arises   to  the   grade  of  a 
human  being.     It  passes  through  all  the  grades  of 
life,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest. 

420.  The  numerous  cases  of  monstrosity,  or  fetal 
deformity,  furnish  incontrovertible  evidence  of  man's 
near  relationship  to  the  animal  world,  as  well  as  of 
the  progressive  theory  advanced  in  this  volume. 

"It  will  be  found,"  remarks  Knox,  "on  examining 


340  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

the  mass  of  mankind,  that  some  cannot  extend  their 
limbs  and  arms  to  the  proper  degree;  that  some  have 
webbed  fingers  and  toes;  that  some  have  no  arms,  but 
merely  hands,  (like  the  whale,)  others  no  legs,  but 
merely  feet;  or  the  thighs  or  arms  are  too  short;  in 
some  the  back  is  straight,  not  curved  and  arched ;  some 
have  the  nails  round,  others  pointed  like  claws;  some 
have  hair  lip  and  cleft  palate.  On  the  best  formed 
neck  of  man  or  woman  the  finest  openings  may  occa- 
sionally be  seen — the  remains  of  branchial  arches,  or 
gills,  which  all  animals,  man  not  excepted,  have  in 
their  fetal  state."* 

If  the  laws  of  embryonic  growth  act  unimpeded,  the 
human  foetus  grows  out  of  the  lower  stages ;  but  if  im- 
peded it  retains  a  trace  of  its  transition,  or  remains 
permanently  at  some  lower  stage,  which  should  be 
only  temporary  in  man,  but  permanent  in  the  animal. 

421.  It  is  an  axiom  universally  true  that  "  nothing 
is  made  in  vain;"  but  if  we  accept  the  common  view, 
that  man  originated  by  special  act  of  creation,  innu- 
merable instances  are  furnished  in  his  organization  of. 
atrophied  organs  which  are  of  not  the  least  use  to  him, 
and  as  much  out  of  place  as  organic  remains  would  be 
in  the  rocks  if  the  world,  as  it  now  is,  were  created  by 
a  fiat  of  divine  will.  For  instance,  "in  man  the  third 
eyelid  is  readily  seen  as  a  minute  scale,  serving  no 
possible  use  whatever;  and  did  not  birds  exist,  we 
could  scarcely  conceive  of  its  high  organization.  In 
the  latter  it  is  of  essential  service,  and  is  always  pres- 
ent, but  developed  only  in  those  tribes  which  require 
its  aid.  Why  is  the  nodule  of  bone  in  the  arm,  where 
it  can  be  of  no  possible  use — the  two  small  addi- 
tional bones  occasionally  found  attached  to  the  ster- 

*  Knox,   Races  of  Men. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  341 

num. — the  signification  of  the  two  small  folds  which 
loosely  traverse  the  knee  joint?"  "Man  has  three 
bones  in  each  toe  except  the  first.  In  birds  we  meet 
with  four  or  five  bones  in  some  of  the  toes.  But  we 
would  say  wrongly  that  the  toes  of  birds  were  formed 
on  a  different  plan  from  man's.  In  the  embryo  bird 
and  man  each  of  these  bones  are  composed  of  two, 
which  coalesce  in  man,  but  remain  distinct  in  birds. 
In  man  there  is  a  little  cartilage,  scarcely  perceptible, 
connected  to  one  of  the  bones  occupying  the  nostrils, 
(called  tubercle  bones,)  which  serve  no  possible  use. 
In  the  horse  these  shut  off  the  great  cavity  of  the 
nostrils  from  the  vestabular  cavities  in  front,  thus 
protecting  them  from  foreign  bodies:  in  the  whale 
they  acquire  their  greatest  development,  growing  to 
the  size  of  bolsters;  returning,  after  breathing,  into 
the  vast  nostrils  from  which  they  are  momentarily 
withdrawn,  sealing  them  against  a  thousand  fathoms 
of  water  as  the  animal  plunges  into  the  abysses  of  the 
ocean. "  The  thin  lines  of  cartilage  in  the  abdominal 
muscles  of  mammals  and  man  are  remnants  of  the 
sternum  and  ribs  of  the  saurians.  In  the  herbivora  a 
strong  muscle  supports  the  head  while  grazing.  The 
same  exists  in  man,  but  as  it  is  not  required,  it  is  only 
a  thin  white  line  of  cartilage. 

422.  Man  has  no  caudal  extremity;  but  in  this  he 
departs  not  from  the  mammalian  plan,  for  in  him,  as 
well  as  in  the  apes  and  orangs,  the  caudal  vertebrae 
become  united  in  the  os  coccygis,  and  more  or  less  in 
those  animals  which  approach  nearest  to  them.  In 
the  marsupials  and  edentata — which  recede  from 
him,  and  approach  the  reptile — they  increase  aston- 
ishingly, and  the  alliance  is  carried  still  farther  by  the 
form  of  the  spinal  articulations  and  processes. 


342  THE  AECANA  OF  NATURE,   OB 

423.  Thus  what  is  irregular  in  man  is  regular  in 
lower  animals.    The  webbed  hand  and  foot  are  promi- 
nent in  the  beaver  and  otter,  constant  in  the  human 
foetus,    sometimes    but   rarely    seen    in    the   matured 
man.      The   fold   of  skin   found   at  the   inner   angle 
of    the    eye    of    the    Esquimaux    and    Bosjesmen    is 
not  found   in  the  mature   Caucasian,  but  is  always 
present  in  the  Caucasian  foetus.     One  is  arrested  in 
its  development,  the  other  advances. 

424.  The  philosophical  Lamarck*  seized  this  clew, 
and  wrought  from  it  the  startling  generalization  that 
man  derived  his  existence  from  the  orang.     Whether 
this  theory  be  true  or  false,  we  know,  viewing  the  sub- 
ject with  the  calm  eye  of  philosophy,  we  must  look 
for  man's  origin  in  the  laws  of  the  physical  and  or- 
ganic worlds.     His  form  being  natural,  he  must  have 
been  originated  and  sustained  by  natural  laws.     Then, 
if  man  was  developed  from  the  animal  world,  there 
must  have  been  a  common  stock  from  which  all  races 
were  derived.     That  stock  must  have  been  lower  than 
the  present  orang,  which  is  an  undeveloped  branch  of 
its  more  complex  ancestor. 

425.  Let  us  trace   the  remarkable   approach  man 
makes  to  the  quadrumanous  animals.     The  orang,  of 
which  many  fabulous  accounts  have  been  given,  un- 
doubtedly, of  all  animals,  is  nearest  related  to  man. 
The  Angola  orang  is  covered  with  short  black  hair, 
which  is  longest  in  those  places  covered  with  hair  in 
man.     It  has  the  face  of  a  man,  with  flat  and  con- 
tracted jaws  furnished  with  teeth  closely  resembling 
his.     Its  ears  are  like  man's  in  most  respects.     This 
external  correspondence  is  continued  in  its  anatomical 


*  Lamarck,  Philosophical  Zoology. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  343 

structure.  In  every  thing  but  slight  and  unessential 
particulars  they  are  entirely  and  exactly  the  same. 
Its  organs  of  speech  are  quite  perfectly  formed,  and  it 
has  a  rude  language,  by  which  it  can  convey  its  wants 
and  desires.  From  its  large  and  almost  human  brain, 
it  would  be  inferred  that  its  intellect  must  be  far  above 
that  of  other  animals. 

This  is  true,  according  to  the  descriptions  given  of 
its  manners.  '  "I  have  seen  it,"  says  Buffon,  "give  its 
hand  to  show  the  company  to  the  door.  I  have  seen 
it  sit  at  table,  unfold  its  napkin,  wipe  its  lips,  make 
use  of  the  spoon  and  fork  to  carry  the  food  to  its 
mouth,  pour  out  its  drink  into  a  glass,  touch  glasses 
when  invited,  take  a  cup  and  saucer,  put  in  sugar, 
pour  out  its  tea,  leave  it  to  cool  before  drinking.  It 
was  gentle  and  inoffensive;  it  even  approached  stran- 
gers with  respect." 

426.  "M.  L.  Brosse  bought  two  young  ones,  that 
were  but  one  year  old,  from  a  negro ;  and  these  at  that 
early  age  discovered  an  astonishing  power  of  imita- 
tion.    They  sat  at  table  like  men,  ate  of  every  thing 
without  distinction,  made  use  of  their  knife,  spoon, 
and  fork,  both  to  cut  their  meat  and  to  help  them- 
selves.   When  carried  on  shipboard,  they  had  signs  for 
the  cabin  boy  expressive  of  their  wants.     The  male 
was  seasick,   and  was  bled  in  the  arm;   and  every 
time  afterwards  when  he  found  himself  ill,  he  showed 
his  arm,  as  desirous  of  being  relieved  by  bleeding." 

427.  The  pongo  is  an  African  orang,  which  also 
bears  a  close  resemblance  to  man.    Its  face  is  human, 
being  without  hair,  eyes  deeply  sunk  in  the  head,  the 
body  almost  hairless,  and  scarcely  differing  from  the 
human,   except  there   are  no  calves  to   the   legs.    It 
walks  erect  in  its  wild  state.    It  builds  itself  a  hut  to 


344  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

protect  it  from  the  sun  and  the  tropical  rains;  makes 
use  of  clubs  for  attack  and  defence.  They  usually  go 
in  troops,  with  a  leader  at  their  head,  whose  com- 
mands they  obey,  and  when  one  of  their  comrades 
die,  they  bury  it  with  leaves  and  branches. 

428.  An  almost  equal  intelligence  is  shown  by  an 
African  baboon.     "They  are  under  a  regular  disci- 
pline, and  go  about  whatever  they  undertake  with  sur- 
prising regularity  and  skill.     When  they  rob  an  or- 
chard, it  is  not  singly,  but  in  large  companies,   and 
with  precalculated  deliberation.      On  these  occasions 
part  enter  the  enclosure,  while  one  is  set  to  watch. 
The  others  stand  without,  and  form  a  line  reaching 
all  the  way  from  their  comrades  within  to  their  ren- 
dezvous without,  which  is  generally  in  some  craggy 
mountain.     Every  thing  thus  disposed,  those  within 
throw  the  fruit  to  those  without  as  fast  as  they  can 
gather  it,  or  if  the  wall  or  hedge  be  high,  to  those  that 
sit  on  the  top,  and  these  hand  the  plunder  to  those 
next  to  them  on  the  other  side.     Thus  the  fruit  is 
picked,  and  sent  from  one  to  the  other,  all  along  the 
line,  till  it  is  safely  deposited  at  their  headquarters. 
The  sentinel,  during  this  whole  time,  continues  on  the 
watch,   extremely   anxious   and   attentive;   but   if   he 
perceives  any  one  coming,  he  sets  up  a  loud  cry,  and 
the    whole    company    scamper    off.      Such    anecdotes 
might  be  unlimitedly  multiplied;  but  those  cited  suf- 
fice to  show  how  near  the  highest  quadrumana  ap- 
proach man  in  intelligence. ' '  * 

429.  On  the  other  hand,  a  series  of  facts  present 
themselves  showing  how  closely  man  approaches  the 
orang.    Take,  for  example,  the  type  of  the  negro,  and 


*  Animated  Nature,   vol.   ii. 


THE  HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  345 

compare  it  with  the  orang.  The  nose  thick,  flat,  and 
confounded  with  the  prominent  cheeks;  lips  very 
thick  and  everted ;  jaws  projecting,  and  chin  receding ; 
large  facial  development,  and  skull  thick  and  heavy; 
the  head  compressed  laterally,  and  the  forehead  low 
and  retreating,  which,  combined  with  the  prominent 
jaws,  reduces  the  facial  angle  to  seventy  and  even 
sixty-five  degrees.  The  foramen  for  the  passage  of  the 
spinal  cord,  and  the  articulations  of  the  head  and 
neck,  are  far  back,  like  that  of  the  orang,  and  unlike 
the  Caucasian.* 

430.  Vorlik  says,  it  is  difficult  to  view  the  female 
negro    pelvis,    without    the    idea    of    degradation,    so 
much  does  its  form  approach  that  of  the  simiae.     He 
considers  the   Hottentot  pelvis   as  indicating  greater 
"animality  in  comparison  even  with  the  negro."    The 
uncivilized  races,  in  their  long,  lean,  and  slender  limbs, 
approach  the  animal  much  nearer  than  the  civilized 
man.     In  the  negro  the  bones  of  the  leg  are  bent  out- 
ward and  forward;  the  calves  of  the  legs  are  very 
high:  the  voice  is  feeble  and  hoarse;  their  intellect 
low,  in  some  tribes  quite  puerile;  thought  is  habitu- 
ally dormant;  war  is  a  passion  which  in  them  excites 
the   most   brutal    feelings,    and   they   do   not    shrink 
from    cannibalism.     This    is    a   true   picture    of    the 
lowest  tribes. 

431.  The   Bosjesmen   are    often    quoted    for   their 
extreme   degradation.     "They  live  among  rocks  and 
woods;  have  a  keen,  vivid  eye,  always  on  the  alert; 
will  spring  from  rock  to  rock  like  the  antelope;  sleep 
in  nests  they  form  in  the  bushes,   and  seldom  pass 
two  nights  in  the  same  place;  supporting  themselves 

*  Smith,  Natural  History  of  Human  Species, 


346  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

by  robbery,  and  by  catching  wild  animals,  as  reptiles 
and  insects,  which  they  use  for  food."  Thus  we 
perceive  in  these  degraded  beings  an  absence  of  al- 
most every  faculty  peculiar  to  a  human  being.  Their 
heads  are  large,  but  the  mass  of  the  brain  lies  in  the 
occiput.  Their  foreheads  are  low  and  retreating,  and 
the  slenderness  of  their  limbs,  hairy  bodies,  and  ex- 
treme agility  closely  ally  them  to  the  orang. 

432.  A    noted    traveller,*    on    encountering    some 
boat   loads   of   slaves   from   Dongola,    observed   their 
close  approach  to  brutes,  and  their  orang  expression. 
He  says  that  this  was  startling  and  painful,  and  he 
could  scarcely  draw  the  line  of  demarcation  between 
the  lowest  of  the  negro  races,  and  their  near  kins- 
man, the  wild  man  of  the  woods.     "  Though  made  in 
God's  image,  there  beamed  no  ray  of  divinity  from 
their  countenances,   and  they  sat   on  the   deck  with 
their  long  arms  wound  round  their  knees,  and  their 
chin  resting  upon  them,  precisely  as  we  see  in  apes; 
and  as  I  have  been  electrified  while  gazing  on  these 
caricatures  of  humanity  by  a  transient  gleam  of  in- 
telligence, so  here   I  was  struck  by  the  closeness  of 
man's  approach  to  the  inferior  grades  of  animal  exist- 
ence."    Almost  every  traveller  in  Negroland  has  re- 
marked   this    approximation.      It    was    observed    in 
ancient  times,   and  has  never  since  ceased  to  be  an 
object  of   interest,   and  has  called  forth  the  acutest 
discrimination  of  the  naturalist,  to  draw  the  specific 
and  generic  distinctions  between  man  and  the  brute. 

433.  To  the  views  here  presented  it  has  been  ob- 
jected that  the  facial  angle  bore  no  relation  between 
the    most    degraded    race    of   men    and    the   highest 


Stephens,  Arabia  Petraea  and  the  Holy  Land. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  347 

orang.  Although  the  facial  angle  gives  little  idea  of 
amount  of  brain,  as  a  measure  of  intelligence,  I  do 
not  think  the  argument  suffers  from  the  admission  of 
all  that  is  claimed  for  this  measurement,  which  is  the 
angle  formed  by  a  line  drawn  from  the  most  promi- 
nent portion  of  the  forehead  to  the  most  promi- 
nent point  on  the  upper  jaw,  intersecting  a  line  drawn 
from  the  occipital  condyle  to  the  floor  of  the  nostrils. 
(See  Figs.  18,  19.)  A  moment's  reflection  will  show 
how  valueless  this  measurement  must  be,  as  it  bears 
little  or  no  connection  with  the  size,  the  lateral  or 
occipital  development  of  the  brain :  granting,  however, 
that  it  has,  let  us  submit  to  the  test.  In  the  dog 
this  angle  is  20  degrees;  in  the  great  chimpanzee  it 
is  40  degrees ;  in  the  lowest  Ethiopians  65  to  70  degrees, 
(according  to  Smith,  Natural  History  of  the  Human 
Species,  p.  18;)  in  the  Australian  it  is  85  degrees; 
in  the  European  it  is  95  degrees;  and  the  ancient 
Greek  artists  gave  the  lofty  mysterious  and  shadowy 
grandeur  to  their  sculptured  gods  by  an  angle  of  100 
degrees.*  Thus  this  vaunted  argument  supports 
rather  than  conflicts  with  our  theory,  for  it  shows 
a  gradual  and  perfect  transition,  such  as  should  exist 
if  the  brain  measures  the  amount  of  intelligence. 
Hence,  if  the  brain  serves  the  same  purpose  in  ani- 
mals as  in  man,  they  must  in  a  greater  or  less  degree 
possess  all  his  faculties.  They  have  reflective  faculties, 
powers  of  observation,  and  remembrance  of  the  same. 
They  adapt  themselves  to  circumstances,  and  profit 
by  the  same.  The  beaver  builds  a  far  more  ingenious 
dwelling  than  the  Hottentot ;  the  dog  is  faithful,  affec- 
tionate, and  almost  reasoning;  the  elephant  adapts 
means  to  ends,  cause  to  effect,  with  reasoning  pre- 
cision. 

*  Owen  on  the  skeleton. 


348 


THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,   OR 


434.  The  lowest  races  of  men  have  no  habitation 
but  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  have  not  even  the  fore- 
sight of  the  squirrel  in  laying  up  a  store  of  food.    The 
Patagonians  have  not  the  mercy  or  affection  of  brutes, 
for  they  destroy  their  parents  as  soon  as  they  become 
too  aged  to  be  useful.* 

435.  Man  in  childhood  has  the  brain  of  the  animal, 
and  manifests  the  animal's  disposition  and  instincts; 
but  he  loses  these  as  his  brain  matures.     When  this 
growth  is  arrested,  he  remains  on  the  animal  plane,  as 
is  witnessed  in  the  criminal  and  the  savage. 

436.  On  the  other  hand,  the  higher  animals  have 
the  moral  region  of  the  brain  in  an  atrophied  condition, 
as  fishes  have  the  lungs  of  mammals,  but  undeveloped. 
In  them,  that  region  of  the  brain  producing  morality 
is  undeveloped.     It  is  almost  equally  so  in  the  lowest 
races  of  men,  and  it  were  as  impossible  to  teach  the 
Hottentot  morality  as  the  orang. 

437.  Perhaps  the  ideas  here  presented  will  appear 

in  a  stronger  light  if 
the  eye  is  enlisted  by 
aid  of  representa- 
tions. The  following 
engravings  have  been 
selected,  with  great 
care,  from  authentic 
sources,  chiefly  from 
the  Types  of  Man- 
kind : — 

It  is  useless  to  point 
out  the  difference  or 
the  similarity,  which 
FIg  12.  exists     between     the 


*  TJ.  S.  Exploring  Expedition  Report. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION. 


349 


Fig.  13. 


Skull  of  a  Chimpanzee.     Skull  of  Negro— Types. 


negro  from  types,  (Fig.  12,)  and  the  young  chim- 
panzee, (Fig.  13,)  as  the  likeness  is  too  obvious. 
These  resemblances  are  not  superficial,  but  pervade 
every  fibre  of  their  organization.  The  skull,  as  the 
index  of  intelligence,  as  remarkably  coincides,  as  will 
be  seen  by  the  following  illustrations: — 

In  the  ne- 
gro (Fig.  15) 
we  observe  the 
same  retreat- 
ing forehead, 
p  r  o  t  r  uding 
jaws,  flattened 
nose,  and  full 
back  head,  as  mz-  14-  Fis-  15- 

in  the  chimpanzee,  (Fig.  14.)  If  the  entire  skeleton 
be  compared,  like  affinities  will  be  observed. 


350 


THE  ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 
Skeleton  of  Orang  and  of  Man. 


Fig.  16  and  17 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  351 

Here,  likewise,  the  resemblance  is  too  obvious  to 
require  a  particular  description,  in  all  the  general 
features  being  perfect.  If  the  skeleton  of  the  lowest 
negro  were  compared,  instead  of  the  Caucasian,  the 
resemblance  would  be  still  more  perfect. 

438.  Nor  does  the  possession  of  language  separate 
man  from  the  animal.     All  animals  have  intonations 
by  which  they  express  their  desires.    Language  is  the 
expression  of  thought,  and  brutes  assuredly  do  this  to 
each  other.     The  dog  calls  others  to  him  by  a  peculiar 
bark;  the  lion  roars;  the  tiger  growls;  the  birds  sing; 
each  has  a  language  of  its  own,  to  manifest  affection, 
call  its  mate,  or  vent  its  rage.     The  elements  of  the 
organs  of  speech  are  present  in  all  animals,  and  on 
their  development  depend  the  sounds  employed  by  each 
species.     They  are  quite  imperfect  in  the  orang,  more 
perfect  in  the  negro,  yet  not  sufficiently  so  as  to  enable 
him  to  articulate  difficult  combinations  of  sounds.    The 
sounds  of  a  language  depend  on  the  form  of  the  organs 
of  speech,  and  hence  the  difficulty  of  one  race  speaking 
in  a  perfect  manner  the  language  of  another.     The 
negro  and  the  Indian  never  speak  Caucasian  dialects 
without  a  brogue  imparted  by  the  peculiarities  of  their 
organs  of  speech.     So  the  modification  of  these  gives 
the  growl  to  the  tiger,  the  roar  to  the  lion,  and  a  voice 
of  its  own  to  each  species  of  animal. 

439.  Man  must  have  begun  his  existence  as  a  sav- 
age.    If  we  trace  history  backwards  into  the  night  of 
its  traditions,  we  find  all  early  nations  to  have  been 
the  rudest  savages.     In  the  dim  twilight,  mythology 
reveals  its  Protean  form,  and  sanctions  our  conjecture. 
The  farther  backwards  we  go,  the  lower  man  becomes, 
until,  lost  by  history,  tradition  failing,  reason  induc- 
tively concludes  that  he  must  have  been  extremely 


352  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,  OR 

low  at  the  beginning.  At  every  step  we  take  in 
opposite  direction,  man  becomes  better  and  wiser.  At 
no  period  of  the  past  has  he  been  equal,  either  intel- 
lectually or  morally,  to  his  present  attainments. 

440.  We  are  now  ready  to  inquire  where  man 
originated.  This  has  been  a  vexed  question,  and  as  it 
has  usually  been  discussed  theologically,  and  not  scien- 
tifically, little  knowledge  has  resulted.  The  races  of 
mankind,  when  first  they  become  known,  were  distrib- 
uted over  the  greater  part  of  the  eastern  hemisphere; 
yet  they  appear  to  have  originated  in  a  common  centre, 
and  traditions  of  different  nations  indicate  that  this 
centre  of  dispersion  was  located  on  the  high  central 
regions  of  Asia.  From  this  region  all  man's  dogmati- 
cal knowledge,  early  inventions,  and  traditionary  rec- 
ords emanate.  Here  the  dog,  the  horse,  ass,  camel,  ox, 
sheep,  goat,  cat,  and  gallinaceous  fowls  were  first 
domesticated,  and  in  or  around  it  many  of  these  still 
exist  in  a  wild  state.  Here  must  have  been  the  seat 
of  man's  first  development,  or  these  high  lands  must 
have  afforded  protection  to  a  portion  of  human  beings, 
when  a  more  ancient  zoology  was  swept  away  by 
convulsions  of  which  mention  is  made  by  the  tradi- 
tions of  all  nations.  The  latter  is  probably  the  correct 
opinion ;  for  we  find  this  region  skirted  by  lofty  moun- 
tains, such  as  a  people  fleeing  from  destruction  would 
naturally  seek;  and  these  still  bear  the  sacred  names 
which  a  grateful  people  would  bestow.  To  the  south 
of  these  high  lands,  far  into  the  Indian  Ocean,  every 
where  are  written  the  records  of  the  grandest  and  most 
prolonged  convulsions,  which  probably  gave  rise  to  the 
myth  of  the  deluge.  On  the  islands  of  the  Indian 
Sea,  which  appear  to  be  the  crests  of  mountains,  rival- 
ling Dhawalaghiri  in  height,  and  which  may  have 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  353 

escaped  those  convulsions  which,  destroyed  the  then 
existing  fauna,  we  find  the  pithecus,  or  orang  outang, 
in  stature  as  large  as  a  man,  and  in  strength  equalling 
eight  or  more,  which,  from  its  strong  resemblance,  has 
received  the  name  of  "wild  man  of  the  wood/7  and 
which,  of  all  brute  creation,  approximates  nearest  to 
man.  Still  more  remarkable,  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
this  southern  border,  the  transition  from  brute  to  man 
is  made  by  degraded  Papua  tribes,  cannibals,  so  low  in 
the  scale  of  humanity,  in  them  gleams  not  a  ray  of 
spirituality  or  morality. 

441.  Man  originated,  probably,  near  the  equator, 
where  the  climate  was  better  adapted  to  his  defence- 
less condition,  and  food  abundant.     If  facts  continue 
to  support  the  present  theory,  that  the  simiae  of  the 
oceanic  islands,  are  the  remnant  of  an  earlier  zoology, 
the  seat  of  man 's  original  development  should  be  placed 
on  the  submerged  continent,  the  tops  of  whose  moun- 
tains those  islands  alone  represent. 

442.  If  we  admit  that  man  derived  his  origin  from 
the  animal  world,  then  that  region  whose  fauna  ap- 
proaches nearest  the  human  type  should  be  the  one  to 
claim  his  birth.     This  fauna  is  the  Asiatic,  or  Asiat- 
ico-oceanican.     Thus  the  inductions  of  science  beauti- 
fully harmonize  with  the  sacred  traditions  of  mankind. 

443.  To  this  point  all  races,  except  the  black  or 
negro  race,  are  referred,  and  in  so  much  are  all  races 
allied;    but   instead   of   originating   from   a   common 
parent,  they  had  each  separate  stocks,  and  originated 
in  nations  in  many  localities.     To  explain:  the  negro 
or  woolly-haired  race  originated  at  a  much  later  period 
than  the  others,  under  the  influence  of  the  moist  and 
heated  atmosphere  of  Africa,  in  the  tropics,  and,  un- 
awakened  from  their  torpidity  by  the  change  of  scenes, 

23 


354  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

and  contentions  of  nations,  were  stagnated  or  arrested 
in  their  growth,  and  to  this  day  remain  low  and  unde- 
veloped. On  the  contrary,  the  ancestors  of  the  brown 
or  Mongolian,  and  the  white-skinned  or  Caucasian 
races,  were  forced  to  emigrate  to  different  countries 
in  Asia  and  Europe,  and  were  subjected  to  a  colder 
climate,  to  the  vicissitudes  of  hot  and  cold  seasons,  to 
the  contentions  of  clans  or  tribes,  to  hostile  strife,  for 
sustenance  in  a  country  which  did  not  spontaneously 
afford  it,  all  serving  to  stimulate  and  call  into  action  the 
mind  and  the  body.  From  these  various  but  contigu- 
ous localities,  numerous  tribes  or  nations  emanated 
to  the  north,  east,  south,  and  west;  and,  as  before 
mentioned,  when  these  were  first  recognized  by  his- 
tory, they  had  already  advanced  to  a  respectable  civ- 
ilization. 

444.  Two  races  only  are  mentioned  as  originating 
in  or  near  the  continent  of  Asia,  because  the  others, 
notwithstanding  the  prominent  position  given  them  by 
most  writers,  are  considered  secondary,  and  branches 
to  these  main  stems.  The  Indian  of  America  has  too 
much  resemblance  to  the  Mongolian  of  the  old  world 
to  be  advanced  to  the  position  of  a  primordial  race, 
and  the  Malay  indicates  a  strongly  mixed  character. 
Thus  we  perceive  that  races  of  men  originated  in  na- 
tions separated  from  each  other  and  subject  to  condi- 
tions, the  power  of  which  we  have  previously  estab- 
lished as  irresistible.  The  Caucasian  did  not  originate 
from  the  negro,  nor  is  the  negro  a  degraded  Cau- 
casian, but  both  came  from  orangs  of  different  color 
and  character;  but  while  one  has  remained  stationary, 
the  other  has  advanced.  Various  types  of  mankind 
were  in  existence  when  the  old  world  was  peopled  with 
a  now  extinct  fauna. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  355 

445.  It  is  the  generally  received  belief,   that  all 
species  of  animals,  man  included,  had  a  single  pair  of 
each  species  as  their  first   ancestors,    and  that,  con- 
sequently, all  animals   belonging  to   one   species  are 
descendants  of  this  primeval  pair.     We  find  nothing 
in   nature   to   warrant   such   a   conclusion;   countless 
millions  of  primitive  cells  had  a  spontaneous  origin, 
before  any  animal  form  originated  by  paternal  descent. 
There  probably  never  existed  two  animals  belonging 
to  any  type  exactly  alike.     The  gradual  divergence 
from  the  first  primitive  cells  was  owing  either  to  some 
inherent  difference  in  the  cells  themselves,  or  to  the 
various  conditions  with  which  they  were  surrounded. 
All  the   innumerable   distinctions  now  found  in  the 
vegetable  or  animal  kingdoms  are  owing  to  these  two 
causes.    No  distinct  family  of  animals  ever  originated 
from  a  single  pair.     The  human  race  is  no  exception. 

446.  In  accordance  with  these  principles,  the  orangs, 
the  immediate  ancestors  of  the  human  family,  were 
very  different   from   each  other.      Some  were   black, 
some  nearly  white,   some   brown,   &c.     The   different 
localities  in  which  they  lived,  some  on  a  mountain, 
some  in  a  valley,  some  in  a  hot,  some  in  a  temperate 
climate,   also  produced   a   difference.     An  animal  or 
vegetable  diet  would  have  a  marked  effect.    The  trans- 
ition from  the  orang  to  man  was  gradual.     No  one 
could  tell  where  the  one  ended,  or  the  other  began, 
any  more  than  we  can  tell  where  the  boundary  exists 
between  a  hill  and  a  valley.    For  example:  we  cannot 
tell  when  the  different  families  composing  the  Anglo- 
Saxon   race   became   sufficiently    amalgamated   to   de- 
serve  the  name.     In  like  manner   the   human   races 
originated.     The  great  types,  the  Mongolian,  the  Cau- 
casian, and  negro,   did  not  change  from  one  to  the 


356  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

other,  but  descended  from  different  types  of  the 
orang.  The  intermediate  distinctions  now  seen  in  our 
race  are  owing  principally  to  three  causes:  first,  in- 
herent differences  from  the  most  remote  times,  perhaps 
from  the  first  primitive  cells;  second,  from  intermix- 
ture; and  third,  from  different  conditions  to  which 
they  have  been  subjected. 

447.  Many  of  the  facts  connected  with  the  discov- 
ery of  fossil  human  bones  are  worthy  of  more  than  a 
brief  mention.  Where  they  occur  mixed  up  with  those 
of  extinct  species  of  animals,  it  becomes  difficult  to  as- 
sign other  than  a  contemporary  existence. 

In  the  caverns  of  Bize,  in  France,  human  bones 
and  shreds  of  pottery  were  found  in  red  clay,  min- 
gled with  the  debris  of  extinct  mammalia.  The  cele- 
brated Marcel  de  Serres  found,  in  the  cavern  of 
Pondees,  the  remains  of  human  skeletons  and  pottery 
in  the  same  deposits  with  the  bones  of  an  extinct 
rhinoceros,  the  horse,  and  the  stag.  Human  bones 
were  found  in  caves  near  Liege,  together  with  those 
of  the  hyena,  elephant,  and  a  feline,  not  much  less 
than  a  lion,  buried  beneath  a  thick  bed  of  stalagmite. 
Mr.  M'Enery  collected  from  the  caves  of  Torquay 
human  bones  and  flint  knives  from  among  a  great 
variety  of  extinct  species,  such  as  the  elephant,  rhi- 
noceros, hyena,  &c.,  all  beneath  a  crust  of  stalagmite. 

In  Upper  Saxony,  the  gypsum  caves  and  fissures  in 
every  direction  are  filled  with  red  alluvial  clay,  con- 
taining in  clusters  bones  of  mammalia,  rhinoceros, 
horse,  hyena,  &c.,  and  man. 

The  burial  place  of  the  people  who  inhabited  France 
when  the  Irish  elk  and  the  rhinoceros  were  indigenous, 
has  been  discovered.  It  is  a  cavern  in  the  side  of  a 
calcareous  mountain  in  Southern  France,  which  bears 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  357 

traces  of  a  vast  amount  of  labor  in  preparing  it  for  a 
sepulchre,  and  securing  it  from  observation.  Its  en- 
trance had  been  closed,  and  its  existence  was  discov- 
ered by  sinking  a  shaft  fifty-six  feet.  In  it  were  dis- 
covered great  quantities  of  human  bones,  with  those  of 
the  rhinoceros,  reindeer,  stag,  horse,  and  a  large  bovine, 
probably  the  remains  of  offerings  to  the  dead.  This 
people  must  have  lived  long  before  the  rude  Celt  dis- 
possessed them,  for  the  existence  of  these  extinct  mam- 
mals is  not  mentioned  even  by  tradition.* 

448.  In  English  caverns,  the  bones  of  bears,  hyenas, 
and  of  man  mingle  in  such  a  manner  that  they  must 
have  been  deposited  contemporaneously.  In  some  of 
them,  the  same  osseous  breccia  contains  the  bones  of 
elephants,  hippopotami,  lions,  and  man.f  When  sub- 
ject to  muriatic  acid,  no  difference  could  be  detected 
between  the  bones  of  the  mammals  and  man,  their  age 
being  so  great  that  nearly  all  their  animal  matter  had 
disappeared.  The  renowned  Buckland  does  not  admit 
that  the  bones  discovered  by  him  were  of  a  former 
period,  and  fallaciously  infers,  without  the  least  rea- 
son, that  whenever  the  bones  of  man  and  extinct  ani- 
mals occur  together,  those  of  man  must  have  been 
introduced  at  a  recent  period — an  inference  doubted 
even  by  Cardinal  Wiseman.J 

Fossil  human  bones  have  been  discovered  in  caverns 
of  the  Jura,§  and  mingled  with  pottery  and  remains 
of  the  rhinoceros,  hyena,  bear,  and  other  animals  in  the 
tertiary  limestone  at  Cristolles. 


*  Smith,  Nat.   Hist,  of  Human  Species. 
t  M.  Roblin,  Ann.  Dis.  Science  Nat.,  tome  xvi.,  p.  16. 
t  Lectures   on    the    Connection    of   Science   and   Revealed   Religion, 
Buckland's  Bridgewater  Treatise. 
§  Durfort  Cave ;  Pirmas  and  Serres. 


35£  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,   OR 

The  Quebec  and  Guadeloupe  skeletons,  which  were 
so  summarily  disposed  of  by  scientific  men,  have  all 
the  characteristics  of  fossils.  The  stone  in  which  the 
latter  is  embedded  is  harder  than  marble,  and  shows 
no  signs  of  having  its  material  disturbed  since  their 
deposition. 

449.  Dr.    Schomerling    observes,    that    the    fossil 
human    and    animal    bones    which    he    discovered    in 
France  must  have  been  contemporarily  deposited.* 

450.  Human  bones  have  been  found  in  Belgium, 
mixed  with  those  of  bears,  hyenas,  elephants,  horses, 
and  deer,  and  identical  with  them  in  appearance,  color, 
and  fossilization.f 

451.  The  distinguished  naturalist  Lund  discovered 
fossil  human  bones  in  Brazil,  in  eight  different  locali- 
ties, and  so  mingled  with  the  relics  of  extinct  animals 
that  their  contemporary  existence  cannot  be  for  a  mo- 
ment doubted.     In  a  cave,  near  the  borders  of  a  lake, 
called  Lagoa  Santa,  he  obtained  specimens  of  thirty 
individuals,  of  all  ages,  from  childhood  to  maturity. 
They  were  firmly  incorporated  in  the  solid  rock,  and 
were  accompanied  by  the  relics  of  an  ape,  and  the 
usual  extinct  mammifers.     Immense  blocks  of  stone, 
with   which   nature  has   covered   this  mausoleum  by 
the  force  of  great  convulsions,  attest  the  antiquity  of 
these  fossils. 

Agassiz  estimates  the  age  of  a  human  foot  and  jaw, 
discovered  by  him  in  the  coast  limestone  of  Florida, 
from  data  furnished  by  the  growth  of  the  land,  at 
135,000  years4 

In  the  blue  clay  underlying  the  bluffs  of  the  Missis- 


*  Dr.    Moultrie. 

t  Researches,   pp.   56-66. 

$  In  an  Essay  contributed  to  Types  of  Mankind. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  359 

sippi,  human  bones  have  been  found  below  those  of 
the  megalonyx,  perfectly  fossilized  by  oxide  of  iron. 

452.  In  making  an  excavation  at  New  Orleans,  an 
Indian's  skull  was  found  beneath  four  cypress  forests. 
The  time  necessary  to  produce  each  of  these  cypress 
strata  is   estimated   at   14,400   years.     Between   each 
was  a  period  of  rest,  estimated  at  500  years,  or  57,600 
years  since   the  skull  was   deposited  in  the  position 
where  it  was  discovered. 

Such  is  the  geological  testimony  of  the  date  of 
man's  introduction — testimony  which  has  steadily  aug- 
mented, notwithstanding  the  derision  bestowed  on  it 
by  popular  writers.  One  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
years  ago,  at  least,  the  Indian  propelled  his  canoe  on 
the  Mississippi's  flood,  the  Gulf,  and  above  the  Florida 
Reefs.  This  conclusion  is  as  legitimate  as  any  deduc- 
tion of  science.  If  we  would  learn  the  date  of  his 
birth  in  the  old  world,  to  these  150,000  years  we  must 
add  the  length  of  time  necessary  for  the  migration  of 
the  Indian  from  the  older  world.  To  this  period  the 
duration  of  authentic  history  becomes  but  a  moment. 
Such  is  the  evidence  of  fossil  records,  whether  found 
beneath  the  cypress  forests  of  the  Mississippi,  the 
coral  reefs  of  Florida,  in  the  caverns  of  the  Canary 
Islands  where  the  Guanches  and  his  faithful  dog  are 
entombed  together,  or  in  the  bone  breccia  of  Euro- 
pean and  Asiatic  caves. 

453.  It  may  be  objected  to  the  date  of  the  skull 
found  at  New  Orleans,  that  at  the  time  calculated, 
viz.,   57,600  years,  the  place  in  question  must  have 
evidently  formed  a  part  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  also 
that   some    of   the   other   instances   are   overcharged. 
This  may  be  the  case.    Yet  still  the  evidence  of  man's 
existing  on  earth  a  long  period  previous  to  the  chrono- 


360  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

logical  period  assigned,  is  clearly  proved.  We  can 
hardly  date  his  first  appearance  on  earth  less  than 
100,000  years  previous  to  the  present  time. 

454.  Tracing  the  origin  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
new  world  to  the  old,  or  through  countless  decades  of 
centuries  to  the  high  lands  of  Asia — from  that  com- 
mon focus  of  the  Caucasian  type,  nations  went  forth, 
or  rather  the  germs  of  nations,  in  clans  and  tribes,  as 
the  unproductive  territory  became  crowded.  It  was  a 
hunter  age ;  the  arts  were  confined  to  the  manufacture 
of  the  bow,  the  war  club,  and  the  spear,  the  canoe 
and  rude  dwelling;  and  the  untilled  earth  gave  a  poor 
reward  to  the  hand  of  the  unskilled  husbandman. 
Population  must  be  sparse,  must  be  clannish,  roving, 
pastoral.  Sparse,  because  a  hunter  requires  a  large 
territory  for  support ;  pastoral,  because,  seeing  the  im- 
portance of  having  food  when  game  is  scarce,  he  would 
attempt  the  domestication  of  the  more  gentle  species ; 
roving,  because  his  flocks  would  require  fresh  pastures ; 
and  clannish,  because  only  by  uniting  in  tribes  could 
he  obtain  safety  from  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest,  and 
his  more  lawless  fellows. 

Such  was  man's  origin.  By  migrations  of  clans 
along  great  rivers,  or  across  extensive  plains;  by  the 
union  of  tribes,  or  their  ruthless  wars;  by  the  expul- 
sion of  the  weaker  to  new  or  less  fertile  territory; 
from  these  various  causes  the  world  became  peopled, 
and  each  grand  division  by  a  peculiar  race. 


THE  HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  361 


PART  III. 

CHAPTER    XVin. 

THE  HUMAN  BRAIN. 

Comparative  Anatomy.  —  Embryonic  Growth  of  the  Brain. 

455.  THE  brain  and  nerves  have  been  universally 
conceded  to  be  the  organs  of  mind.  Through,  and 
by  them  all  manifestations  of  intelligence  and  animal 
activity  are  exhibited-  Without  the  nerves,  the  bones 
and  muscles  would  remain  inert,  and  not  a  motion 
would  be  produced  by  all  the  complicated  fibres  of  the 
body.  Without  the  brain  the  nerves  could  not  trans- 
mit messages  of  intelligence,  and  although  they 
stretched  out  in  infinite  ramifications  through  the 
body,  there  could  be  no  beneficial  result.  They  would 
be  like  telegraphic  wires,  totally  useless  until  a  battery 
is  employed  to  transmit  the  messages. 

The  brain  of  man  is  many  times  larger  in  propor- 
tion to  the  bulk  of  his  body  than  that  of  any  other 
being,  and  not  only  larger  in  bulk,  but  larger  in  that 
region  where  experiment  informs  us  the  intellectual 
faculties  lie.  In  all  other  respects  his  brain  is  like  the 
typical  brain  of  the  animal.  Even  in  this  respect  we 
do  not  perceive  any  departure  from  the  general  plan 
which  we  have,  in  the  previous  pages,  endeavored  to 
prove  pervades  all  the  realm  of  life.  We  have  fol- 
lowed that  plan  in  its  general  bearing;  and  now  shall 


362  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

particularize  by  applying  it  to  the  brain  and  nerves. 
We  wish  to  draw  from  this  fount  the  weighty  evidence 
it  affords  in  support  of  the  progressive  development 
of  mind,  and  to  elucidate  the  vexed  question  so  long 
agitated — What  is  the  origin  of  mind?  No  study  on 
which  we  can  enter  so  beautifully  unfolds  the  inti- 
mate relation  between  brain  and  mind  as  the  compara- 
tive study  of  the  vast  chain  of  beings  extending  from 
the  plant  to  man.  In  this  first  section,  as  an  intro- 
duction to  the  sequel,  this  will  be  our  investigation; 
commencing  with  the  lower,  and  step  by  step  ascend- 
ing to  the  higher,  delineating  the  successive  advance- 
ment of  the  nervous  system,  and  the  accompanying 
advancement  of  intelligence  in  the  animal,  thereby  not 
only  proving  that  mind  depends  on  brain  for  its  mani- 
festation, but  delineating  the  rise  and  progress  of  that 
system,  until  man  possesses  it  in  the  greatest  degree, 
and  in  consequence  manifests  the  greatest  intelligence. 
The  great  hiatus  supposed  to  exist  between  intellect 
and  instinct  will  be  thus  filled,  and  mind  brought 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  determinate  laws. 

This  study  forms  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the 
investigation  of  mental  phenomena  in  the  light  of 
physical  science. 

456.  The  zoophytes  are  the  lowest  beings  of  the 
animal  kingdom.  The  sponge  and  jelly  fishes  are  as 
near  plants  as  animals.  Their  entire  economy  is  car- 
ried on  by  vegetative  growth.  Although  attaining  a 
large  size,  there  is  no  trace  of  nervous  fibres  in  their 
jelly-like  mass.  They,  however,  give  indications  of  a 
diffused  irritability,  but  there  is  nothing  manifested 
like  sensation  or  volition.  They  are  also  destitute  of 
muscular  fibres,  and  their  movements  are  performed 
by  the  irritability  of  the  cellular  masses  of  which 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  363 

they  are  formed,  which  perform  the  office  of  both 
nerves  and  muscles.  The  protozoa  have  not  the  least 
trace  of  a  nervous  system,  and  although  some  physi- 
ologists have  suggested  that  it  might  exist  in  a  "dif- 
fused form,"  yet,  if  we  consider  the  office  of  the 
nerves,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  they  would  be 
useless  to  these  beings.  Nerves  are  employed  to 
unite  in  harmony  the  various  organs  of  the  animal, 
and  bind  them  together  into  one  determinate  action. 
If  there  are  no  organs  to  unite  in  this  manner, — if  the 
functions  to  be  performed  are  all  vegetative, — then 
nerves  would  be  useless,  as  we  see  all  the  vegetative 
functions  carried  on  in  the  plant  without  the  assist- 
ance of  nerves,  by  means  of  the  circulating  fluid  which 
unites  with  the  strongest  buds,  the  roots,  branches, 
and  leaves.  The  irritability  they  manifest  is  the  same 
as  that  exhibited  by  some  plants,  and  unaccompanied 
by  any  consciousness  whatever.  This  faculty  is  ex- 
alted, and  supplies  all  the  demands  of  the  animal. 
The  same  is  recognized  in  the  tissues  of  all  animals. 

457.  In  the  hydra,  actenia,  and  their  allies,  lines  of 
nervous  matter  are  dimly  traced;  but  the  function 
they  perform  must  be  very  limited,  and  is  perhaps  of 
no  account  in  the  economy  of  the  animal,  as  the  mor- 
bid irritability  they  manifest  is  fully  explained  by  the 
foregoing,  and  by  changes  produced  by  light,  heat,  and 
other  external  causes.  It  is  true  that  we  can  know 
very  little  of  the  degree  of  sensibility  possessed  by 
the  lower  members  of  the  animal  kingdom;  yet  we 
can  estimate  it  from  the  amount  of  nervous  influence 
on  the  functions  of  vitality,  or,  in  other  words,  the 
amount  of  nervous  matter  they  possess  The  only 
motions  which  are  at  all  referable  to  nervous  action  in 
the  hydra  and  its  allies,  is  performed  in  capturing  or 


364  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OB 

catching  its  prey,  and  this  is  identical  with  the  cesoph- 
agic  muscles  and  stomach  of  higher  animals.  The 
comparison  of  these  lower  orders  should  be  with 
plants,  and  not  with  animals,  so  completely  vegetative 
are  all  these  organs.  The  next  higher  step  is  taken 
by  the  rotifera  animalcula,  in  which  the  nerves  first 
show  an  unmistakable  existence.  In  one  of  these, 
six  or  seven  gray  bodies  exist,  enveloping  the  dorsal 
portion  of  the  oBsophagus,  closely  connected  together, 
and  clearly  perceptible.  The  upper  one,  which  may 
be  considered  as  a  ganglion,  is  the  largest,  and  gives 
off  slender  filaments  of  nerves,  which  join  in  a  gan- 
glion at  the  back  of  the  neck,  forming  a  circle  of  nerves 
analogous  to  the  mollusca.  From  these  two  nerves 
filaments  are  sent  off  to  the  head,  and  another  branch 
off  to  the  abdominal  surface  of  the  body.  Muscular 
fibres  also  exist  in  these  animalcula,  showing  the  con- 
nection between  the  development  of  muscle  and 
nerve. 

Now,  at  the  threshold  of  our  investigations,  we  find 
the  key  by  which  the  whole  mysterious  province  of 
mind  is  unveiled — the  nervous  system.  It  is  the  step 
which  elevates  the  animal  above  the  plant.  Until 
the  existence  of  nerves,  the  animal  lives  wholly  a 
vegetative  life,  and  every  function  in  its  economy  is 
purely  vegetative.  The  acquisition  of  nerves  places 
it  at  once  above  ihe  plant,  by  bestowing,  in  the 
place  of  mere  irritability,  dependent  on  external  cir- 
cumstances, nerves,  which  convey  sensation  and 
thought.  The  step  is  not  abruptly  taken,  but  slowly 
through  a  host  of  intermediate  forms;  and  we  find 
traces  of  a  nervous  system  long  before  we  leave  the 
domain  of  simple  irritability.  The  transition  is  al- 
most imperceptible. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  365 

458.  The  intestinal  worms  are   among  the  lowest 
members   of   the   animal  kingdom.     Confined   within 
narrow  limits,  and  surrounded  by  their  food,  they  are 
nearly  destitute  of  locomotive  organs,  and  are  little 
more   than    a   digestive    sac,    or   stomach.      In    them, 
however,  lines  of  nerves  can  be  detected,  remarkably 
like  those  seen  in  the  embryo  chick  of  the  twenty- 
fourth  hour.     It  also  perfectly  corresponds  with  the 
first  appearance  of  the  spine  in  all  vertebrate  animals, 
and  affords  a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  law,  that  the 
higher  classes  of  animals  are  developed  through  the 
forms  perfectly  retained  by  the  lower.     The  embryo 
chick,  at  its  twenty-fourth  hour,  has  advanced  to  the 
plane  of  the  intestinal  worms,  and  its  nervous  system 
is  identical  with  them.     The  type,  or  beginning  of  the 
nervous  system,  is  a  nervous  centre  or  ganglion,  to 
which  gather  sentient  nerves,  and  from  which  nerves 
of  motion  lead  to  the  muscles,  over  which  it  is  neces- 
sary to  exert  nervous  control.     It  is  not  an  indication 
of  consciousness   when  these  ganglia  exist.      Motion; 
resulting  from  them  is  the  same  as  the  contraction  of 
the  glottis  or  the  oesophagus  in  swallowing.     The  exci- 
tor  nerves  conduct  the  impression  to  the  centre,  and 
the  motor  nerves  send  the  nervous  fluid  to  contract 
the  muscles. 

In  insects  (articulata)  this  type  is  repeated  in  every 
ring  of  their  bodies,  but  there  is  a  tendency  to  concen- 
trate several  ganglia  in  the  head.  At  the  metamor- 
phosis, when  the  fly  advances  from  the  worm,  its  su- 
periority of  grade  is  manifested  by  the  concentration 
of  three  or  four  of  the  first  ganglia  in  the  head. 

459.  The  large  nervous  centre  in  the  oyster  corre- 
sponds in  position  to  the  medulla  oblongata  in  the 
brain  of  man.     Surrounding  the  oesophagus  are  two 


366  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

other  centres,  which  guard  that  passage,  and  exercise 
the  functions  of  an  inferior  sense.  All  the  conscious- 
ness of  external  nature  the  animal  enjoys  must  be  de- 
rived through  these.  They  are  analogous  to  the  central 
ganglia  in  man. 

460.  The  next  step  is  taken  by  the  gasteropoda — 
slugs,  snails,   &c.     They  are   far  in  advance   of  the 
oyster,  and  enjoy  the  sense  of  sight  and  smell,  and 
have  organs  of  locomotion,  to  enable  them  to  seek  and 
select  their  food.    In  some  species  the  centres  observed 
in  the  oyster  are  very  distinct,  in  others  almost  per- 
fectly blended.     This,  too,  has  an  important  bearing 
on  human  anatomy,  for  the  medulla  oblongata,  to  ob- 
servation, appears  a  single  organ,  but  when  carefully 
dissected,  is  found  to  be  composed  of  two  centres,  so 
blended  and  bound  together  by  intersecting   nerves, 
that  they  are  almost  indivisible.     The  approach  made 
by  the  four  great  divisions  of  living  beings,  as  they 
ascended   in   the   scale   of   life,   has   been   previously 
noticed.     This  is  beautifully  seen  in  the  cephalopoda, 
the  highest  of  the  mollusca.    In  them  we  see  the  con- 
centration of  the  cephalic  ganglia  into  one  mass;  and 
sometimes  these  are  even  protected  by  a  cartilaginous 
plate,  forming  the  rudiments  of  a  nervo-skeleton.     In 
them  we  meet  with  organs  of  hearing,  and  very  acute 
organs  of  sight,  and  the  entire  surface  of  the  body  pos- 
sesses sensibility. 

461.  The  articulata  not  only  have  the  simple  exeito- 
motor  system,  but  they  also  have  the  concentration  of 
ganglia,  previously  noticed,  in  the  head.     They  have 
both  the  sympathetic  and  the  motor  systems,  and  these 
are  disposed  in  such  a  manner  that  they  can  be  isolated 
from  each  other. 

462.  Leaving  the  invertebrate,  we  enter  the  verte- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  367 

brate  sub-kingdom.  Here  we  find  the  same  general 
plan;  nothing  is  suppressed:  we  still  find  nervous 
centres,  excitor  and  motor  nerves;  but  there  is  a 
greater  concentration  in  the  head ;  on  the  sensory  gan- 
glia the  cerebral  hemispheres  are  placed,  and  on  the 
medulla  oblongata  rests  the  cerebellum,  in  the  mam- 
malia, and  form  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  the  brain, 
covering  and  completely  concealing  the  brain  of  in- 
sects. In  them  it  is  also  protected  by  a  hard,  bony 
envelope,  necessary  to  its  delicate  structure. 

In  fishes,  however,  the  primordial  ganglia  remain 
distinct,  and  the  cerebrum  is  scarcely  developed.  Be- 
tween these  extremes,  all  degrees  of  development  exist. 

As  in  the  early  human  embryo,  so  in  fishes  we  can 
plainly  determine  that  the  brain  is  composed  of  several 
distinct  ganglia,  of  which  those  representing  the  cen- 
tral hemispheres  are  the  smallest.  The  cartilaginous 
fishes,  sharks,  rays,  dog-fish,  &c.,  have  by  far  the  best 
developed  brain  of  any  of  the  fishes;  and  by  them  is 
manifested  the  greatest  degree  of  instinct,  or  rather 
intelligence.  There  are  numerous  anecdotes  told  of 
the  cunning  of  the  dog-fish;  how  it  will  bite  a  fish 
off  from  a  hook,  yet  never  get  caught  by  it;  and  also 
surprising  feats  are  told  of  the  shark,  all  corroborating 
the  statement  that  the  amount  and  quality  of  brain 
determines  the  amount  of  intelligence  manifested  by 
an  animal. 

463.  The  brain  of  reptiles  has  a  still  greater  devel- 
opment of  the  cerebrum,  and  a  corresponding  increase 
is  manifest  in  intelligence.     The  tadpole  of  the  frog 
has  the  brain  of  the  fish,  which  changes  to  that  of  the 
reptile  as  its  transformation  is  perfected. 

464.  In  the  brain  of  birds,  our  attention  is  at  once 
attracted  by  the  enlargement  of  the  cerebrum,  which 


368  THE  AECANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

extends  so  far  backward  as  to  completely  cover  the 
ganglia,  which,  in  previously  described  animals,  were 
seen  behind  it.  The  cerebellum  also  is  increased  in 
size,  as  is  also  the  medulla  oblongata.  The  brain  of 
the  bird  has  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the  human 
embryo  of  the  twelfth  week.  In  thus  ascending  the 
scale,  there  is  a  gradual  prolongation  of  the  cerebrum 
over  the  cerebellum,  and  at  length  the  cerebellum  it- 
self is  wholly  covered  by  the  cerebrum.  In  the  roden- 
tia,  however,  it  remains  in  view,  thus  placing  them 
at  a  much  lower  position  in  the  scale.  In  proportion 
to  the  increase  of  the  cerebrum,  all  the  ganglia  con- 
nected with  the  organs  of  sense  diminished;  and  this 
comparison  holds  good  even  with  the  spinal  cord,  so 
that  in  man  it  is  smaller  than  in  many  animals  of  far 
inferior  size.  The  higher  we  advance,  the  more  com- 
plicated is  the  internal  structure  of  the  cerebrum, 
the  deeper  and  more  numerous  the  convolutions.  In 
man  all  these  convolutions  exist  in  a  far  greater  de- 
gree than  in  animals.  It  is  only  in  the  mammalia  that 
convolutions  can  be  said  to  exist,  and  only  among 
the  higher  carnivora  do  we  find  any  indications  of 
the  posterior  lobes.  The  depth  of  the  convolutions 
marks  the  grades  of  intelligence  of  the  animal.  These 
convolutions  are  so  marked,  that  Professor  Owen 
founds  a  classification  on  them,  and  states  that  the 
character  and  the  amount  of  intelligence  can  be  de- 
termined by  them. 

The  general  form  of  the  brain  of  apes  and  mon- 
keys, its  development  behind  the  cerebellum,  and  the 
degree  of  inclination  of  the  fissure  sylvii,  is  as  perfect 
as  the  embryonic  brain  of  man.  The  ape  has  the  an- 
terior convolutions  and  the  super-orbital  parts  large 
and  deep.  They  are  much  longer  and  deeper  than  in 
the  inferior  animals. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  369 

465.  The    brain    of    the    chimpanzee    approaches 
nearer  to  the  human  brain  than  that  of  any  other  ani- 
mal, in  the  depth  and  disposition  of  its  convolutions. 
It  is  broader  through  the  back  and  narrower  through 
the  front,  marking  a  greater  degree  of  intelligence  in 
man;  it  is  not  as  high,  because  of  the  absence  of  the 
moral  organs.     It  also  approaches  the  human  brain  in 
the  absence  of  the  corpus  trapezium.     These  convolu- 
tions are  prominent.     The  brain  is  an  organ  exactly 
corresponding  to  the  quality  of  mind  it  is  designed 
to  produce,  and  always  producing  the  same  quality 
of  mind  in  any  given  form. 

466.  The  amount  of  intelligence  that  man  or  ani- 
mals possess  is  not  altogether  a  question  of  size,  for 
the  brain  of  the  elephant  is  much  larger  than  man's; 
but  it  is  a  question  of  size  of  brain  compared  with 
relative  size  of  bodies.     The  elephant's  brain,  in  order 
to  be  compared  with  man's,  must  be  reduced  in  the 
proportions  that  the  body  of  the  elephant  is  larger 
than  man's  body.      Then,  if  the  degree  of  develop- 
ment of  the  different  organs  is  taken  into  account,  the 
true  amount  of  intelligence  possessed  by  the  elephant 
can   be    ascertained.      Female    animals    have    smaller 
brains,  with  fewer  convolutions,  yet  are  perhaps  as  in- 
telligent as  the  males.     The  size  of  the  body  should 
correspond  to  the  size  of  the  brain. 

467.  Still  more  astonishing  is  the  manner  in  which 
animals  in  their  gestation  pattern  after  the  gestation 
of  the  first  types  of  creative  life.     The  brain  of  man, 
with  his  dependent  nervous  system,  begins  at  the  same 
point,  and  ascends  to  and  surpasses  the  highest.    For 
a  moment  let  us  turn  to  this  interesting  subject,  as  we 
not  only  approach  the  philosophy  of  mind  by  its  in- 
vestigation, but  also  reveal  in  still  stronger  light  the 

mysterious  network  of  organic  life. 
2 


370  THE  ARCANA  OP1   NATURE,   OR 

468.  In  the  vertebrata  the  first  germs  of  organic 
life  are  a  mass  of  nucleated  cells.    At  first  these  are 
uniformly  arranged,  but  soon  collect  around  the  cir- 
cumference, leaving  a  clear  space  in  the  centre.    These 
cells  are  arranged  in  two  layers,  from  the  internal  of 
which  all  the  organs  of  vegetable  life  are  elaborated; 
from  the  external,  those  of  animal  life.     The  trans- 
parent line  observed  in  the  animal  layer,  and  which  is 
confined  to  it,  assumes  a  pear-like  shape.     Its  edges 
are  then  elevated  till  a  gutter  is  formed,  and  gradually 
approach  each  other  until  they  nearly  join.     These 
edges  are  dotted  with  square  spots,  the  germs  of  the 
future  vertebrae. 

469.  At  this  period  there  is  no  appearance  of  nerv- 
ous matter.     The  parts  corresponding  to  the  head  and 
spine  are  transparent,  and  filled  with  a  clear,  aqueous 
fluid.    About  the  sixth  week  the  pia  mater  is  percep- 
tible, so  arranged  as  to  form  three  vesicles,  filled  with 
a  limpid  fluid. 

470.  The  bones  of  the  skull  are  formed  of  three 
vertebras,  and  hence  three  vesicles  first  appear.     The 
anterior  first  becomes  perceptible,  and  the  other  two 
soon  follow,  and  are  soon  after  divided  into  two  others. 
The  two  front  represent  the  olfactory  ganglia,  the  two 
middle  the  optic,   and  the  posterior  the  cerebellum. 
The  spinal  cord  is  represented  by  a  long  canal,  con- 
necting with  these  vesicles. 

471.  The  spinal  cord   always   appears  before  the 
brain.     It  is  composed  of  two  slips  of  neurine,  which 
remain  distinct  in  man  until  the  fourth  month,  in  the 
horse  till  the  sixth,  and  permanently  in  birds  and  rep- 
tiles.   They  do  not  really  unite  in  man;  the  space  be- 
tween them  is  filled  with  cellular  neurine. 

472.  What  is  still  more  extraordinary,  the  spinal 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  371 

cord  in  mammalia  extends  down  into  the  caudal  ver- 
tebras; but  at  the  third  month  it  suddenly  rises  into 
the  second  lumbar  vertebra,  and  the  coccygis,  previ- 
ously formed  of  seven  pieces  of  bone,  which  represent 
the  tail  of  animals,  is  reduced  to  its  permanent  number 
by  their  consolidation. 

473.  The  brains  of  fishes  and  birds  have  no  corpus 
callosum ;  the  same  is  true  of  the  human  foetus  till  the 
third  month,  at  which  time  it  commences  to  form  at  the 
anterior,    and    slowly    grows    towards    the    posterior 
portion. 

474.  The  commissure  of   the   cerebellum)  becomes 
perceptible  at  the  fourth  month.    At  the  fifth  the  cere- 
bellum cannot  be  distinguished  from  the  scate's.    The 
grooves  then  become  perceptible  on  its  surface,  and  at 
the  sixth  the  stems  and  branches  of  the  arbor  vita? 
appear. 

475.  The  optic  ganglia  at  the  second  month  are 
but  plates  of  neurine,  uncovered  by  the  hemisphere; 
but  they  are  in  opposition  at  the  medial  line,  and  unite 
during  the  third  month.    At  this  period  they  resemble 
those  of  fishes.    Not  until  the  seventh  month  do  we  see 
the  characteristic  divisions  of  the  cerebrum,  and  then 
it  scarcely  covers  the  sensory  ganglia,  as  in  rodents. 

At  the  second  month  we  perceive  springing  from 
beneath  the  corpora  striata,  on  each  side,  a  thin,  deli- 
cate tissue,  composed  of  medullary  neurine,  which  is 
reflected  inward  and  backward,  and  scarcely  covering 
the  corpora,  invested  with  pia  mater;  this  is  the  com- 
mencement of  the  cerebral  hemispheres.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  third  montH,  they  extend  over  the 
thalami,  but  not  to  the  optic  tubercles.  During  this 
period  they  nearly  cover  them,  and  convolutions  then 
appear  in  lines  and  grooves.  The  upper  and  lateral 
surface  remains  perfectly  smooth. 


372  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

476.  At  the  seventh  month  the  convolutions  are  all 
marked,    but    imperfectly   developed,    and   the   hemi-, 
spheres  cover  the  cerebellum.    In  the  eighth  month  the 
hemispheres  are  prolonged   over  the  cerebellum,  the 
furrows  deepen,  and  the  convolutions  gradually  per- 
fect, which  process  continues  through  the  ninth. 

477.  The  'hemispheres  develop  from  the  forehead 
backward ;  and  this  is  not  only  true  of  man,  but  of  all 
vertebrata.    The  process  of  growth  is  the  same  in  all, 
to  a  certain  point;  there  the  lowest  stop;  others  go 
farther   before   their   development    is    arrested;   man 
goes   farthest  of    all,   and  hence   he   is  most   intelli- 
gent.    The  brain  in  all  is  formed  on  one  plan;  the 
period  at  which  the  development  is  arrested  varies. 

478.  In  the  scate  we  find  the  brain  of  the  vertebrate 
embryo.     The  rudimentary  hemispheres  are  placed  in 
front  of  the  optic  tubercles;  but  they  never  develop 
beyond  their  rudimentary  form.     Their  cerebral  hemi- 
spheres are  hollow,  with  their  walls  formed  of  cellular 
neurine,  into  which  the  fibres  of  the  crura  expand,  as 
in  the  human  embryo. 

The  rudimentary  hemispheres  in  reptiles  are  equally 
interesting.  They  begin  as  membranous  sacs,  and 
slowly  mature,  to  correspond  with  the  human  em- 
bryo of  the  third  month,  and  then  their  growth  is  ar- 
rested. 

The  above  facts  prove  conclusively  that  the  brain 
is  modelled  after  a  great  archetype,  and  that,  too,  by 
universal  and  immutable  law.  The  plan  by  which 
embryos  grow  is  that  which  is  pursued  by  the  birth  of 
races  and  species.  Nature,  in  her  gestation  of  man, 
has  left  arrested  developments  all  the  way  along  the 
path  of  her  progress.  The  same  law  governed,  through 
the  illimitable  past,  the  saurians  and  mastodons  of 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  373 

the  geological  world.  Life  has  ever  been  the  same, 
and  living  beings  ever  held  the  same  relations  to 
nature  that  they  now  hold.* 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

STRUCTURE  AND  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  BRAIN  AND 
NERVOUS  SYSTEM,  STUDIED  WITH  REFERENCE  TO 
THE  ORIGIN  OF  THOUGHT. 

479.  IN  the  thin  line   of  nervous  matter  of  the 
hydra   and  amphioxus,   we  read   a   prophecy  of  the 
convoluted  brain  of  the  mammal  and  of  man.     It  is 
a  prophecy  written  in  the  constitution  of  things,  and 
affords  to  contemplation  a  splendid  survey,  when  it 
reads  in  the  positive  symbols  of  Nature  the  efforts  she 
puts  forth  to  work  the  perfected  brain  out  of  the  crude 
elements.     From  matter  we  ascend  to  spirit,  through 
the   brain.     It   furnishes   the    only   gateway   through 
which  we  can  pass.     Here  the  living  processes  termi- 
nate in  a  cynosure  of  perfection. 

480.  The  human  brain  is  surrounded  by  a  halo  of 
power.     It  overturns  mountains,  dries  up  the  sea,  re- 
creates, improves,  and  revises  the  works  of  nature,  and 
enthrones  itself  as  a  deity  in  the  material  world.    The 
throbbing    brain    with    every    beat    diffuses    thought 
— plans,  improves,  or  models  world-wide  schemes  for 
the  emancipation  of  suffering  and  distress.     It  is  the 
emblem  of  that  eternal  pulsating  brain  of  the  universe, 

*  For  extension  of  the  facts  of  embryonic  growth,  see  Carpenter's 
Comparative  and  Human  Physiology ;  of  comparative  anatomy  and 
structure,  see  Siebold  and  Stannius'  Comparative  Anatomy,  Wilson's 
Anatomy,  and  Solly  on  the  Brain. 


374  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

whose  thoughts  are  immutable  laws,  and  on  whose 
magnetic  streams  fleets  of  suns  and  worlds,  with  their 
teeming  intelligences,  are  wafted  as  toys  on  the  ocean's 
breast. 

481.  Thus   it   is   our   first   step,    on   entering  the 
domain  of  mind,  to  describe  the  mechanism  of  this 
wonderful  structure  which  bridges   over  the   chasm 
between  matter  and  spirit,  by  which  the  only  access 
can  be  obtained  to  the  mysterious  causes,  the  effects 
of  which  are  manifested  as  mind  or  spirit. 

The  brain  is  confined  in  a  solid  box  of  bones,  car- 
tilage, or  other  dense  substance,  the  material  of 
which  the  protective  skeleton  is  formed  differing 
widely  in  different  classes  of  animals. 

482.  In  the  lowest  tribes,  the  ganglia  of  which  it 
is  composed  are  small,  and  the  vertebrae  at  the  sum- 
mit of  the  brain  are  not  enlarged;  but  as  the  brain 
enlarges,  the  bony  envelope  must  also  enlarge,  and  at 
length  it  spreads  out  until  it  is  difficult  to  recognize 
the  primitive  form  of  the  vertebra  in  the  plates  of 
bone  of  which  the  skull  is  formed.     It  may  appear 
irrational  that  so  hard  and  unyielding  a  substance  as 
bone  can  be  modified  by  the  plastic  and  yielding  brain ; 
but  this   proposition  is  maintained  by  unanswerable 
facts.     Even  in  the  mature  man,  after  the  skull  has 
attained  its   growth,   if  the   brain  changes  its  form, 
the  skull  is  obliged  to  yield  to  it.     The  growing  brain 
fashions  the  vertebrae  which  enclose  it.     The  skull  is 
composed    of    these    enlarged    and    greatly    modified 
vertebrae,  rounded  into  its  beautiful  form  by  the  brain, 
which  it  encloses. 

483.  In  an  anatomical  examination  of  the  brain, 
this  osseous  envelope  first  meets  our  eye  after  remov- 
ing the  integument,  or  scalp.     It  is  composed  of  two 


THE  HISTORY  AN0  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  375 

tables,  or  plates  of  bone,  between  which  a  cellular 
framework  is  placed.  In  front,  over  the  eyes,  three 
tables  spread  apart,  leaving  a  large  cavity  filled  with 
the  same.  The  object  of  this  is  to  protect  the  brain 
from  injury,  as  a  blow  that  would  crush  the  skull  if 
formed  by  one  plate,  would  only  break  the  outer  table, 
leaving  the  inner  unharmed.  The  wide  separation 
in  front  has  the  same  object  in  view,  as  the  forehead 
is  much  more  liable  to  injury  than  any  other  portion 
of  the  head. 

484.  In  the  skull  of  the  embryo,  in  the  cartilage 
which  first  envelops  the  jelly-like  brain,  opaque  points 
are  observed,   sending  out  rays  like  frostwork  on  a 
window  pane.     This  ossification  commences  near  the 
centre  of  each  of  the  bones  of  the  skull,  and  enlarg- 
ing  in   all   directions,   meets   along   the   lines   called 
sutures.     The  irregular  edges,  closing  together,  pro- 
duce the  angular  appearance,  dovetailing  the  pieces 
together.     This  arrangement  is  another  safe-guard  to 
the  enclosed  brain,  as  an  injury  which  cracks  only 
one  part  of  the  skull  cannot  extend  farther  than  one  of 
these  sutures. 

485.  If  we  now  carefully  remove  the  skull,  a  dense, 
white,  glistening  membrane  is  brought  to  view  envel- 
oping the  brain.    This  is  the  dura  mater.     It  consists 
of  two  layers  united  by  cellular  tissue;  the  external  is 
formed  from  the  internal  periosteum  of  the  skull. 

486.  If  the  dura  mater  be  now  removed,  the  brain 
will   be   brought   to  view,   with   is   convolutions   and 
hemispheres.    The  cerebrum  is  divided,  along  the  me- 
dian line  of  the  head,  into  two  equal  halves,  or  hemi- 
spheres, the  office  of  which  is  precisely  alike.     Be- 
tween these  the  dura  mater  throws  down  a  partition, 
to  prevent  them  from  pressing  against  each  other. 


376  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

487.  The  brain  is  covered  with  a  delicate  mem- 
brane,— pia  mater, — which  dips  between  the  -convo- 
lutions, and  is  designed  to  give  support  to  the  delicate 
network  of  vessels  which  supply  the  great  nervous 
centre  with  blood. 

These  membranes  are  admirably  adapted  for  the 
office  they  are  designed  to  fill.  The  external  layer  of 
the  dura  forms  a  dense  tissue  around  the  brain;  the 
internal  is  smoothly  polished,  to  prevent  friction.  The 
pia  mater,  though  sufficiently  dense  to  support  its 
blood-vessels,  is  not  sufficiently  so  to  interfere  with  the 
pulsations  of  the  brain.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  brain, 
with  its  investments,  does  not  fill  the  cavity  of  the 
skull,  nor  does  the  spinal  cord  fill  the  channel  of  the 
spine.  In  old  people  especially,  when  the  tissues 
shrink,  the  bones  remaining  nearly  permanent,  a  large 
space  is  left  unoccupied.  If  this  was  not  obviated  by 
some  peculiar  contrivance,  the  brain  would  be  thrown 
from  side  to  side,  and  be  ever  in  danger  of  paralyzing 
concussions.  The  dura  not  only  envelops  the  brain, 
but  is  prolonged  down  the  spine,  and  from  its  inner 
surface  pours  out  the  eerebro-spinal  fluid,  like  the 
synovia!  membrane  of  the  joints,  which  always  keeps 
the  cavity  full.  If  the  brain  enlarges,  a  portion  of  the 
fluid  is  absorbed;  if  it  diminishes,  a  fresh  fluid  is 
poured  out;  so  that  the  pressure  is  always  the  same, 
and  the  cavity  always  full.  In  this  fluid  the  nerves 
float  as  a  prepared  brain  floats  in  a  jar  of  alcohol. 
They  are  surrounded  by  a  liquid  cushion,  which  pre- 
vents all  jars  or  concussions.  The  spinal  cord,  after 
passing  through  a  perforation  in  the  base  of  the  skull, 
becomes  very  much  enlarged,  from  the  deposition  of 
cellular  neurine,  and  is  called  the  medulla  oblongata. 

488.  We  now  'Come  to   the  brain,  resting  at  the 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  377 

summit  of  the  nervous  system,  the  great  centre  in 
which  the  ganglia  are  all  represented,  which  wills  and 
controls  the  entire  body.  It  is  the  human  brain  we  are 
investigating,  and  are  at  once  impressed  by  the  enor- 
mous development  of  the  cerebral  ganglia,  and  the 
compression  and  consolidation  we  observe.  The  brain 
is  composed  of  six  pairs  of  ganglia,  but  these  are  so 
concentrated  within  the  skull  that  it  is  with  difficulty 
that  they  can  be  distinguished;  and  only  by  tracing 
them  downward,  where  they  separate  in  the  loosely 
aggregated  brain  of  the  lower  vertebrata,  can  their  in- 
dependent existence  be  clearly  proved.  As  in  them 
we  find  optic  and  auditory  thalami  and  olfactory  gan- 
glia, in  which  the  nerve-fibres  of  sight,  hearing,  and 
smell  terminate  in  cellular  neurine,  by  which  their 
effects  are  manifested.  Reposing  on  the  medulla  is 
the  cerebellum,  almost  concealed  by  the  backward 
folding  of  the  cerebrum.  It  is  much  smaller  in  man, 
proportionally,  than  in  most  animals,  in  which  it 
crowds  the  cerebrum  forwards,  being  much  the  largest. 
When  cut  in  section,  it  presents  the  curious  appear- 
ance called  the  arbor  vita,  representing  the  branches 
of  a  tree,  from  the  peculiar  distribution  of  its  nerve- 
fibres  and  the  cellular  neurine,  by  which  the  muscles 
are  united  and  reduced  to  harmony. 

489.  Reposing  on  these,  and  almost  entirely  envel- 
oping them,  is  the  cerebrum,  the  acknowledged  organ 
of  thought;  and  hence  the  most  interesting  portion  of 
the  system.  The  brain  is  not  the  homogeneous,  pulpy 
mass  which  it  appears  to  be  to  the  casual  observer, 
but  it  is  the  finest  organized  and  most  finished  struc- 
ture in  the  animal  organism.  The  finest  machine,  the 
delicate  diamond-pivoted  watch,  is  a  rude  effort  to 
its  delicate  fibres,  some  of  which  do  not  exceed  the 


378  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

40,000th  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  course  and 
functions  of  these  is  interesting  to  the  student  of  cere- 
bral anatomy,  and  prepares  the  way  for  subsequent 
conclusions.  There  are  fibres  uniting  the  opposite 
sides  of  the  brain.  It  will  be  recollected  that  there 
are  two  cerebral  organs  for  each  function.  As  there 
are  two  hands,  two  feet,  two  lungs,  two  eyes,  &c.,  so 
there  are  two  organs  in  the  brain  of  precisely  the  same 
character.  On  each  side  of  the  median  line,  organs 
exactly  alike  are  situated,  so  that  there  are  two  brains 
in  the  skull,  one  on  each  side  of  this  line.  But  if  there 
was  no  tie  of  union  between  these  two  portions  of 
brain,  diverse  manifestations  would  be  produced,  and 
the  body  would  become  an  awkward  instrument.  To 
obviate  this,  the  two  are  tied  together  by  fibres.  In  the 
optic  nerves  this  is  accomplished  by  a  crossing  of  fibres, 
so  that  the  right  optic  nerve  communicates  with  the 
left  side  of  the  brain,  and  the  left  optic  with  the  right. 
But  in  the  cerebrum,  fibres  from  the  exterior  of  every 
portion  of  one  hemisphere  cross  in  the  corpus  callosum, 
and  terminate  in  every  portion  of  the  other  hemi- 
sphere, beginning  and  ending  in  the  cellular  neurine 
which  >coats  their  exteriors.  By  this  arrangement  the 
brain  becomes  unitized,  and  impressions  made  on  one 
region  are  immediately  transmitted  to  every  other. 
Another  set  of  fibres  collect  from  every  portion  of  the 
cerebrum,  and  terminate  in  every  portion  of  the  cere- 
bellum, by  which  their  action  is  unitized. 

490.  From  every  portion  of  the  cerebrum  go  out 
the  fibres  of  volition,  and  after  visiting  the  minutest 
fibrilla3  of  the  body,  return  along  the  pathway  of  their 
going  out  as  fibres  of  sensation,  terminating  in  the 
same  place  where  they  began. 

491.  If  the  cerebellum  exercises  such  an  important 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  379 

function  on  the  muscles,  it  must  be  closely  connected 
with  them;  and  we  find  that  from  its  centre  surface 
fibres  collect,  pass  down  the  spine,  and  after  visiting 
every  part  of  the  organism,  return,  terminating  in  the 
same  locality  from  whence  they  set  out. 

492.  This  will  be  better  understood  by  reference  to 
the  engraving,  which  is  an  ideal  representation  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  fibres  are  distributed.     It  rep- 
resents   a    section    of    one    hemisphere,    g  represents 

Ideal  Section  of  the  Brain.  the   GorV™   callosum; 

c  c,  the  fibres  unit- 
ing the  cerebrum  and 
cerebellum ;  a,  the 
fibres  of  volition,  re- 
turning on  the  ante- 
rior of  the  spinal 
cord,  as  nerves  of 
sensation;  d,  the  vo- 
litional, or  motor 
nerves  of  the  cere- 
bellum; II,  its  exci- 
Fig'  18'  tor,  or  sensational 

fibres.     The  lines  X  X  illustrate  the  manner  in  which 

all  the  fibres  radiate  to  the  surface  of  the  hemispheres ; 

V   Y   cellular  neurine,   by   which  the   fibres   receive 

their  nervous  power. 

493.  When  the  fibres  which   pass  down  into  the 
spinal  cord  are  traced  out,  it  is  found  that  this  unitiz- 
ing  is  still  further  increased  by  a  crossing  of  all  the 
fibres  from  one  side  over  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
cord,  as  is  proved  by  injuries  on  one  side  of  the  brain 
affecting  the  opposite  side  of  the  body,  instead  of  the 
same  side,  as  it  must  necessarily,  if  there  was  no  in- 
tersection of  the  nerves, 


380  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

A  similar  union  exists  between  the  ganglia  of  the 
spine.  They  are  arranged  in  pairs,  and  might  act 
independently  of  each  other,  unless  brought  into  con- 
stant sympathy.  (See  Fig.  19.)  MO  shows  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  united  by  crossing  fibres. 

494.  By  what  a  perfect  system  is  every  portion  of 
the  body  brought  and  kept  in  sympathy!  Not  the 
minutest  cell  secreting  bile  or  mucus,  not  a  fibrilla  of 
muscle,  not  a  gland,  but  is  visited,  and  has  open  com- 
munication with  the  great  central  office.  Its  wants 
are  all  sent  directly  and  instantaneously  there,  and  the 
supplies  are  forwarded.  The  least  disturbance  in  one 
portion  of  the  organism  is  felt  by  the  whole  frame, 
and  any  cause  prostrating  one  organ  pulls  the  others 
after  it.  Physicists  speak  of  the  influence  the  blow 
of  a  hammer  would  produce  on  the  earth,  repeating 
itself  on  the  space-ether  until  it  vibrated  on  the  re- 
motest star  in  space:  more  perfect  is  the  sympathy 
which  exists  in  the  vital  organism.  The  beatings  of 
the  heart  are  reciprocated  by  the  brain,  and  it  pulsates 
in  measured  time  with  the  former.  If  the  heart  cease 
its  labor  for  a  moment,  the  blood  stops  circulating 
through  its  channels,  and  the  brain  no  longer  per- 
forms its  function ;  its  adjustments  are  useless,  its  ma- 
chinery stops,  it  dies.  If  the  liver  purifies  not  the 
blood,  the  base  of  the  brain  becomes  inflamed,  and 
animal  ferocity  and  brutality  are  manifested.  So  of 
other  functions;  all  are  represented  in  the  brain, 
which  is  first  to  speak  of  impurities  in  the  circulating 
fluid.  How  soon  do  the  lungs  reciprocate  the  affec- 
tion of  the  liver,  and  how  completely  does  a  disease 
of  the  stomach  prostrate  the  entire  system!  The 
stomach  is  the  laborer,  preparing  Ifood  for  all  the 
other  organs;  and  if  its  work  is  not  well  done,  they 


THE   HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  381 

feel  its  neglect.  The  brain  receives  one  fifth  of  the 
entire  circulating  fluid,  and  in  consequence  is  first 
to  be  influenced  by  its  qualities.  The  thoughts  and 
emotions  it  manifests  have  an  intimate  relation  to 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  blood,  and  these  de- 
pend on  the  food. 

495.  Having  briefly  described  the  prominent  fea- 
tures in  the  structure  of  brain  and  nerves,  we  now 
turn  to  the  functions  they  perform  in  the  animal  econ- 
omy, and  to  the  manner  in  which  they  produce  their 
peculiar  phenomena. 

496.  Physiologists    have    endeavored    by    various 
methods  to  arrive  at  the  true  functions  of  the  nerves 
and  brain,  and  have  usually  studied  the  subject  in  the 
same  manner  that  they  would  the  office  of  any  other 
physical  organ.      The  old  method  of  vivisection  has 
been  discarded  as  cruel,  and  leading  to  unimportant 
results ;  yet,  so  far  as  it  can  be  applied,  it  has  contrib- 
uted very  much  to  the  positive  knowledge  of  the  cere- 
bral functions.    The  study  of  their  comparative  devel- 
opment in  the  lower  animals  has  contributed  largely 
to  our  stock  of  knowledge,  and  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent methods  in  use  at  present.     In  connection  with 
pathological  facts,  comparative  anatomy  is  the  main 
source  of  external  research. 

The  impressibility  of  the  mind — a  recent  discovery, 
and  still  more  recently  applied — would  seem,  by  the 
vast  amount  of  light  it  has  in  so  short  a  period  poured 
on  the  mysteries  of  mental  science,  to  be  the  key 
by  which  its  most  secret  chambers  can  be  unfolded. 
While  the  other  methods  are  more  external  in  their 
observations,  this  enters  the  innermost  recesses  of  the 
soul,  and  reveals  the  wonderful  operations  which  go 
on  within  the  congeries  of  the  nerves  unseen  and  un- 
known by  the  external  observer. 


382  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

497.  The  spinal   cord   of  man   is   composed  of   a 
series  of  ganglia  homologous  and  perfectly  analogous 
to  the  spinal  cord  of  insects. 

The  number  of  ganglia  determines  the  number  of 
vertebrae,  being  thirty-two  in  man.  Each  ganglion 
has  its  particular  function  to  perform,  and  it  never 
departs  from  the  office  assigned  it.  The  auditory,  ol- 
factory, optic,  and  phrenic  ganglia  give  rise  to  the 
auditory,  olfactory,  optic,  and  phrenic  nerves,  which 
convey  to  them  respectively  the  sensations  of  hearing, 
smell,  sight;  and  from  the  phrenic  the  impulse  is  con- 
stantly conveyed  to  the  diaphragm,  which  keeps  it  in 
perpetual  motion,  causing  respiration.  The  functions 
of  each  are  determinate,  and  never  change. 

498.  It  will  be  inferred  that  as  there  are  thirty- 
two  vertebras,  there  are  thirty-two  ganglia,  and  the 
same  number  of  pairs  of  nerves.     These  nerves  are 
wholly  composed  of  continuous  fibres,   and,  in  their 
minutest  capillary  ramifications,  are  composed  of  four 
distinct  sets  of  fibres,  designed  for  appropriate  offices. 
This  is  true  of  every  nerve  thrown  off  from  a  gan- 
glionic  centre,  although  the  relative  number  of  fibres 
in  these  four  classes  greatly  vary  in  different  nerves; 
e.  g.,  the  nerves  which  go  to  the  internal  viscera,  send 
few  fibres   to   the    cerebrum,   while  the   optic   nerve 
sends  a  very  great  number.     In  the  one  case  the  ob- 
ject is  to  convey  the  impression  of  external  objects 
to  the  whole  mind  at  once,  in  the  other  to  supply, 
simply,  nervous  force;  and  as  this  can  be  done  with- 
out the  aid  of  the  cerebrum,  few  fibres  are  sent  by 
the  visceral  nerves  to  it,  and  hence  we  feel  not  the 
disturbances  which  may  exist  in  the  internal  organs 
as  acutely  as  we  otherwise  should — a  circumstance  ex- 
tremely  benevolent  in   its   effects,    as  it  contributes 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION. 


383 


largely  to  human  happiness.  The  nerves  are  divided 
into  four  sets;  the  excito-motors  and  the  sensatory 
and  volitional. 

499.  The  exci to-motor  system  is  that  of  insects, 
and  the  others  are  added  in  proportion  as  we  ascend 
the  scale — the  volitionary  preponderating  in  man. 
When  the  junction  of  a  nerve  with  the  spinal  cord  is 
examined,  this  system  becomes  plainly  perceptible 
and  distinct  from  the  others.  The  annexed  figure 
represents  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  spinal  ganglion, 
the  fibres  extremely  magnified.  L  represents  the  mo- 
tor nerves;  the  lighter  lines,  the  nerves  which  convey 
the  impressions  from  the  appropriate  organs  to  the 

Ideal  Section  of  a  Vertebral  Ganglion 


Fig.  19. 

ganglion;  the  darker  lines  are  the  nerves  which  con- 
vey motion  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  the  re- 
ceived impression.  0  represents  nerve  fibres  connect- 
ing opposite  organs,  passing  through  the  ganglion. 
The  fibres  represented  by  X  X  go  to  the  brain,  and 
come  in  contact  with  every  portion  of  its  surface,  both 
of  the  cerebrum  and  cerebellum,  and  return  in  parallel 
courses  to  the  points  from  whence  they  originate. 
500.  The  excito-motor  system  is  not  necessarily 


384  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

connected  with  consciousness ;  on  the  contrary  its  func- 
tions terminate  with  automatic  actions.  Where  it 
exists  alone,  and  there  is  no  concentrated  cerebral 
mass,  though  the  animal  may  manifest  motion  gov- 
erned, apparently,  by  will,  yet  its  motions  are  not  con- 
scious or  volitional,  more  than  those  of  the  sensitive 
plant.  As  we  ascend  the  scale,  a  greater  number 
of  fibres  are  sent  to  the  cerebral  mass,  which  aug- 
ments in  size,  and  the  two  systems  become  blended. 
Even  in  man  they  can  be  separated,  and  his  instruc- 
tive actions  referred  to  those  nerves  which  manifest 
them  in  the  insect. 

501.  The  spinal  cord,  medulla  oblongata,  and  sen- 
sory ganglia  represent  the  nervous  system  of  insects 
and   fishes.     From    these   all   nervous   power   is    de- 
rived, and  the  influence  of  the  cerebrum  over  the  or- 
ganic  functions  is  extremely  limited,   if   it  may   be 
said  to  have  any  influence  at  all.     Impressions  con- 
veyed to  appropriate  ganglia  are  reflected  by  the  mo- 
tor nerves,  independent  of  volition.     That  this  theory 
is   correct   is    supported    by    the    strongest    facts    of 
physiology.    It  is  certain  that   all  the   functions   of 
life  can  be  carried  on  independently  of  the  cerebrum  or 
cerebellum.    Infants  have  been  born  destitute  of  these, 
yet  lived  apparently  healthy  for  a  considerable  time. 

Animals  and  birds  have  been  known  to  live  for 
months  after  the  removal  of  both  the  cerebrum  and 
cerebellum.  The  amphioxus  has  scarcely  a  vestige 
of  either,  yet  manifests  the  instincts  necessary  to  its 
existence. 

502.  A  mammal  will  live  for  a  considerable  length 
of  time  after  its  nervous  system  has  been  reduced  to 
the  condition   of  that  of  the  mollusk,  by  dissecting 
away  all  except  the  medulla,  and  cutting  off  the  cord 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  385 

below  the  respiratory  ganglia.  If  the  cord  is  cut 
above  this  ganglia,  respiration  ceases,  and  of  course 
death  results. 

503.  When  the  cerebrum  and  cerebellum  are  re- 
moved from  the  living  animal,  all  consciousness,  sen- 
sation, and  will  must  cease,  and  whatever  movements 
the  animal  may  exhibit  cannot  be  referred  to  them. 

504.  These  movements  are  never  spontaneous,  but 
are  always  excited  by  an  irritant.    Even  the  respira- 
tory movement  is  excited  by  the  presence  of  venous 
blood  in  the  lungs.    It  is  thus  certain  that  the  nervous 
power  which  controls  the  involuntary  motions  does 
not  reside  either  in  the  cerebellum  or  cerebrum,  but 
in  some  portion  of  the  cord;  that  the  impression  con- 
veyed by  an  excitor  nerve  goes  no  farther  than  its 
ganglion,   and  is  from  thence  reflected  through  the 
required  motor  fibres  to  the  muscles,  causing  them  to 
contract,  independent  of  the  will. 

505.  When  the  spinal  cord  is  severed  into  several 
pieces,  similar  movements  occur.     If  the  spine  of  the 
frog  be  cut  in  the  middle  and  behind  the  head,  its 
limbs  become  completely  paralyzed  to  the  will,  yet 
they  move  if  touched,  and  with  almost  intelligent  ac- 
tions avoid  a  heated  body;  but  its  four  limbs  do  not 
act  in  concert,  as  they  do  when  the  intervening  spinal 
cord  is  not  severed. 

The  spinal  axis  is  nearly  the  whole  nervous  system 
of  insects,  and  experiments  in  this  direction  succeed 
in  a  remarkable  manner  with  them.  When  the  mantis 
religinosa,  or  walking-stick,  is  approached,  it  assumes 
a  defiant  posture,  elevating  its  head  and  the  front  por- 
tion of  its  body,  and  raising  its  long,  sharp  claws.  If 
while  in  this  position  it  be  suddenly  cut  in  two  imme- 
diately in  front  of  its  middle  pair  of  legs,  the  posterior 

25 


386          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

portion  will  remain  balanced  as  before,  resisting  every 
effort  to  overthrow  it,  and  regaining  its  position  when 
overthrown,  and  when  irritated  running  from  the  irri- 
tating body,  moving  its  wings  in  the  same  manner  that 
the  unmutilated  insect  previously  had  done.  These 
movements  are  independent  of  volition,  as  the  voli- 
tional ganglia  have  been  severed.  Still  further  in  il- 
lustration, if  the  head  be  severed  from  the  previously 
severed  thorax,  the  ganglia  which  this  section  of  the 
body  contain  will  set  in  motion  the  long  arms,  and  fix 
their  claws  in  the  finger  that  disturbs  them. 

506.  If  the  head  of  the  centipede  be  suddenly  cut 
off,  when  the  insect  is  in  motion,  it  will  continue  to 
move ;  or  if  cut  into  several  pieces,  each  piece  will  con- 
tinue to  move,  for  each  piece  has  a  motor  nervous 
centre.    If  any  pair  of  its  limbs  are  selected,  and  their 
nervous  centre  dissected  out,  then  all  the  others  con- 
tinue to  move,  but  they  remain  paralyzed.     There  is 
no    consciousness    in   these   movements,    for   when   it 
reaches  an  impassable  obstacle,  it  turns  neither  to  the 
right  nor  the  left,  but  the  stump  is  forced  against 
the  object,  the  limbs  continuing  to  move. 

507.  The  same  phenomenon  is  seen  in  reptiles.     If 
the  head  of  the  turtle  is  cut  off,  of  course  the  move- 
ments of  its  body  cannot  be  referred  to  volition ;  yet  it 
loses  not  its  power  of  motion  or  of  avoiding  obstacles. 
If  its  limbs  are  touched,  they  withdraw;  if  molested, 
it  runs  away ;  if  a  burning  body  is  brought  near  it,  it 
turns  aside.     These  movements  are  the  result  of  the 
excito-motor  system,  independent  of  the  will. 

508.  By   this    system,    the   lower    animals   become 
almost  automatons,  and  it  is  as  easy  to  account  for 
the  nervous  influence   as   for  the   circulation  of  the 
blood.      Even  in    man    it    exists    in    his    involuntary 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF  CREATION.  387 

movements.  This  peculiarity  in  the  structure  of  the 
articulata  guides  them  to  the  attainment  of  certain 
determinate  ends.  In  the  most  remarkable  families,  a 
mixture  of  the  automatic  and  intellectual  is  observ- 
able. The  bees,  wasps,  &c.,  are  the  most  instructive 
of  the  articulata;  yet  in  them  there  is  a  fixed  regu- 
larity in  the  actions  of  all  individuals,  and  they  never 
depart  from  narrow  limits.  These  insects  have  a  great 
concentration  of  ganglia  in  their  heads,  and  there  is 
evidence  of  the  presence  of  a  cerebrum,  by  which 
manifestations  not  strictly  automatic  are  produced. 
They  can  adapt  themselves  to  different  circumstances; 
they  do  not  build  an  hexagonal  cell  over  the  worm 
which  has  stolen  into  their  hive ;  the  form  and  position 
of  the  comb  they  adapt  to  the  cavity  in  which  it  is 
built.  The  certainty  of  their  actions  depends  on  the 
uniformity  of  their  organization,  making  them  all  to 
will  alike,  as  well  as  to  produce  automatic  impulses. 
Bees  have  a  memory,  as  they  have  been  known  to  re- 
turn in  the  spring  to  places  where  they  obtained 
honey  in  the  fall.  That  species  of  wasp  which  feeds 
its  young  on  spiders,  when  it  catches  a  spider  too 
large  for  it  to  carry,  will  bite  off  its  limbs  one  by 
one,  until  it  is  able  to  rise  with  it.  This  wasp  makes 
a  cell  of  mud,  in  which  it  deposits  a  spider  and  an  egg. 
If,  on  trial,  the  spider  is  too  large  to  be  forced  into 
the  small  orifice,  the  wasp  reduces  it  in  size,  by  bi- 
ting off  its  superfluous  portions,  till  it  can  enter.  Such 
instances  might  be  multiplied  to  volumes;  but  this 
represents  the  class,  and  is  sufficient  to  prove  the  exist- 
ence of  a  high  order  of  conscious  faculties. 

509.  Such  are  the  facts  from  which  the  reflex  ac- 
tion of  the  spinal  cord  is  inferred;  and  it  becomes  a 
fact  in  science  that  the  entire  motions  of  the  lower 


388  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

animals,  and  the  involuntary  in  man,  originate  in- 
dependently of  the  will,  in  the  spinal  ganglia,  by  im- 
pressions conveyed  by  one  set  of  fibres  reflected  to 
appropriate  muscles  by  another  set — the  excito-mo- 
tor  system. 

510.  The  medulla  oblongata  is  simply  the  cranial 
prolongation  of  the  cord,  and  contains  the  ganglia  in 
which  the  respiratory  and  stomato-gastric  nerves  ter- 
minate.    The  act  of  swallowing  and  that  of  respira- 
tion are  consequently  purely  automatic.     Mastication 
and  the  prehension  of  food  by  the  lips,  though  par- 
tially controlled  by  the  will  in  >adults,  in  infants  are 
purely  automatic.     There  is  a  class  of  secondary  auto- 
matic motions,  which  at  first  appear  to  be  controlled 
by  the  will,  but  are  at  length  performed  without  its 
agency;  as  the  musician  can  play  a  familiar  air  while 
engaged  in  conversation;   and  we  often  walk  a  long 
distance  on  a  familiar  road  without  bestowing  a  single 
thought  on  the  movements  of  our  limbs.     The  will  at 
first  induces  the  movement  in  the  motor  nerves,  and 
does  so  until  there  becomes  such  an  intimate  relation 
between  the  impulse  of  the  will  and  the  object  on  which 
the  motors  are  exerted,  that  they  continue  to  act  under 
the  stimulus  of  the  object  alone  after  the  will  is  with- 
drawn.    This  has  been  a  vexed  question  to  the  meta- 
physician; but  when  he  leaves  the  dusty  path  of  his 
wonted  verbiage,  the  solution  is  readily  effected. 

511.  The  enormous  development  of  the  cerebrum  in 
man  endows  him  with  intellect;  yet  it  is  remarkable 
how  many  of  his  actions  are  automatic,  or  instinctive. 
While  many  of  the  lower  animals  have  astonishing 
intelligence,  and  even  moral  and  sympathetic  natures, 
in  constructing  their  habitations,  in  the  care  of  their 
young,  and  treatment  of  their  companions,  man  par- 


THE   HISTORY   AND  LAWS   OP   CREATION.  389 

takes  largely  of  their  instinctive  faculties.  What  he 
gains  in  volitional  or  mental  power,  he  loses  in  in- 
stinctive. 

512.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  will  understand 
the  structure  of  the  organs  on  which  it  operates,  but 
it  requires  practice  to  harmonize  the  muscles  and  the 
will,  as  the  child  only  gains  control  over  its  limbs  by 
long  practice;  and  equally  arduous  is  the  penman's 
task  to  gain  the  necessary  control  over  the  muscles  of 
the  hand,  and  the  musician  to  govern  his  vocal  organs. 
Thus  is  the  distinction  drawn  between  it  and  instinct, 
one  being  referable  to  the  spinal  axis,  the  other  to 
the  brain. 

513.  The  office  of  the  brain  can  be  studied  by  the 
light  of  comparative  anatomy.     The  first  observation 
which  we  make  in  regard  to  the  cerebellum,  when  we 
glance  over  the  dissected  brains  of  the  vertebrata,  is, 
that  it  is  small  in  animals  of  weak  muscular  power, 
while  it  is  large  in  those  frequently  called  on  to  display 
great  and  energetic  movements.    While  the  motor  sys- 
tem gives  force  to  the  muscles,  an  organ  is  necessary 
to  systematize  their  actions  and  regulate  their  move- 
ments   in    accordance   with    one    design.     Gregarious 
fishes,  and  other  aquatic  animals  with  small  muscular 
power,  immersed  as  they  always  are  in  a  dense  fluid, 
have  a  small  cerebellum;  while  in  the  fierce  shark, 
capable  of  rapid  motion,  and  endowed  with  prodigious 
muscular  power,  and  birds  of  strong  wing  and  remark- 
able balancing  powers,  as  the  eagle  and  birds  of  prey, 
it  is  large.     It  is  large  in  the  monkey,  larger  in  the 
ape,  still  larger  in  the  orang,  and  largest  in  man,  who, 
by  his  upright  position,  brings  in  requisition  the  great- 
est amount  of  muscular  action,  and  who,  by  cultiva- 
tion, performs  the  most  complicated  and  various  move- 
ments. 


390  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

514.  That  such  is  its  function  is  proved  by  dis- 
secting it  out  from  the  brain  of  the  living  animal. 
When  this  is  done,  they  lose  not  the  power  of  motion, 
but  the  power  of  combining  the  several  muscles  is 
totally  lost,   and   the  animal   is  unable  to   stand,   or 
move    its    feet,    harmoniously.     The    power    to    move 
them  by  the  will  is  unimpaired,  and  only  the  unitizing 
influence  lost.     It  is  not  the  severity  of  the  opera- 
tion which  produces  this  effect,  for  the  cerebrum  can 
be  removed  without  any  such  result.     The  cerebellum 
is  also  closely  connected  with  the  passions,  imparting 
strength  and  energy  to  their  manifestations. 

515.  It  has  been  previously  remarked  that  on  dis- 
secting away  the  cerebrum  from  the  brain  of  the  liv- 
ing animal,  it  immediately  lost  all  consciousness,  per- 
ception   and   will.      This    fact    plainly    indicates    the 
office  of  that  portion  of  the  brain — that  it  originates 
will   and   all   the  mental  manifestations.     It  is  very 
small  in  unintelligent  animals  and  in  idiots,  and  larger 
in  proportion  to  the  intelligence  displayed,  its  size,  if 
of  the  same  quality  or  fineness,  holding  an  exact  pro- 
portion to  the  degree  of  intelligence. 

516.  The  spinal  axis  has  been  shown  to  be  the  seat 
of  involuntary  motion;  the  office  of  the  cerebellum  to 
be  the  unitizing  of  muscular  action,  and  to  give  energy 
to  the  passions;  while  the  cerebrum  is  the  organ  of 
thought,  of  volition,  and  spiritual  energy.     Previous 
to  the  time  of  Gall,  although  this  function  was  assigned 
to  it,  yet  it  was  regarded  as  a  single  organ;  but  in- 
stead of  analyzing  it  in  a  positive  manner,  the  field 
was  deserted  by  all,  save  the  metaphysician,  who,  fully 
persuaded  that  words  were  adequate  to  the  solution  of 
mystery,  heaped  up   great  volumes  of  verbiage,  till 
lost  in  his  own  wanderings. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  391 

Nature  is  our  guide,  and  positive  science  will  only 
satisfy  the  questioning  mind.  Mind  is  never  brought 
to  view  by  the  scalpel  of  the  demonstrator.  The  cere- 
brum presents  to  him  but  an  inert  mass  of  fibres  and 
cells.  Even  the  microscope  detects  not  the  difference 
between  the  fibres  of  different  organs.  But  if  differ- 
ent regions  of  the  cerebrum  perform  different  func- 
tions, we  know  there  must  be  a  difference  between 
their  component  fibres,  or  their  manifestation  would 
be  the  same. 

517.  The  manifestations  of  mind  are  divisible  into 
determinate  classes.  The  emotions  are  distinct  from 
the  intellect;  the  passions  from  morality.  It  would 
be  extremely  unphilosophical  to  refer  these  diverse 
manifestations  to  the  same  organ,  if  that  organ  be  re- 
garded as  a  whole;  but  if  they  are  referred  to  the 
activity  of  different  regions,  appropriated  to  their  pro- 
duction, then  mental  science  becomes  reduced  to  the 
greatest  simplicity.  Mind  is  divided  into  five  classes — 
passions,  perception,  will,  intellect,  and  morality.  Each 
of  these  must  have  its  own  region  of  brain,  by  which 
it  is  manifested.  Starting  with  this  proposition,  com- 
parative anatomy  lends  important  aid  in  ascertaining 
the  locality  of  these  regions.  Animals  with  a  large 
development  along  the  base  of  the  cerebrum  possess 
fierce,  reckless  passions,  sexual  inpulses,  and  love  of 
offspring,  and  are  deficient  in  docility,  intelligence, 
and  all  the  higher  qualities.  If,  while  only  the  base 
of  the  cerebrum  is  developed,  such  propensities  are 
displayed,  then  it  is  a  legitimate  deduction,  that  the 
base  of  the  brain  is  devoted  to  the  passions.  This  is 
the  predominant  portion  in  all  animals,  and  of  many 
races  of  men.  A  thick  neck  indicates  a  large  devel- 
opment of  the  base  of  the  brain,  and  is  proverbial  fo: 


392  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

great  strength  of  the  animal  passions.  The  lion  and 
tiger  are  broad  across  the  base  of  the  skull,  and  how 
truly  does  the  fact  speak  their  (fierce  dispositions! 
The  passions  should  be  thus  situated.  There  they 
quickly  feel  the  stimulus  and  wants  of  the  body.  They 
can  satisfy  corporeal  wants  and  become  to  the  intel- 
lect what  fire  is  to  the  furnace  and  steam  to  the  engine. 
They  connect  intellect  with  the  body. 

518.  Animals   with    a    large    development    of    the 
frontal  portion  of  the  base  of  the  brain  have  an  intui- 
tive perception  of   natural  phenomena.     This  space, 
then,  is  devoted  to  the  perceptions.    If  a  line  be  drawn 
from  the  upper  portion  of  the  ear  backward,  with  a 
slight  elevation,  it  will  form  the  upper  boundary  of 
the  region  of  the  passions.     If  this  line  is  continued 
forward  to  the  centre  of  the  forehead,  all  that  portion 
lying  beneath  it,  in  front  of  the  extreme  angle  of  the 
eyebrows,  is  the   organ   of   the   perceptions,    devoted 
to  the  observation  of  transpiring  phenomena, 

519.  Most  animals  manifest  another  class  of  facul- 
ties.    The  peacock  is  proud,  the  ass  is  stubborn,  the 
horse  and  dog  show  a  remarkable  friendship  to  their 
masters;  nearly  all  have  a  love  of  power,  and  desire 
for  mastery,   and  energy  of  character.     This  group 
may  be  called  the  will,  and  it  is  located  on  the  poste- 
rior coronal  region  of  the  brain.     If  a  line  be  drawn 
perpendicularly  upward  from  the  cavity  of  the  ear, 
the  space  included  behind   and  between  It  and  the 
previous  line  is  the  region  of  the  will. 

520.  In  animals  the  frontal  portion  of  the  cerebrum 
is  extremely  low,  and  never  overhangs  the  eyes ;  but  in 
man  it  juts  far  over  the  eyes,  and  rises  up  square  and 
broad,  and  with  its  growth  in  this  direction,  and  in 
exact  proportion  with  it,  is  the  manifested  intelligence. 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OP   CREATION.  393 

A  high,  broad,  jutting  forehead,  is  proverbial  of  wis- 
dom. Men  in  all  ages  have  ascribed  such  heads  to 
their  gods,  their  heroes,  and  their  sages.  This,  then, 
is  the  region  of  intellect. 

521.  The  enormous  growth  of  man's  cerebrum 
carries  him  far  beyond  the  animal  in  mental  develop- 
ment. Not  only  is  the  coronal  and  frontal  portion 
enlarged,  but  between  and  reposing  on  these  lies  an 
entirely  new  growth,  or  at  least  its  convolutions  are 
not  perceptible  in  the  animal.  With  it  there  is  a 
manifestation  of  a  moral  nature,  which  is  displayed 
in  exact  proportion  to  its  size.  This,  then,  is  the 
moral  region,  removed  farthest  from  the  influence  of 
the  body,  and  connecting  it  with  spirit.  There  en- 
throned, it  acts  the  sovereign  over  the  propensities 
with  love  and  kindness,  and  smiles  at  the  approach  of 
death,  which  lifts  the  curtain  that  conceals  from  mortal 
vision  the  ennobling  futurity  which  awaits  the  im- 
mortal spirit. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE   SOURCE   OF  THOUGHT    STUDIED   FROM  A   PHILO- 
SOPHICAL STAND-POINT. 

522.  To  THE  cerebrum,  nerve  fibres  from  every  por- 
tion of  the  body  concentrate.  The  nerves  of  sensation 
from  the  fine  capillary  ramifications  in  the  heart  of 
organs,  and  over  the  surface  of  the  viscera  and  skin, 
send  up  their  fibres  to  transmit  intelligence  with  the 
central  office,  and,  side  by  side,  returning  in  an  oppo- 


394  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

site  direction,  send  out  the  nerves  of  volition,  along 
which  circulate  the  messages  to  appropriate  muscles  to 
contract  or  expand,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  in- 
formation received.  The  nerve  fibres  are  hollow  tubes, 
and  from  the  point  of  their  origin  to  their  termination 
they  are  continuous  throughout,  never  uniting  with 
other  fibres,  so  that  the  minutest  capillary  is  in  direct 
connection  with  the  brain,  forming  a  continuous  tube. 
In  the  minute  division  of  their  extremities,  the  capil- 
laries of  volition  unite  with  those  of  sensation,  and 
form  a  circuit  from  and  to  the  brain.  In  a  similar 
manner  are  the  excito-motor  fibres  related  with  each 
other;  but  the  circuit  formed  by  them  terminates  in  a 
spinal  ganglion.  If  a  motor  fibre  be  traced  from  its 
termination  to  its  source,  it  will  be  found  to  end  in  a 
ganglion,  while  a  volitional  fibre  can  be  traced  directly 
to  the  brain. 

523.  Throughout  their  whole  extent  the  smooth  and 
parallel  fibres  remain  identically  the  same.  They  can- 
not generate  nervous  influence ;  their  office  is  simply  to 
transmit  the  generated  power.  This  is  proved  by  sev- 
ering a  nerve.  When  the  nerve  of  a  limb  is  severed, 
all  volition  and  sensation  is  lost,  and  even  the  galvanic 
efforts  of  the  excito-motors  are  stopped,  as  the  nerve 
no  longer  communicates  with  a  ganglion.  Sensation 
and  volition,  then,  do  not  reside  in  the  nerves  them- 
selves, but  at  their  origins,  whether  brain  or  gan- 
glion. This  is  the  first  step  towards  the  determination 
of  their  nature  and  functions.  We  have  now,  by  the 
simple  process  of  intersecting  a  nerve,  proved  that  the 
nervous  influence  is  confined  to  the  ganglionic  centres. 
These  are  composed  of  the  terminating  nerve  fibres, 
and  of  a  gray,  nervous  matter,  differing  entirely  from 
the  nerve  material.  This  gray  neurine  is  only  found 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS   OF   CREATION.  395 

at  the  surface  of  the  cerebrum,  where  the  fibres  termi- 
nate, spreading  around  their  extremities.  To  one  or 
the  other  must  be  assigned  the  source  of  nervous  influ- 
ence: and  physiologists,  by  the  most  careful  and  close 
observation,  have  assigned  this  function  to  the  gray 
neurine,  while  the  fibres  are  simply  conductors.  The 
next  question  asked  is,  How  is  the  nervous  power 
generated?  Physiology  is  silent;  it  records  the  facts, 
and  asks  the  first  question — From  whence  is  it  de- 
rived? But  how,  it  knows  not.  Anatomy  throws  a 
feeble  light  on  this  important  question. 

524.  The  professor,  over  the  dead  brain,   dissects 
fibre  from  fibre,  and  gives  each  a  high-sounding  name ; 
but  his  real  knowledge  goes  no  farther  than  this  exer- 
cise of  his  memory,  and  the  mere  externals  of  mechan- 
ics.   The  life  which  vivified  the  organ  has  gone ;  all  its 
pulsating  centres  are  still ;  the  blood  is  stagnant  in  its 
vessels ;  it  throbs  not,  it  thinks  not,  nor  gives  a  clew  to 
the  process  by  which,  in  the  flush  of  life,  it  manifested 
divine  thought  or  the  gush  of  emotions.    But  thought 
has  been  produced  by  that  brain,  and  brains  just  like 
it  are  producing  thought.     How?     Look  at  the  gray 
neurine  which  coats  the  surface  of  the  cerebrum.     It 
is  entirely  made  up  of  cells,  globular  bodies,  filled  with 
a  peculiar  limpid  fluid.     On  the  exterior  surface  they 
appear   recently   formed   or   immature;    but   as   they 
approach  the   extremities  of  the  fibres,  they  become 
matured  and  disappear.     What  is  their  office?     They 
are    certainly    not    useless,    nor    are    their    continual 
growth  and  decay  unattended  by  useful  results. 

525.  The  brain  receives  one  fifth  of  the  entire  amount 
of  blood  in  the  system.     It  flows  into  it  as  pure  arte- 
rial blood,  and  comes  away  loaded  with  refuse  matter 
— a  dark,  sluggish,  venous  fluid.    It  has  been  at  work, 


396  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,    OR 

and  has  produced  great  changes  in  that  organ.  "We 
find  that  it  has  principally  circulated  through  the  gray 
neurine,  which,  from  the  innumerable  capillaries  which 
circulate  through  it,  is  a  complete  mesh  of  blood  ves- 
sels. There,  then,  has  it  performed  its  mission,  what- 
ever it  may  be.  As  the  amount  of  blood  an  organ 
receives  is  in  proportion  to  the  exercise  to  which  it  is 
subjected,  and  as  the  fibres  of  the  nerves  only  transmit 
nervous  influence,  it  would  not  be  expected  that  they 
would  require  any  great  amount  of  blood,  but  in  that 
region  where  the  power  is  generated  a  great  quantity 
would  be  required. 

526.  The  fact  that  the  cells  of  which  the  gray  neu- 
rine is  composed  are  immature  on  the  external  surface, 
shows  that  there  they  are  formed,  while  their  matu- 
rity, as  they  approach  the  extremities  of  the  fibres, 
shows  that  they  are  forced  inward  by  the  birth  of  new 
cells   on  the   outside.     Their   formation   uses   up    the 
great  quantity  of  blood  thrown  to  the  brain,  but  the 
brain  becomes  no  larger  by  their  constant  production, 
and  the  amount  of  gray  neurine  remains  the  same. 
We  must  conclude,  then,  that  the  cells  must  be  used  up 
in  the  process  by  which  thought  is  manifested.     They 
are  crowded  inward,  and  when  brought  in  contact  with 
the  conducting  fibres  they  disappear.     The  cells  thus 
formed  by  the  secreting  organs   dissolve  when  they 
have  performed  their  mission,  and  so  do  these  gray 
cells.    Do  they  pour  their  contents  back  into  the  blood  ? 
No ;  for  that  could  subserve  no  possible  purpose ;  then 
they  must  pour  it  into  the  nerve  tubes,  or  fibres,  as 
they  furnish  the  only  possible  means  of  absorption. 

527.  This    process   will    be    better-    understood    by 
referring  to  the  engraving,  where  V  represents  tftie  gray 
neurine.    A  cell  forms  at  the  surface,,  and  is.^rq)wded 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  397 

inwards,  until  it  reaches  the  extremities  of  the  fibres  V, 
into  which  it  pours  its  contents. 

528.  The  analogy  between  the  brain  and  the  secre- 
ting organs  is  remarkable,  and  has  been  frequently 
mentioned.    In  fact  its  office  includes  that  of  secretion, 
and  hence  the  analogy. 

529.  Nervous  matter  contains  a  greater  quantity 
of  phosphorus  than  any  other  tissue  in  the  body,  if  the 
bones  are  excepted.    That  intense  thought  necessitates 
the  waste  of  nerve  tissue  is  proved  by  the  remarkable 
increase  of  phosphorus  in  the  secretions  of  the  kidneys 
after  intense  thought.    That  waste  is  not  of  the  fibrous 
substance,  but  necessarily  of  the  gray  neurine.     To 
manifest  thought,  the  cells  pour  their  contents  into  the 
tubular  fibres ;  and  this  fluid,  after  performing  its  mis- 
sion, must  enter  the  blood,  and  affect  its  properties, 
before  secreted  by  the  kidneys  as  waste  and  effete 
matter. 

530.  We  here  have  a  reason  for  the  greater  flow  of 
blood  to  the  brain  while  intensely  thinking.    As  every 
thought  necessitates  a  waste  of  cells,  a  greater  quan- 
tity of  blood  must  circulate  to  repair  the   damage. 
The  activity  of  one  organ,  or  part  of  the  system,  pre- 
disposes a  greater  flow  of  blood  to  itself  from  the  same 
cause.     So  fast  as  the  cells  are  used  up,  so  fast  must 
their  place  be  supplied;  and  if  the  mind  is  constantly 
excited,  the  circulating  vessels  enlarge,  and  the  brain 
itself  increases  in  size. 

531.  Again,  why  can  we  not  constantly  think  in 
one    channel?      The    mind    tires;    there    are    bounds 
which  it  cannot  pass,  and  if  driven  beyond  that  point, 
it  falls  prostrated,  and  a  complete  lassitude  ensues. 
Why  it  this?    The  present  theory  beautifully  explains 
this  fact.    A  peculiar  train  of  thought  calls  into  activ- 


398  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

ity  certain  regions  of  the  brain.  The  intensity  of 
thought  determines  the  rapidity  of  the  destruction  of 
the  cellular  neurine.  This  predisposes  the  flow  of 
blood  to  those  regions :  soon  they  become  inflamed ;  they 
cannot  answer  the  demand ;  and  then  the  mind  in  that 
direction  is  prostrated;  while  in  other  channels,  where 
new  regions  of  brain  are  brought  into  action,  it  may 
be  perfectly  healthy  and  strong. 

532.  The  cerebellum  cannot  exercise  its  functions 
of  unitizing  the  actions  of  the  muscles  without  means 
whereby  to  create  the  nervous  influence  it  employs; 
hence  it  has  its  own  mass  of  cellular  neurine  by  which 
its  office  is  fulfilled. 

533.  The  ganglia,  to  which  the  thirty-two  pair  of 
nerves  centre,  if  they  administer  to  the  involuntary 
muscles  to  create  action  independently  of  the  brain,  if 
the  theory  here  advanced  be  true,  must  have  a  mass 
of  cellular  neurine  by  which  their  functions  are  per- 
formed; and  we  find  that  the  various  enlargements 
of  the  spinal  axis  are  not  produced  by  the  addition  of 
new  fibres,  but  by  the  interposition  of  cellular  matter. 

534.  Wherever  the  cellular  neurine  is  formed,  we 
observe  the  accompanying  nervous  action;  and  all  the 
recorded  facts  are  in  harmony  with  the  proposition 
that  the  nervous  power  resides  in  the  cellular  neurine. 
That  the  manifestation  of  nervous  power  depends  on 
the  destruction  of  these  cells,  is  shown  by  the  increase 
of  phosphorus   in   the   blood   after  mental   exertion. 
The  only  channel  for  it  to  escape  is  through  the  tubu- 
lar fibres.     Observe  the  harmony.     These  tubes  origi- 
nate in  this  neurine,  and  go  out  into  every  portion  of 
the  body  as  nerves  of  volition;  returning,  they  come 
back  as  nerves  of  sensation,  terminating  in  the  same 
place  where  they  originated.     Around  their  extremi- 


THE   HISTORY   AND   LAWS   OF   CREATION.  399 

ties  lies  the  source  of  their  power,  the  cellular  matter. 
Impressions  acting  on  the  surface  of  the  body  are 
transmitted  to  it  by  appropriate  fibres,  and  there  pro- 
duce sensation,  causing  the  destruction  of  cellular 
material  in  transmitting  the  return  message. 

535.  The  influence  of  the  nerves  is  widely  felt  in 
the  secreting  and  elaborating  processes  of  the  body. 
Every  movement  in  the  organism  is  ultimately  refer- 
able to  them.     The  secreting  organs  are  largely  sup- 
plied with  nerves,  and  the  nature  of  their  secretion  on 
them  entirely  depends.     Thus,  if  the  mind  is  agitated 
with  intense  grief  or  anger,  the  lacteal  and  salivary 
secretions  become  bitter  and  poisonous,  showing  that 
the  nature  of  the  secretion  depends  on  the  kind  of  in- 
fluence  conveyed   by  the  nerves.     Whether   that  in- 
fluence is  exerted  to  keep  the  diaphragm  in  perpetual 
activity,  to  secrete  bile  in  the  liver,  gastric  fluid  in  the 
stomach,  milk  in  the  breasts,  the  law  remains  the  same. 
It  is  worthy   of  remark  that  all   these   and  similar 
processes   go  on  independently  of  the  will,   and  are 
as  well  executed  after  its  paralysis  as  before,  because 
their  functions  depend  on  the  spinal  axis.    The  nerves 
which  go  out  to  perform  all  these  functions,  originate 
in  ganglia  of  their  own,  from  which  they  receive  the 
stimulus  appropriate  to  their  functions. 

536.  It  is  evident  that  the  nervous  influence  em- 
ploys some  form  of  electricity  to  contract  and  expand 
the  muscles.    A  muscle  at  rest  is  in  an  entirely  nega- 
tive state,  but  one  in  motion  is  positive.    The  expand- 
ed muscle  is  positive  to  the  relaxed  muscle.     From 
such  facts  it  is  apparent  that  by  inducing  positive  and 
negative  relations  in  the  muscles,  the  brain  controls  the 
body. 

537.  We  would  not  be  understood  as  maintaining 


400  THE  AECANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 

that  mind  is  originated  by  and  dependent  on  the  body ; 
but  that  its  manifestation  is  thus  produced,  is  an  un- 
deniable fact.  The  condition  of  the  physical  frame 
determines  the  kind  and  degree  of  thought  that  is 
manifested.  The  greatest  thinker  of  the  age,  by  one 
hour's  attack  of  disease,  often  loses  all  his  mental 
powers,  and  when  old  age  steals  on  him,  he  becomes 
a  second  child,  as  prattling  and  foolish  as  he  was  at 
first.  Reason  wanes  with  the  decay  of  the  body,  and 
when  the  latter  dies,  with  a  few  faint  fliekerings,  like 
a  lamp  without  oil,  seems  to  expire  with  it.  We  are 
simply  endeavoring  to  show  the  method  by  which  mind 
exerts  its  influence  on  the  nerves,  and  by  the  nerves 
on  the  body.  The  method  is  one  of  the  most  simple 
in  man's  physical  economy.  The  cells  of  the  vascular 
neurine  are  the  agents  it  employs,  while  the  fibres  are 
the  channels  through  which  it  transmits  its  messages, 
and  is  made  cognizant  of  external  impressions, 


CHAPTER    XXL 

RETROSPECT  OF  THE  THEORY  OF  DEVELOPMENT,  AS 
HEREIN  ADVANCED.  —  CONCLUSIONS.—  FACTS  FOL- 
LOWED FROM  THEIR  SOURCE  TO  THEIR  LEGITIMATE 
RESULTS. 

538.  MATTER  is  eternal.  Its  existence  depends  on 
fixed  and  determinate  attributes.  It  has  weight,  form, 
extension,  divisibility;  and  without  these  it  could  not 
exist.  On  these  the  universe  rests,  so  that  the  princi- 
ples of  nature  can  be  philosophically  referred  to  the 
constitution  of  matter  itself. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP   CREATION.  401 

539.  If  chaotic  matter  is  left  free  to  obey  these  in- 
herent principles,  it  will  evolve  the  order  of  creation 
we   behold,   around  us.      So   long   as  matter   has   its 
present  attributes,  it  will  act  as  it  has  done,  and  pro- 
duce the  effects  we  now  see  it  produce. 

540.  The  attributes  on  which  its  existence  depends 
are  fully  sufficient  to  account  for  every  effect,  either  in 
the  external  world  or  the  world  of  mind. 

They  exhibit  life,  and  there  are  human  beings. 

They  exhibit  intelligence,  and  there  are  intelligent 
beings. 

When  we  have  a  sufficient  cause,  shall  we  seek  for 
a  higher  one,  and  thus  render  philosophy  as  cumber- 
some as  the  crystalline  spheres  of  Ptolemy?  But  here 
is  the  objection:  this  view  sweeps  away  the  existence 
of  God.  Yes,  it  sweeps  away  Brahma,  Buddha,  Jupi- 
ter, and  Jehovah;  but  it  leaves  the  great  principles  of 
intelligence  and  love,  on  which  these  were  all  founded. 
It  sweeps  away  all  the  gods  of  mythology  and  conjec- 
ture, and  reveals  the  GREAT  UNKNOWN  enthroned  in 
the  universe!  It  makes  the  unknown  God  known  to 
his  creatures,  and  proves  every  part  of  nature  per- 
vaded by  the  Omnipotent  Presence.  He  works  not  by 
miracle,  but  by  law.  His  will  is  the  principles  of  mat- 
ter; and  in  infinite  intelligence  he  always  wills  aright. 
He  is  a-  progressive  being ;  is  one  with  nature,  and  the 
existence  of  the  two  depend  on  each  other. 

541.  The  external  world  is  nature,  the  internal  is 
God.     The  two  make  a  perfect  unity  of  materials  and 
principles. 

542.  But  this  is  not  the  God  of  theology.    Granted; 
but  it  is  the  God  of  nature.    It  is  not  a  Unitarian  God, 
or  a  Trinitarian  God,  but  the  laws  and  principles  of 
nature  personified. 

26 


402  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,    OR 

543.  All  the  mythological  conceptions  of  Deity  are 
vague  and  dim  sha  do  wings  of  these  great  principles, 
which  become  personified  in  the  human  mind  from 
its  difficulty  of  grasping  abstract  principles. 

544.  The  universe  was  not  created  as  man   con- 
structs a  house.      There  is  adaptation   of  cause  and 
effect ;  for  matter,  having  determinate  attributes,  moves 
in  fixed  channels,  and  seeks  an  equilibrium,  and  that 
equilibrium  is  obtained  when  the  elements  sustain  a 
certain  relation  to  each  other.     That  relation  we  call 
cause   and   effect;    and   it   is   the   intelligence   which 
shadows  forth  in  the  mind  of  man  the  necessity  for  the 
existence  of  a  Supreme  Being. 

545.  But  these  attributes  cannot  be  passed  by,  as 
they  furnish  a  sufficient  cause  for  all  the  phenomena 
of  nature.    They  must  be  God,  or  the  will  of  God. 

It  has  been  proved,  or  rather  it  is  self-evident,  that 
matter  is  eternal.  This  is  an  admitted  proposition. 
Its  existence  depends  on  its  inherent  properties.  But 
if  these  properties  exist  by  the  will  of  God,  then  there 
could  not  have  been  any  matter  previous  to  the  time 
he  willed  these  into  existence,  and  he  must  have  cre- 
ated matter — an  inference  which  cannot  be  supported, 
as  it  presupposes  the  self-existence  of  a  being  so  vastly 
transcending  matter  that  he  can  speak  it  into  exist- 
ence ;  whereas  it  is  far  more  reasonable  to  suppose  the 
eternity  of  matter. 

546.  These  properties  of  matter  act  in  determinate 
channels.     If  they  are  the  will  of  God,  he  is  bound 
and  circumscribed  by  them,  and  cannot  will  otherwise 
than  as  they  dictate.     He  can  will  what  he  pleases, 
but  he  must  will  in  accordance  with  these  principles, 
because  these  principles  are  perfect.     If  he  could  be 
supposed   to  will   a   world   to   be   oblong   or   square, 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OP  CREATION.  403 

gravity,  one  of  his  own  principles,  would  pay  no  heed 
to  it,  but  would  round  it  just  as  it  would  a  dew-drop. 
We  cannot  suppose  God  to  annul,  alter,  or  destroy  his 
own  perfect  attributes. 

God  is  thus  shadowed  forth  in  nature.    His  highest 
personification  on  earth  is  the  human  spirit. 

547.  The  beginning  was  a  chaos.    Perhaps  universe 
after  universe  had  matured  and  passed  away;  nature 
had  toiled  on  in  perpetual  and  untiring  activity,  long 
before  the  last  great   revolution  of  all  systems  had 
returned  back  again  to  chaos.    However  that  may  be, 
we  find  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  order  a  chaotic, 
gaseous  ocean  filling  the  immensity  of  space.    In  that 
ocean,  matter,  true  to  its  instincts  and  its  innate  prin- 
ciples, rounds   itself  into  suns,   sending  off  rotating 
worlds,  all  balanced  in  perfect  equilibrium;  for  the 
contending  elements  battled  until  the  equilibrium  was 
gained,  or  until  all  the  causes  and  effects  in  creation 
balanced    each    other.     This  stupendous    result    was 
accomplished  by  the  same  law  that  rounds  the  dew- 
drop,  and  makes  the  stone  fall  to  the  earth. 

548.  When  the  earth  became  prepared,  by  the  for- 
mation of  a  crust  and  the  condensation  of  water,  for 
the  reception  of  life,  life  came. 

549.  Life  is  a  principle  of  matter.    Living  beings 
are  the  individualization  of  that  life.     Deep  down  in 
the  transition  rocks  we  found  the  primordial  cellular 
forms,  and  observed  the  dawn  of  an  infinite  progress. 
Its  individualization  was  the  result  of  conditions  such 
as  are  now  occurring  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  pro- 
ducing the  lowest  forms  of  life;  so  that  should  the 
world  be  divested  of  life,  it  could  begin  a  new  series  of 
advancement,  differing  only  from  that  recorded  in  the 
rocks  by  the  superiority  of  the  present  conditions  of 
the  earth  to  those  of  the  original  chaos. 


404  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

550.  Life  began  as  a  simple  cell.     This  is  proved 
by  the  convergence  of  all  living  forms  at  that  point, 
by  embryonic  growth,  and  its  history  as  revealed  by 
the  strata  beneath  our  feet. 

551.  The  intelligence  manifested  by  living  beings 
is  the  individualization  of  the  intelligence  of  nature. 

552.  Thus    originating,    living    forms    progressed 
through  the  vast  epochs  recorded  by  geology,  each  era 
surrounding  it  by  better  conditions. 

553.  The  individualization  of  life  depends  on  con- 
ditions, and  it  adapts  itself  to  them,  is  formed  by  and 
maintained  by  their  influence. 

554.  Hence,  as  each  age  became  more  perfect,  phys- 
ically, life  moved  onward  in  the  same  ratio. 

555.  When  the  earth  became  sufficiently  perfected, 
man  came.    At  first  not  superior  to  the  orang.     Then 
he  became  a  savage,  then  half  civilized.    His  intellect 
was  but  developed   instinct;   his  desires  and  aspira- 
tions, at  first,  scarcely  above  the  animal.    He  was,  how- 
ever, subject  to  the  mighty  law   of  progress,   which 
impelled  him  onward.     The  savage  became  civilized, 
the  civilized  man  enlightened. 

556.  The  latent  germ  of  a  spiritual  nature  in  the 
animal,  in  man  became   awakened,   and  developed  a 
spiritual  life,  glorious  and  immortal. 

557.  This  is  a  brief  view  of  the  theory  advanced 
and    endeavored   to    be   supported    in    the    preceding 
pages.     It  proves  nature  to  be  an  harmonious  whole, 
without  jar  or  contention,   and  leaving  the  external 
world,  it  carries  the  same  principles  into  the  domain 
of  mind,   and  shows  that  as  fixed   and  determinate 
laws  rule  its  erratic  manifestations  as  in  the  physical 
nature. 

The  universe  is  bound  together  with  the  same  sym- 


THE  HISTORY  AND  LAWS  OF   CREATION.  405 

pathetic  relations  as  the  human  body.  Not  an  atom 
moves,  but  it  affects  the  farthest  star.  Not  a  breeze 
blows,  not  a  wave  beats  on  the  shore,  but  it  affects  all 
the  worlds  of  space. 


558.  "We  have  now  drawn  to  its  close  the  imperfect 
outline  of  the  plan  of  creation,  which  we  proposed 
for  the  first  volume.  The  grand  forces  which  we  have 
discussed  have  had  an  ultimate  end  to  accomplish. 
Through  ill  defined  and  through  devious  paths  we 
have  endeavored  to  trace  their  progress,  in  the  mighty 
flow  of  matter  upwards  towards  its  ultimate.  That 
ultimate — the  sublime  aim  and  end  of  all  the  restless 
activity  of  nature — we  have  found  to  be  man.  For 
him  the  inferior  world  exists,  and  by  it  he  was  cre- 
ated. With  the  material  relations  of  his  mind,  its  de- 
pendence on  the  highest  form  of  physical  organization, 
brain,  the  plan  of  this  volume  closes;  but  a  vast  field 
yet  remains  to  be  explored.  It  is  a  field  yet  unknown, 
and  positive  science  has  failed  to  grasp  its  facts  and 
phenomena.  The  incomprehensible  spirit  realm, 
shrouded  in  mystery  and  fable,  comprising  the  ma- 
jor portion  of  nature,  invites  our  attention.  Having 
constructed  a  firm  basis  in  the  physical  world,  we 
shall  endeavor  to  extend  the  same  course  of  positive 
reasoning  into  that  higher  world  which  is  but  its  re- 
flection and  ultimation.  The  origin,  method  of  ex- 
istence, and  laws  of  spirit  and  the  spirit  world,  will  be 
the  important  themes  the  second  volume  will  dis- 
cuss, showing  crude  matter's  progress  to  perfection  in 
the  infinite  spheres  of  spirit  progress. 


THE 

PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT  * 

INTRODUCTORY. 

FROM  the  realm  of  physical  causes,  we  ascend  to  the  domain 
of  spirit.  We  pass  from  the  world  of  the  senses  to  the 
mysterious  world  beyond  their  ken.  No  reasoning  can  be 
sound  if  based  on  hypothetical  data.  If  we  conceive  of 
spirit  at  all,  it  must  be  thru  the  medium  of  matter;  if  not 
composed  of  matter,  it  is  nought, — something  cannot  origi- 
nate from  nothing;  an  infinitude  of  nothings  is  nothing  still. 
This  view  may  be  considered  materialistic,  but  it  is  not 
materialism  as  commonly  understood.  Philosophers  investi- 
gate matter,  its  attributes  and  laws,  as  far  as  the  limited 
range  of  their  senses;  and  when  it  becomes  too  attenuated 
to  reveal  itself,  they  complacently  call  it  spirit,  and  assign 
for  it  a  confused  and  contradictory  existence. 

The  line  of  demarcation  drawn  by  them  may  be  preserved, 
as  it  is  a  convenient  designation ;  yet  it  is  false  in  theory  and 
fact. 

All  things  which  exist  are  material;  without  matter  nothing 
exists. 

This  is  the  sublime  axiom  on  which  this  volume  is  based. 
We  know  of  nothing  which  conflicts  with  it,  except  the  theo- 
ries of  men,  some  of  which  are  entitled  to  respect,  but  are 
incapable  of  bearing  the  test  of  reason. 

As  the  human  mind  is  an  epitome  of  Nature,  as  it  is  con- 
structed to  understand  and  investigate  surrounding  creation, 
we  must  look  to  its  mysterious  workings  for  the  true  explana- 

*This  work  was  written  while  the  author  was  still  in  his  teens, 
and  was  first  publisht  as  Vol.  II  of  Arcana  of  Nature.  Lack  of  space 
prevents  the  reproduction  of  the  whole  work,  but  these  extracts  will 
show  its  general  trend. 

407 


408      ,  THE  ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

tion  of  the  phenomena  we  fail  elsewhere  to  understand.  We 
look  on  its  failure  to  comprehend  the  creation  of  something 
from  nothing  as  a  significant  fact  pointing  to  a  truthful 
solution  of  the  question : — 

What  is  spirit?  Is  it  a  fog,  a  vapor?  Who  can  compre- 
hend, define  it?  Man  dies.  His  spirit  is  immortal;  so  we 
are  taught.  How  does  it  exist?  Has  it  an  identified  being, 
or  is  it,  like  Nature  in  the  Indian  cosmogony,  absorbed,  after 
a  fleeting  existence,  into  the  bosom  of  the  infinite  Brahm,  the 
great  fountain  of  spirit,  to  flow  out  again  in  perpetual  cycles 
of  evanescent  forms?  We  cry:  "0,  let  our  selfhood  be  pre- 
served. If  we  exist,  let  us  remain  as  we  are."  Such  is  the 
soul's  aspiration.  Any  other  state  of  being  is  non-existence. 
If  consciousness  is  lost,  all  is  lost;  for  eternal  death  and 
eternal  sleep  are  one.  The  manner  of  the  future  existence 
is  the  problem — whence  eometh  the  soul,  whither  goeth? 

Clairvoyance  has  given  us  a  clear  response.  It  has  led 
into  the  mysterious  vale  of  spirit,  and,  except  for  recent 
manifestations,  affords  the  only  insight  to  be  obtained  of  the 
inner  life  of  man.  It  proves  that  he  is  composed  of  spirit 
as  well  as  body,  or,  to  use  the  words  of  another  who  has 
forcibly  exprest  the  truth  known  to  the  ancient  sages,  "Man 
is  an  intelligence  served  by  organs." 

When  man  is  studied  from  the  material  standpoint,  there 
seems  no  reason  why  he  should  be  immortal.  The  mind 
appears  to  be  an  emanation  from  the  elementary  combina- 
tions in  the  physical  body,  and  as  the  hum  of  the  bee  is  no 
longer  heard  after  the  insect  has  past,  so  mind  dies  when  the 
form  which  calls  it  forth  expires. 

But  here  a  new  light  dawns.  The  bright  beams  of  Law, 
studied  in  the  physical  world,  illumine  the  philosophy  of 
spiritual  existence. 

In  the  physical  realm  we  learn  the  origin  of  the  spirit,  and, 
by  questioning  spirits,  solve  the  problem  of  man's  immortal 
destiny. 

Sublime  beauties  unfold  to  our  enraptured  vision  here  on 
the  threshold  of  this  unseen  world.  Eternal  progress  is  the 


THE   PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  409 

law  of  spirit  as  well  as  of  matter;  and  how  appreciate  the 
spirit  of  a  thousand  ages? 

We  pause  for  a  moment  to  review  the  dogmatic  theories  the 
world  in  its  ignorance  has  entertained.  Our  task  is  light,  for 
what  can  the  dark  materialist  know  of  spirit?  What  the 
so-called  Spiritualist  who  attempts  to  rob  existence  of  mat- 
ter? Stupendous  systems  of  theology,  time-hoary  volumes  of 
saints  and  fathers,  we  revere  you.  We  recognize  the  attempts 
you  have  made,  tho  they  have  been  abortive.  But  your  day 
has  past.  The  present  demands  a  more  satisfying  system 
than  a  childish  play  on  words,  the  polemics  of  the  schools, 
the  cant  of  the  doctors. 

Such  this  volume  will  strive  to  unfold — to  prove  the  immor- 
tality of  spirit,  and  the  manner  of  its  existence  in  the  Spirit 
World,  its  origin,  law  and  destiny. 

We  shall  strive  to  retain  the  positive  method  of  treating 
our  subject  as  rigorously  as  in  our  Arcana  of  Nature,  tho 
perhaps  the  reader  who  does  not  grant  our  position  may  not 
think  we  do  so.  But  we  may  have  only  to  tell  him  that  we 
receive  clairvoyance  as  positive  testimony,  and  assume  spirit 
intercourse  as  an  admitted  fact. 


410  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 


CHAPTER    I. 

EVIDENCES  OF  MAN'S  IMMORTALITY  DRAWN  FROM  HISTORY. 

Universality  of  the  belief  in  future  existence.  —  Teachings  of 
Nature.  —  When  was  this  problem  solved?  —  Records  of  the 
Hindoos;  their  sacred  books.  —  Of  the  Hebrews,  Ascetics, 
Hermetics,  Persian  and  Chaldean  beliefs.  —  Ancient  sages. 
—  Greeks.  —  Poets.  —  Hesiod.  —  Mythology.  —  The  Middle 
Passage.  —  Epimenides  of  Crete.  —  Cassandrat  Princess  of 
Troy. 

AMONG  nearly  all  tribes  and  races  of  men  exists  a  deep 
and  abiding  faith  in  immortal  existence.  It  enters  the  heart 
by  intuition,  and  there  molds  a  beautiful  creation,  peopled 
by  mythic  dreams  and  wild  fantasies,  yet  ever  fostering  the 
cardinal  idea  which  the  human  mind  in  every  stage  of  its 
development  so  loves — its  own  immortality.  To  the  reflecting 
mind,  the  universality  of  this  belief  becomes  a  strong  proof 
of  man's  future  existence.  It  is  so  contrary  to  the  effects 
transpiring  around  us,  so  foren  to  the  course  observed  in 
objective  nature,  that  it  would  almost  seem  the  voice  of  a 
superior  being  must  have  whispered  it  to  man  in  a  gush  of 
inspiration. 

Observe  physical  phenomena;  do  they  furnish  any  evidence 
of  a  higher  spiritual  state  after  the  death  of  the  body? 
Rather  of  destruction.  The  tree  which  blooms  to-day,  the 
pride  of  the  vegetable  world,  to-morrow  lies  in  the  dust,  and 
in  a  few  years  nothing  remains.  It  has  gone  into  the  atmos- 
phere and  the  soil,  to  support  other  organisms.  Generation 
after  generation  of  forests  have  thus  decayed.  From  the 
wreck  of  the  old  the  new  receives  birth.  Nature  works  in 
mighty  cycles,  ever  returning.  The  old  particles  are  absorbed, 
and  it  matters  not  whether  the  atoms  of  the  moldering  oak 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  411 

are  carried  by  winds  to  nourish  the  palms  waving  their  deli- 
cate foliage  in  the  tropical  breeze,  or  to  sustain  the  physical 
system  of  man.  Nothing  is  lost.  New  forms  spring  from 
the  old,  and  the  perpetual  circulation  never  rests. 

To  savage  man,  in  his  rude  estate,  this  wonderful  scheme 
of  compensation  is  incomprehensible.  Like  a  child,  he  views 
the  turmoil  of  the  elements,  wholly  ignorant  of  the  causes 
underlying  the  effects  which  are  presented  to  his  awe-struck 
imagination.  He  must  be  imprest  with  this  decay  and 
destruction  in  all  its  frightful  deformity,  unmitigated  by  the 
compensation  of  renovation.  He  saw  his  companions  die, 
become  inanimate  masses  of  flesh,  presenting  the  same  symp- 
toms when  dying,  and  aspect  after  death,  as  the  animal  shot 
with  his  arrow.  No  circumstance  indicates  the  future  to  his 
rude  mind;  yet,  standing  there  beside  the  lifeless  corses  of 
his  friends,  he  worked  out  the  grandest  problem  that  can  be 
presented  to  the  mind  of  man — his  own  eternal  existence. 

At  first  the  solution  assumed  the  crude  forms  of  his  own 
mind,  for  it  is  with  difficulty  the  greatest  philosopher  can 
grasp  the  manner  and  form  of  the  spiritual  essence.  Could 
the  immediate  growth  of  vegetation,  from  the  decaying  atoms 
of  the  old,  suggest  the  idea  of  the  transmigration  of  the  life 
principle  from  the  animal  gasping  in  the  pangs  of  death  to 
the  one  gasping  its  first  breath  of  life?  However  this  may 
be,  the  earliest  legends,  which  are  handed  down  from  the 
mythic  ages,  represent  the  rude  savage  as  already  believing 
in  a  complicated  system  of  mythology,  which  entertained  the 
immortality  of  man,  and  the  form  and  method  of  his  future 
life — a  ceaseless  transmigration  from  one  form  of  existence 
to  another. 

The  problem  was  solved  by  the  men  who,  as  it  were,  stood 
on  the  verge  of  time.  How  did  they  arrive  at  its  solution? 
Not  thru  the  senses,  for  these  taught  eternal  death;  not  by 
reason,  research  or  reflexion.  There  must  have  been  a  time 
in  the  remote  ages  when  this  belief  was  not  entertained — 
when  man  was  too  rude  to  receive  it.  If  so,  at  some  definite 
period  he  must  have  been  enlightened  on  this  vitally  impor- 


412  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

tant  subject.  How  else  could  he  have  received  it  but  by  the 
voice  of  his  own  spirit?  If  the  spirit  is  immortal,  should  it 
not  know  the  destiny  which  awaits  it?  If  so,  then  is  the 
early  shadowing  forth  of  the  future  life  readily  explained.  It 
is  the  yearning  of  the  immortal  spirit  conscious  of  its  god- 
like destiny,  striving  to  embody  its  intuition  in  words. 

The  earliest  authentic  records  of  mankind  are  accorded  to 
the  Hindoos.  They  had  a  complicated  system  of  mythology 
worked  out  of  the  fundamental  idea  of  immortality.  Their 
sacred  books  teach  that  Brahm  is  the  eternal  spirit,  from 
whom  all  existence  flows,  and  back  to  whom  all  returns.  He 
causes  a  mighty  ebb  and  flow  of  creation,  death  and  renova- 
tion, in  a  perpetual  return,  perfectly  compensating  itself. 
From  him  all  grades  of  intelligences  came,  from  those  scarcely 
his  inferiors,  to  man.  They  believe  that  every  man  is  accom- 
panied thru  life  by  two  spirits;  one  keeps  an  account  of  his 
good,  the  other  his  evil  deeds.  They  believe  that  within  the 
external,  mortal  body  resides  a  spiritual  body  from  which 
the  mind  emanates — a  true  conception,  and  more  wonderful 
for  being  so  early  learned.  After  various  probations  on 
earth,  in  hell,  and  paradise,  the  spirit  casts  off  this  spiritual 
form,  and  is  completely  absorbed  in  Brahm,  the  great  foun- 
tain from  whence  it  came.  The  spirit-body  returns  to  be 
again  born  on  earth.  These  ideas  are  vague,  yet  they  contain 
a  great  truth — the  eternal  progress  of  spirit,  in  refinement 
and  elevation,  until  too  sublimated  to  be  comprehended  by 
man,  it  becomes  lost  in  infinity,  as  the  eagle  soaring  upward 
vanishes  in  the  empyrean. 

Man  is  acted  on  by  a  host  of  invisible  intelligences  some 
of  which  influence  his  passions,  others  drown  him  with  the 
lethargy  of  ignorance;  and  only  by  the  most  determined 
efforts  can  he  cast  aside  their  detrimental  influence. 

Their  sacred  books  describe  fourteen  spheres,  the  abode  of 
spirits.  The  earth  is  one  of  these  spheres,  having  six  gradua- 
tions of  paradise  above,  and  seven  of  punishment  below  it, 
each  more  terrible  than  the  other.  These  spheres  are  de- 
scribed as  being  formed  of  redhot  copper,  thickly  set  with 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  413 

thorns,  or  festering  with  deadly  serpents,  while  the  lowest 
is  a  pit  heated  to  redness  with  burning  charcoal.  When  a 
man  dies  his  soul  is  immediately  conducted  to  Gama,  the 
judge  of  the  dead,  before  whom  is  laid  the  record  of  his  life. 
Then,  if  he  is  sinful,  and  has  led  a  wicked  life,  he  is  given 
to  evil  spirits,  who  come  up  from  the  lower  spheres,  and  they, 
according  to  his  sentence,  drag  him  over  rocky  paths,  thru 
beds  of  thorns,  cast  him  among  slimy  reptiles,  into  caldrons 
of  boiling  water,  or  on  beds  of  burning  coal.  Such  are  the 
sufferings  of  those  who  live  ignoble  lives,  as  fabled  in  the 
savage  mind — fabled  tortures  but  tortures  which  fable  only 
can  convey.  Fire,  with  its  excruciating  pain,  can  but  feebly 
represent  the  anguish  of  a  mind  swayed  by  passions. 

The  spirits  above  the  earth,  where  the  spirits  of  the  good 
ascend,  or  the  Paradise  of  India,  elicit  the  lavish  encomiums 
of  Hindoo  poets.  Those  who  are  charitable  and  zealous  in 
doing  good  ascend  to  the  first  sphere,  above  which  there  are 
various  degrees  of  holiness,  to  the  fifth,  or  sphere  of  Vishnu, 
where  martyrs  ascend.  The  sixth,  or  sphere  of  Brahma,  is 
only  attained  by  those  who  never  speak  a  falsehood,  and  by 
widows  burned  on  the  funeral  piles  of  their  husbands. 

Again,  we  remark  the  mingling  of  rich  veins  of  truth 
among  the  fables,  by  which  a  heated  imagination  sought  to  set 
them  forth. 

Almost  all  the  rhetorical  figures  employed  by  the  Hebrew 
chroniclers  were  used  by  the  poetical  Hindoo  thousands  of 
years  previously.  His  Paradise  is  all  the  heart  could  desire. 
The  sky  is  the  softest  cerulean,  the  waters  of  the  clearest 
crystal,  and  umbrageous  trees  and  odorous  flowers  perfume 
the  air.  The  most  enchanting  melody  is  made  by  the  spirit 
of  music  and  the  singing  stars.  The  floor  is  of  gems,  and  the 
pillars  of  the  temple  are  precious  stones.  Godlike  saints  and 
beautiful  women  wander  thru  the  groves,  beneath  the  silver 
li^ht,  devoting  their  time  to  contemplation  and  sacrifices  to 
the  gods.  Indra,  the  presiding  god,  is  seated  with  his  wife 
on  an  ivory  throne,  by  the  side  of  a  beautiful  lake,  covered 
with  lilies  and  lotus  blossoms,  her  countenance  beaming  like 


414  THE  AECANA  OF   NATURE,   OR 

a  gleam  of  lightning,  and  her  beauty  filling  paradise  with  the 
odor  of  a  thousand  flowers. 

The  mythology  of  India  was  transplanted  into  Egypt;  but 
so  dim  are  the  records  of  those  early  times  that  the  time  and 
manner  of  its  transference  are  wholly  lost.  The  analogy  of 
beliefs  is  very  striking;  so  much  so,  that  the  question  is 
settled  in  the  minds  of  the  learned  that  Egypt  was  colonized 
from  India;  or,  at  least,  the  dominant  sacerdotal  element  of 
the  nation  was  Indian.  New  gods  were  added  to  the  calen- 
dar, new  forms  of  worship  instituted,  but  the  central  idea 
of  immortality  was  not  lost.  It  remained  amid  all  its  puerile 
trappings,  and  ever  exercised  omnipotent  sway. 

There  were  two  principal  sects  among  them;  one  believed 
in  transmigration,  the  soul  passing  by  successive  stages  thru 
every  being  of  earth,  water  and  air — a  circle  it  completes  in 
three  thousand  years, — and  then  again  re-entering  a  human 
body.  They  supposed  that  it  would  enter  the  same  body  that 
it  left;  and  hence  the  extraordinary  care  they  exercised  in 
embalming  the  dead,  and  the  enormous  expense  they  lavished 
on  mausoleums. 

Fully  imprest  that  the  world  was  evil,  and  this  life  a  pro- 
bationary state,  in  which  they  resided  as  a  punishment  for 
crimes  committed  in  a  preceding,  they  looked  forward  with 
delight  to  the  tomb,  which  they  called  their  eternal  home. 
Their  sacred  writings,  as  well  as  those  of  all  other  nations, 
abound  with  instances  of  communications  between  sainted 
men  and  superior  intelligences,  who  ruled  over  particular 
objects  and  persons.  They  had  oracles  from  which  they 
received  prophecies;  and  from  the  fame  they  acquired,  and 
the  confidence  placed  in  them,  they  could  not  have  been  tricks 
of  conniving  priests.  Those  who  aspired  to  receive  com- 
munications from  the  invisible  world  fasted  and  prayed,  that 
the  spirit  might  obtain  ascendancy  over  the  body.  This  is 
the  philosophical  method  by  which  clairvoyant  perception  is 
obtained,  and  in  it  we  can  easily  perceive  the  source  of 
superhuman  knowledge  sometimes  manifested  by  these  oracles. 
It  is  also  remarkable  that  the  prophecies  were  delivered  by 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  415 

females,  in  whom  these  faculties  are  generally  larger  than  in 
man.  Such  was  the  confidence  placed  in  these,  that  they 
were  consulted  on  all  important  occasions,  and  most  implicitly 
obeyed. 

Beneath  the  same  oriental  sky,  remarkable  as  the  cradle  of 
mankind,  but  of  another  race,  the  colossal  proportions  of  the 
Chinese  sage  towers  gloomily  thru  the  mists  of  time.  The 
religion  of  China  is  referable  to  Confucius,  who  lived  five 
hundred  and  fifty  years  before  Christ.  He  was  one  of  the 
few  genii  who  arise  in  the  infancy  of  races,  and  with  sudden 
stride  leap  across  the  abyss  of  ages,  carrying  whole  nations 
with  them.  He*  is  deified,  as  all  great  men  are;  and  from 
Thibet  to  the  Yellow  Sea,  from  the  Himalayas  to  India,  the 
hills  of  the  Celestial  Empire  are  dotted  with  his  temples. 
His  compiled  sayings  are  the  sacred  books  of  the  Chinese. 
In  them  occurs  the  remarkable  passage: 

"How  vast  is  the  power  of  spirits !  An  ocean  of  invisible 
intelligences  surrounds  us  everywhere.  If  you  look  for  them 
you  cannot  see  them.  If  you  listen  you  cannot  hear  them. 
Identified  with  the  substance  of  all  things,  they  cannot  be 
separated  from  it.  They  cause  men  to  purify  their  hearts, 
to  clothe  themselves  in  festive  garments,  and  offer  oblations  to 
their  ancestors.  They  are  everywhere — above  us,  on  the 
right,  and  on  the  left.  Their  coming  cannot  be  calculated. 
How  important  we  should  not  neglect  them !" 

He  taught  that  every  individual  was  attended  by  a  gardian 
spirit,  who  watched  over  and  protected  its  charge;  and  the 
Chinese  have  images  of  these  hung  up  in  their  houses,  and 
worship  them  with  oblations. 

Persia  and  Chaldea  were  contemporary  with  the  preceding. 
Their  religious  teachers,  the  Magi,  explained  the  sacred  books 
of  Zoroaster,  and  possest  the  power  of  prophecy.  They 
taught  that  the  human  spirit  once  had  wings,  which  it  lost  by 
its  connection  with  the  body,  but  which  it  would  regain  before 
reaching  the  celestial  regions.  Every  individual  had  a  gar- 
dian spirit  to  protect  him  from  evil.  The  good  and  bad 
actions  were  believed  to  be  written  down  and  every  soul  pun- 


41 G  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

ished  according  to  its  deeds,  ascending  into  spheres  of  happi- 
ness, or  descending  into  a  gulf  of  woe.  They  supposed  that 
the  inferior  spirits  could  communicate  with  man,  and  that 
certain  individuals  by  consulting  the  sacred  books,  and  by 
holiness  of  life,  could  approach  near  to  the  gods  (superior 
spirits)  and  communicate  with  them.  They  understood  by  a 
holy  life  a  rigid  regime,  and  habits  which  would  develop  the 
spiritual  perception  at  the  expense  of  the  physical  system, — 
the  proper  course  to  develop  clairvoyance. 

The  wise  men  of  the  ancient  nations  understood  the  mes- 
meric art.  From  immemorial  time  disease  has  been  cured  by 
laying  on  of  hands,  and  clairvoyant  vision  has  occurred. 

In  Moses'  time  the  Egyptian  priests  charmed  the  deadliest 
serpents,  rendering  them  harmless  and  obedient,  and  per- 
fected the  art  of  magnetic  influence  to  a  great  extent,  ever 
concealing  it,  however,  from  the  people's  view  by  mysterious 
rites.  Egypt  was  ancient  in  the  youthful  days  of  Greece, 
and  Rome  came  after  the  decay  of  Greece;  but  the  mantle  of 
Egypt  fell  upon  them,  and  they  treasured  and  improved  her 
knowledge. 

"They  believed  that  departed  human  spirits  lingered  around 
their  former  localities  and  families  to  protect  them.  They 
invoked  them  in  time  of  domestic  trouble,  and  offered  sacri- 
fices to  appease  them  when  they  thought  they  had  been 
wronged,  or  were  angry.  They  erected  costly  tombs,  and  at 
stated  seasons  repaired  thither  to  offer  prayers  and  offerings 
to  the  spirits  of  departed  ancestors,  whom  they  called  manes." 

They  at  length  erected  splendid  altars,  and  offered  sacri- 
fices to  them  as  gods.  If  a  man  was  a  public  benefactor,  it 
was  natural  for  the  people  to  carry  offerings  to  his  tomb; 
and  thus  began  hero-worship.  The  spirits  of  departed  heroes 
were  supposed  to  become  intermediate  between  mortals  and 
the  great  gods,  blessing  the  nations  or  individuals  whom  they 
protected,  guiding  their  feet  from  evil,  and  filling  their  souls 
with  great  and  noble  deeds. 

Hesiod,  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  the  Greek  poets,  records 
this  belief: 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  417 

"Thrice  ten  thousand  holy  angels  rove 

This  breathing  world;  the  immortals  sent  from  Jove, 

Gardians  of  men,  their  glance  alike  surveys 

The  upright  judgment  and  the  righteous  ways: 

Hovering  they  glide  to  earth's  remotest  bound; 

A  cloud  aerial  veils  their  forms  around." 

The  Hindoo  idea  of  a  subtil,  invisible  body,  confined  to 
the  external,  physical  body,  was  transplanted  into  the 
Grecian  mythology.  It  taught  that  man  is  composed  of  these 
elements — the  soul,  the  invisible  body,  and  the  physical  body. 
The  invisible  body  was  the  tenement  of  the  soul,  and  was 
carried  with  it  when  it  went  to  the  delights  of  paradise,  or  to 
suffer  the  penalties  of  its  sins  in  Tartarus.  After  its  sen- 
tence expired,  it  was  sent  back  to  re-enter  another  body, 
more  or  less  honorable,  according  to  its  sentence.  The  Ely- 
sian  abode  of  the  blessed,  exhausted  all  the  metaphors  of  the 
poets.  The  day  was  always  serene,  and  a  soft,  ethereal  light 
rendered  the  scene  enchanting.  Majestic  groves  and  beautiful 
gardens  variegated  the  landscape.  The  River  Eridanus 
flowed  thru  banks  of  flowers,  and  on  its  scented  borders  dwelt 
heroes  and  sages,  artists  and  poets.  There  they  engaged  in 
the  pleasures  which  formerly  delighted  them.  There  friends 
met  in  social  festivals ;  the  husband  met  his  wife,  and  children 
greeted  their  parents,  very  much  as  the  spiritual  philosophy 
teaches. 

On  the  other  hand,  they  threw  together  all  that  was  terrible 
and  repulsive  in  the  description  of  Tartarus,  the  abode  of 
the  damned.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  river  of  fire  and  a  terri- 
ble wall.  Here  those  who  had  lived  sinful  lives  were  scourged 
by  the  Furies ;  or  had  huge  stones  suspended  over  their  heads, 
ever  ready  to  fall ;  or  hungry  wolves  or  vultures  gnawed  at  their 
vitals,  which  forever  grew  again ;  or  stood  in  water,  enduring 
the  pangs  of  deadly  thirst,  yet  unable  to  obtain  a  single  drop 
to  cool  their  parched  tongues;  or  starved  while  delicate  fruits 
were  suspended  just  above  their  reach. 

Some  souls,  too  good  for  Tartarus,  but  too  bad  for  Para- 
dise, wandered  in  vast  forests,  exposed  to  scorching  winds, 
until  purified;  others  were  plunged  in  deep  water;  and  others 
27 


418  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

were  obliged  to  pass  thru  intense  fire  to  obtain  the  same' 
result.  If  they  were  purified  by  this  process  they  ascended 
to  the  gods ;  if  not,  they  were  sent  back  to  the  earth  to  assume 
again  the  mortal  form,  and  pursue  another  probationary 
period. 

The  Greeks  divined  the  future  by  observing  mysterious 
rites,  and  by  direct  inspiration.  Inspirational  prophecy  was 
uttered  by  persons  who  were  believed  to  be  possest  by  spirits ; 
and  while  unconscious,  motionless,  and  speechless,  the  spirit 
spoke  out  of  their  breasts.  Prophecy  was  also  made  by 
persons  who  were  seized  with  a  sudden  frenzy,  or  enthusi- 
asm; and  by  those  who  fell  into  a  trance,  and  when  they 
awoke  related  what  they  saw.  Music  was  often  employed  to 
excite  the  prophetic  frenzy,  and  it  is  well  known  that  the 
succession  of  harmonious  sounds  on  sensitive  nerves  is  highly 
promotive  of  ecstasy  or  clairvoyance. 

Cicero  says:  "They  whose  minds,  scorning  the  limitation 
of  the  body,  fly  and  rush  abroad  when  influenced  and  excited 
by  some  ardor,  behold  things  which  they  predict.  Such  minds, 
which  inhere  not  in  their  bodies,  are  influenced  by  various 
causes." 

It  is  said  that  Epimenides,  of  Crete,  had  power  to  send  his 
soul  out  of  his  body  and  recall  it  at  pleasure.  During  its 
absence  he  was  as  one  dead,  cold  and  inanimate.  He  fre- 
quently held  intercourse  with  the  gods  (superior  spirits)  and 
was  counselled  by  them.  When  a  terrible  plague  devastated 
Athens,  its  citizens  sent  for  him.  He  came,  and  erected 
altars  to  the  Unknown  God,  and  probably  by  exciting  the 
religious  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  by  mesmeric  and  medic- 
inal aid  combined,  arrested  the  further  progress  of  the  disease. 

Of  Hermatimus,  a  famous  prophet  of  Clazomenae,  it  is 
recorded  that  his  soul  left  his  body,  and  wandered  into  every 
part  of  the  world.  While  thus  entranced,  his  wife,  sup- 
posing him  dead,  had  his  body  burned,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  country.  So  much  was  his  wonderful  gift  of 
divination  prized  by  the  people,  that  they  erected  a  temple 
to  him,  and  paid  him  divine  honors. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  4l& 

Cassandra,  Princess  of  Troy,  when  a  little  girl,  was  play- 
ing with  her  brother  in  the  vestibule  of  Apollo's  Temple, 
and  tarrying  too  late  to  be  carried  home,  was  put  to  sleep  on 
a  couch  of  laurel  leaves.  From  that  time  she  continually 
heard  the  voices  of  the  gods,  or  of  spirits,  who,  by  the 
ancients,  were  considered  gods.  She  constantly  foretold  the 
destruction  of  Troy,  and  warned  her  countrymen  of  the 
stratagem  of  the  wooden  horse.  She  also  foretold  the  man- 
ner of  her  own  death,  and  of  the  Grecian  conqueror  who 
carried  her  away. 

The  wife  of  Paris,  Oenone,  is  said  to  have  had  the  gift 
of  prophecy,  and  to  have  discovered  the  medicinal  properties 
of  plants. 


420  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 


CHAPTER    II. 
PROOFS  OF  IMMORTALITY  DRAWN  FROM  HISTORY,  CONCLUDED. 

The  Roman  Sybils.  —  Oracles  of  Delphi.  —  Selection  of  Pythia. 

—  Dodonian   Oracles.  —  Brutic  Oracles.  —  Pythagoras :    his 
doctrines.  —  Socrates,   his    teachings.  —  Platonism.  —  Bibli- 
cal  Records.  —  Christ.  —  Early    Church   Fathers.  —  Witch- 
craft.—  The  Solution  of  the  Problem  by  the  Present  Age. 

—  A  new  argument  drawn  from  the  nature  of  the  Human 
Spirit. 

HISTORY  is  very  ambiguous  concerning  the  Eoman  Sibyls, 
a  name  bestowed  on  certain  women  supposed  to  be  inspired 
by  the  gods.  They  fell  into  an  ecstatic  state,  and  were  sup- 
posed to  communicate  directly  with  them.  The  most  famous 
was  the  Cumaean  sibyl,  said  to  have  written  the  Sibylline 
Books,  which  were  consulted  on  all  momentous  occasions,  and 
were  considered  as  giving  positive  answers  to  all  questions 
of  state. 

The  oracle  of  Delphos  was  famous  thruout  the  whole  civil- 
ized world.  Some  shepherds  were  pasturing  goats  around 
the  site  of  this  temple,  when  they  observed  that  when  they 
put  their  heads  in  a  certain  place  they  ran  and  leaped  wildly 
about.  When  the  herdsmen  did  the  same,  they  raved  like 
madmen.  The  news  of  this  miraculous  grotto  spread  rapidly ; 
a  seat  called  a  tripod  was  erected  over  the  fissure,  and  a 
woman,  chosen  by  the  priests,  was  placed  there  during  one 
month,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  to  receive  the  inspiration, 
and  answer  those  who  came  to  consult  the  oracle.  Lawgivers 
came  to  learn  the  most  beneficial  course  to  be  pursued  with 
their  people;  kings  came  to  know  the  fate  of  wars;  individ- 
uals came  to  consult  on  the  affairs  of  life.  From  the  magni- 
ficent gifts  of  those  who  received  benefit,  a  splendid  temple 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIEIT.  421 

was  erected,  and  adorned  with  the  most  costly  ornaments. 
This  temple  was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Mount  Par- 
nassus, and  on  the  eastern  side  welled  the  Castalian  fountain, 
in  which  the  Pythia,  or  priestess,  bathed  before  she  ap- 
proached the  tripod.  She  crowned  herself  with  laurel  and 
ate  some  of  the  leaves.  As  soon  as  she  inhaled  the  vapor 
from  the  cavern  she  grew  pale,  her  eyes  sparkled,  and  she 
trembled  in  every  limb.  The  priest  attending  wrote  down  the 
words  she  uttered  in  her  frenzy. 

The  effects  of  the  vapor  from  the  cavern  appeared  to  be 
supernatural  to  the  ancients,  but  in  the  light  of  modern 
science  it  is  readily  explained  on  natural  principles.  All 
narcotics  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  awaken  the  latent  sensi- 
tiveness of  the  nervous  system.  In  general  this  cannot  be 
turned  to  a  good  account,  disease  following  it  so  closely;  but 
with  Indian  hemp,  or  hashish,  and  exhilarating  gas,  it  is 
otherwise,  no  permanent  debility  following  their  permanent 
use.  Exhilarating  gas  produces  the  most  startling  effects; 
and  undoutedly  a  vapor  very  similar  escaped  from  the 
cavern,  and  was  breathed  by  the  priestess  of  Delphos.  The 
inhalation  of  this  gas  produces  almost  precisely  the  same 
symptoms  recorded  of  the  Pythia,  and  were  it  breathed  by 
sensitive  persons,  the  symptoms  would  be  identical. 

Delphos  was  noted  for  the  ambiguity  of  its  answers,  while 
Delos  was  famed  for  the  directness  and  conciseness  of  its 
replies.  Delphos  was  most  famous,  however,  and  the  most 
ancient,  being  founded  twelve  hundred  years  before  the 
Christian  era.  So  infallible  were  its  predictions  deemed,  that 
it  became  an  adage :  "As  true  as  a  response  from  the  tripod." 

The  selection  of  Pythia  was  intrusted  to  the  priests,  and 
with  the  practical  mesmeric  knowledge  they  possest,  they  of 
course  selected  the  most  impressible  person  they  could  find; 
and  as  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  value  of  the  predictions 
depended  on  the  degree  of  impressibility  of  the  Pythia — an 
inference  supported  by  the  fact  that  tho  its  truthfulness  was 
always  admitted,  it  was  also  confest  that  this  varied  from 
tune  to  time,  sometimes  being  remarkable  for  distinctness, 


422  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

and  significance,  and  at  others  equally  so  for  its  ambiguity. 

Dodona  was  the  most  ancient  of  all  the  oracles  of  Greece. 
It  dates  back  fifteen  hundred  and  fifty-eight  years  before 
Christ.  The  oracles  were  delivered  by  a  priestess  whom 
Herodotus  supposes  to  have  been  brought  from  Egypt. 

The  truthfulness  of  these  oracles  is  as  well  authenticated 
as  any  portion  of  ancient  history.  Some  of  their  responses 
silenced  at  once  the  charge  of  deception.  So  startlingly  accu- 
rate were  some  of  these,  that  a  noted  historian,  unable  to 
account  for  them  in  any  other  manner,  refers  them  to  the 
agency  of  the  devil. 

Croesus,  wishing  to  consult  the  oracles,  first  desired  to  test 
their  truthfulness,  and  sent  a  messenger  to  seven  of  them, 
asking  what  was  his  employment  on  a  certain  day  of  the 
month.  Designing  to  be  employed  in  an  occupation  least 
liable  to  be  conjectured,  he  cut  in  pieces  a  tortoise,  and  a 
lamb,  and  boiled  them  together  in  a  brass  vessel.  The 
Delphic  Pythia  sent  him  as  an  answer : 

"I  count  the  sand,  I  measure  out  the  sea; 
The  silent  and  the  dumb  are  heard  by  me. 
E'en  now  the  odors  to  my  senses  rise — 
A  tortoise  boiling  with  a  lamb  supplies, 
Where  brass  above  and  brass  below  it  lies." 

Satisfied  that  the  oracle  was  truthful,  he  presented  his 
inquiries — first,  whether  he  should  be  successful  in  his  war 
with  Cyrus,  the  Persian,  and  as  to  the  duration  of  his  king- 
dom. Her  reply  was,  that  his  kingdom  would  stand  until 
a  mule  ascended  the  Persian  throne;  and  when  he  crost  the 
river  dividing  his  territories  from  the  Persian,  a  great  king- 
dom would  be  overthrown.  He  interpreted  these  answers  as 
favorable  to  himself,  prosecuted  the  war,  and  was  soon 
overthrown  and  taken  prisoner.  Indignantly  he  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  rebuke  the  oracle,  but  received  the  very  soothing 
reply  that  Cyrus,  being  half  Mede  and  half  Persian,  was  the 
mule  referred  to ;  and  when  they  said  a  great  kingdom  would 
be  overthrown,  it  was  not  by  any  means  the  Persian  that  they 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF   SPIRIT.  423 

meant,  but  his  own;  and  hence  the  prediction  had  been  ful- 
filled to  the  letter. 

The  Brutic  oracle  told  Cambyses  he  would  die  in  Ecbatana. 
Supposing  it  to  mean  the  great  city  of  Media,  he  carefully 
avoided  that  place.  Years  afterwards,  he  was  suffering  from 
an  excruciating  wound,  and  stopt  to  rest  in  an  Assyrian 
village.  Feeling  that  he  would  die  there,  he  inquired  the 
name  of  the  place.  They  told  him  Ecbatana.  The  prophecy 
was  fulfilled. 

The  emperor  Justinian  had  frequent  intercourse  with  divine 
beings.  They  awoke  him  from  slumber  by  touching  his  hand 
or  hair.  He  knew  them  so  well  that  when  they  came  he 
could  distinguish  the  peculiar  intonation  of  voice  of  each. 

Pythagoras,  one  of  the  wise  men  of  Greece,  born  five 
hundred  and  eighty-six  years  before  Christ,  taught  that  man 
was  composed  of  an  immortal  mind,  which  was  a  portion  of 
the  Divinity  and  had  its  seat  in  the  brain;  a  sensitive,  imma- 
terial spirit,  the  seat  of  the  passions,  and  a  natural  body, 
which  the  soul  assumed  as  a  temporary  garment.  At  death 
the  spiritual  portion  was  conducted  to  the  regions  of  the 
dead,  to  be  happy  or  miserable  until  sent  back  to  the  earth 
to  inhabit  a  new  body.  When  purified  by  successive  proba- 
tions, it  ascended  to  the  regions  of  the  stars,  which  he  be- 
lieved inhabited  by  spirits.  He  profest  to  hold  direct  com- 
munication with  immortal  beings,  and  to  have  visions.  If 
tradition  speaks  truly,  he  possest  extraordinary  magnetic 
power,  and  by  it  could  make  animals  and  men  obey  him. 

Socrates  made  frequent  allusion  to  a  demon  or  angel,  which 
ever  attended  him  from  his  youth,  who  never  spake  otherwise 
than  truthfully,  and  he  always  obeyed  the  warnings  of  its 
divine  voice.  He  says:  <rWhen  I  was  about  to  cross  the 
river,  the  usual  demonic  sign  was  given  me;  and  when- 
ever this  takes  place,  it  always  prohibits  me  from  accomplish- 
ing what  I  am  about  to  do.  In  the  present  instance  I  seem 
to  hear  a  voice  which  would  not  suffer  me  to  depart.  I  am 
therefore  a  prophet,  tho  not  a  perfectly  worthy  one,  but 


424  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

such  a  one  as  a  man  who  knows  his  letters  indifferently  well 
— merely  sufficient  for  what  concerns  himself." 

It  was  a  current  doctrine  in  Greece  that  every  man  had 
a  gardian  spirit  or  genius;  and  the  more  friendship  existed 
between  the  person  and  the  genius,  the  happier  and  the 
greater  would  he  become.  In  other  words,  the  more  he  culti- 
vated his  impressibility,  the  more  knowledge  would  be  given 
him  from  the  celestial  sphere. 

The  doctrines  of  Plato  were  similar  to  those  of  Pythagoras. 
He  is  represented  as  saying:  "The  soul  of  each  of  us  is  an 
immortal  spirit,  and  goes  to  the  gods  to  give  an  account  of 
its  actions." 

Volumes  might  be  filled  with  instances  like  those  we 
have  introduced,  all  substantiating  the  claims  of  ancient 
spiritualism. 

The  Bible  records  some  of  the  most  startling  manifestations. 
In  those  primitive  times  angels  were  seen,  and  conversed  with 
by  men.  Saul's  consultation  with  the  witch  at  Endor  is  one 
of  the  most  characteristic  spiritual  manifestations.  She 
knew  him  not  until  she  entered  the  superior  or  clairvoyant 
state.  Then  Samuel  the  seer  appeared,  and  stretching  aloft 
his  airy  arms,  denounced  him  with  awful,  prophetic  voice. 
She  who  was  called  a  witch  possest  high  clairvoyant  powers, 
and  the  same  is  true  of  all  the  prophets  of  the  past. 

Looking  far  into  the  misty  past,  we  are  too  apt  to  refer 
everything  we  do  not  understand  to  trick  or  delusion;  but 
when  we  consider  the  implicit  faith  placed  in  the  ancient 
oracles,  not  only  by  the  ignorant,  but  by  the  wisest  philoso- 
phers, sages  and  lawgivers,  it  is  preposterous  to  suppose  they 
were  entirely  deception.  False  prophets  are  frequently 
mentioned,  and  their  existence  proves  the  true.  The  office  of 
prophet  conferred  great  honors  and  emoluments,  and  it  would 
be  strange  if  the  temptation  proved  not  too  strong,  and 
designing  persons  did  not  attempt  the  part  of  true  oracles. 

Clairvoyance  has  ever  been  possest  by  only  a  very  few, 
while  the  call  for  prophets  has  been  constant  and  universal. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  425 

But  there  has  always  been  enough  of  the  true  to  preserye  the 
confidence  of  mankind. 

The  dawn  of  the  present  era  beheld  many  startling  spirit 
manifestations,  which  fairly  support  the  spirit  philosophy. 

The  life  and  death  of  Christ  was  invested  with  spirit 
manifestations.  Spirits  appeared  and  conversed.  His  dis- 
ciples meet,  and  suddenly  a  great  light  is  thrown  around 
them,  a  divine  flame  is  on  every  tongue,  and  the  poor, 
despised  illiterate  fishermen  of  the  shores  of  Galilee  surprize 
the  strangers  from  widely  remote  countries,  by  addressing 
each  in  his  own  tongue.  They  lay  their  hands  on  the  sick, 
and  they  are  healed ;  on  the  blind,  they  see ;  on  the  lame,  they 
walk.  Some  are  cast  away  on  an  iland,  and  astonish  the 
people  by  shaking  off  poisonous  reptiles  which  fasten  on 
their  hands,  and  while  they  are  expected  to  drop  down  dead, 
cure  the  sick  by  a  touch. 

The  early  fathers  worked  similar  wonders,  and  were  all 
imprest  that  the  air  was  filled  with  invisible  spirits,  both  good 
and  bad.  Clement,  Appolonius,  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  Justin, 
Tatian,  Tertullian,  Origen,  Cyprian,  all  testify  positively  to 
the  existence  of  spiritual  intelligences.  Origen  believed  that 
the  spirits  of  the  just  went  to  the  throne  of  God,  and  that 
they  might  by  prayers  and  intercessions  redeem  those  they 
loved  on  earth.  He  believed  that  man  retained  all  his  facul- 
ties and  desires  after  passing  the  shadowy  gulf  of  death. 

Even  down  to  the  present,  many  believe  in  witchcraft, 
incantation,  and  foretelling  the  future;  and  so  deeply  rooted 
is  this  belief,  that  it  is  impossible  to  eradicate  it.  What  mean 
the  persecutions  of  its  devotees?  Have  they  been  destroyed 
simply  from  a  foolish  effort  to  deceive?  There  is  a  truth 
somewhere  beneath  all  this  rubbish — a  great  truth  easily 
extracted. 

In  quite  recent  times  an  extensive  persecution  arose  from 
this  cause.  The  Salem  massacre  blots  the  page  of  American 
history.  It  is  evident  that  the  individuals  connected  with 
that  tragedy  were  ignorant  of  the  cause  for  which  they  were 
deemed  guilty. 


426  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

So  has  it  ever  been  in  the  world's  history;  a  miraculous 
power  is  constantly  at  work  behind  the  moving  canvas  of 
human  affairs,  and  here  and  there,  only,  crops  out,  like 
granite  peaks  from  mist,  revealing  the  deep  force  concealed. 
Whenever  it  has  appeared  it  has  been  considered  super- 
natural, and  mistaken  for  a  direct  manifestation  of  God. 

To  the  present  age  has  been  reserved  the  honor  of  solving 
the  vext  problem.  The  analytical  philosophy  arranges  the 
facts  brought  by  history,  and  is  delighted  with  their  harmony. 
It  sees  one  great  law  pervading  the  entire  mysterious  domain. 
To  one  force  all  facts  are  referable.  The  sublime  philosophy 
of  mind  and  spirit,  which  but  today  has  been  advanced, 
solved  them  all.  That  law  is  the  impressibility  of  mind  by 
which  clairvoyance,  in  all  its  phases,  and  spiritual  intercourse 
are  maintained.  History  shows  that  both  of  these  are  very 
ancient.  They  were  ill  understood ;  and  when  a  spirit  spoke, 
its  voice  was  considered  as  emanating  from  the  gods. 

True,  it  may  be  objected  that  we  are  not  warranted  in 
referring  the  historic  facts  to  clairvoyance  and  spirits;  but 
we  refer  them  to  those  sources  as  an  effect  is  referred  to  its 
cause.  It  is  an  admitted  fact  that  one  mind  can  control 
another,  and  that  some  minds  can  pass  into  the  clairvoyant 
state  without  assistance,  in  which  state  they  can  read  the  past 
and  predict  the  future.  If  mind  is  thus  susceptible  to-day, 
it  is  probable  that  it  was  so  a  thousand  or  four  thousand 
years  ago.  And  when  we  find  an  event  of  the  past,  trans- 
piring in  precisely  the  same  and  under  the  same  conditions 
as  one  at  present,  is  it  not  logical  to  refer  both  to  a  common 
cause  t 

The  priestesses  were  sensitive  subjects;  and  when  they 
entered  the  prophetic  state  they  exhibited  the  livid,  deathlike 
complexion,  the  contortions  and  rigidity  of  muscles,  so  well 
known  to  those  who  have  investigated  animal  magnetism.  It 
would  be  singular  indeed  if  mind  became  susceptible  to 
magnetism  but  a  few  years  ago  after  having  remained 
unsusceptible  for  ages,  and  equally  remarkable  if  the  faculties 
were  not  made  available,  As  steam  was  known  to  the.  ancients 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  427 

without  their  applying  it  to  any  useful  end,  so  did  they  know 
the  existence  of  mental  impressibility  without  comprehending 
its  vast  importance. 

For  similar  reasons  do  we  refer  many  of  the  mysteries  of 
the  past  to  spiritual  intelligences.  If  man  is  immortal,  and 
retains  his  consciousness  after  death  has  consigned,  with 
rude  hand,  his  body  to  the  dust,  he  must  desire  to  come  back 
and  converse  with  his  friends  on  earth.  If  the  spirits  of 
the  good  can  look  down  from  their  celestial  heights  with  calm 
indifference,  and  never  desire  to  communicate  the  light  which 
alone  can  dispel  their  earthly  brother's  douts,  they  must  have 
lost  the  humane  feelings  which  constitute  the  great  and 
benevolent  soul. 

The  Christian  world  unanimously  believes  in  a  future  state. 
We  will  not  stop  to  prove  this  step  in  our  reasoning.  Admit 
that  there  is  a  future  state,  what  must  necessarily  be  its 
characteristics?  The  immortal  spirit,  freed  from  the  body, 
must  be  the  same  as  it  was  in  the  body;  with  all  its  emotions 
and  desires  the  same.  Does  not  the  father  in  a  distant  land 
desire  to  converse  with  his  absent  child?  Does  he  not  cross 
oceans  and  continents,  breasting  storms  and  dangers,  to  clasp 
him  to  his  breast?  How  yearns  the  mother's  susceptible 
heart  for  her  absent  son!  Can  the  love  of  that  father  or 
mother  be  blotted  out  by  death  if  he  or  she  retain  individ- 
uality beyond  its  shadow?  Can  friendship  and  the  holy 
conjugal  emotions  become  extinct?  If  not,  then  will  the 
freed  spirit,  roaming  among  the  bowers  of  the  blessed,  think 
of  earth  and  loved  ones  toiling  here,  and,  forsaking  the 
pleasures  of  paradise  wing  its  way  swiftly  to  earth  and  hover 
round  the  loved. 

This  is  the  philosophy  of  the  belief  in  gardian  angels, 
which  has  existed  in  the  world  from  immemorial  time;  and 
the  host  of  genii,  the  ancients  believed,  overlooked  the  affairs 
of  cities  and  nations.  How  plausible  that  the  man  who  shed 
his  blood  in  defence  of  his  country  should,  after  death, 
retaining  the  same  thoughts  and  desires,  remain  near  to  watch 
and  protect  it !  Thus  these  myths  of  the  past  have  a  sound 


428          THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

basis,  and  are  not  all  vagaries  of  the  imagination,  as  they 
seem.  Beneath  the  most  fantastic  and  grotesque  forms  of 
mythology  of ttimes  the  grandest  spiritual  truths  are  concealed. 

But  these  gardians  would  be  engaged  very  unprofitably  if 
they  could  not  communicate  with  or  influence  in  the  least 
those  they  garded.  Nature  never  suffers  such  an  imperfect 
arrangement;  and  as  surely  as  there  are  gardian  spirits,  they 
communicate. 

The  following  propositions  rest  on  the  admission  of  man's 
existence  after  death: — 

1.  If  he  exists,  he  must  retain  all  his  ideas,  thoughts,  facul- 
ties, desires,  and  emotions  unimpaired. 

2.  If  he  retains  these,  he  will  desire  to  commune  with  those 
he  loves  on  earth. 

3.  If  he  becomes  a  gardian  spirit  over  those  he  loves,  he 
must  have  some  avenue  thru  which  to  communicate  with  them. 
This  conclusion  is  not  only  true  for  the  present,  but  for  all 
past  time.     It  is  inherent  in  the  constitution  of  man ;  and  tho 
we  may  suppose  impressions  were  made  with  more  difficulty 
on  the  crude  and  undeveloped  mind  than  at  present,  yet  that 
they  were  produced  on  the  most  susceptible,  facts  conclusively 
show. 

We  are  born  into  a  world  of  which  we  at  first  know  noth- 
ing. Above  and  around  us  spread  the  clouds  and  the 
sunshine.  Above  us  nightly  watch  the  silent  stars,  and 
around  us  is  the  activity  of  animate  nature.  Thru  all  these, 
the  soul  develops  step  by  step,  until  at  last  it  feels  the  mighty 
power  within,  proclaiming  its  own  divinity.  If  the  soul  is 
immortal,  it  should  know  it.  The  great  consciousness  of  its 
existence  should  dawn  like  a  divine  radiance,  and  fill  it  with 
inexpressible  hopes  and  aspirations.  Hence  this  universal 
consciousness  we  have  shown  to  exist  is  a  strong  philosophical 
argument.  It  is  not  educational,  it  is  not  imbibed,  for  there 
must  have  been  a  time  when  it  was  not  known.  From  whence 
came  this  knowledge?  Was  it  whispered  by  the  spirits  of 
the  departed  into  the  ear  of  the  savage  as  he  lay  pillowed 
beneath  the  waving  trees?  Or  was  it  the  dim  and  undefined 


THE   PHILOSOPHY   OP   SPIRIT.  429 

aspiration  of  his  own  spirit  for  the  Great  Unknown  beyond 
the  Lethean  flood  of  death?  We  would  say,  the  aspiration 
of  his  spirit,  questioning  itself — answered  by  itself. 

Thus,  amid  all  the  vicissitudes  of  time,  one  great  and 
fundamental  belief  has  pervaded  the  heart  of  humanity.  On 
the  immortality  of  the  spirit  the  theologies  of  the  world  have 
rested.  Above  the  sphere  of  mortal  affairs,  in  the  clear 
ether,  the  spirits  of  the  dead  exist,  and  frequently  communi- 
cate with  their  earthly  brothers.  They  were  the  mediators 
between  the  unapproachable  holiness  of  the  deity  and  man. 

Amid  the  labyrinths  of  mythologies  and  theologies  of  the 
past,  the  great  law  previously  adverted  to — impressibility  of 
the  mind,  or  mesmerism — pervades,  working  spontaneously 
beyond  the  comprehension  of  present  understanding,  and 
astonishing  the  nations  by  its  miracles.  The  vast  and  appar- 
ently disorderly  fabric  is  reduced  to  system  and  order,  and 
from  its  confusion,  reason,  pursuing  the  guidance  of  induc- 
tive philosophy,  bilds  a  temple  whose  foundations  are  on 
the  earth,  but  with  spire  piercing  the  veiled  heavens  of  the 
spirit  spheres. 


430  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 


CHAPTER    HI. 

EVIDENCES  OF  MAN'S  IMMORTALITY. 

The  method  by  which  we  propose  to  make  our  revelations  posi- 
tive.—  Proofs:  Moving  of  tcbles  and  other  ponderable 
objects.  —  Intelligence  manifested.  —  Laplace's  problem  of 
probabilities.  —  The  chain  of  arguments,  objections  and 
theories  considered.  —  Identification  of  a  spirit.  —  Identifies 
the  individuality  of  all  others.  —  Varied  forms  of  com- 
munication: Object  of.  —  Our  evidence. 

WE  subject  ourselves  to  the  humiliating  task  of  proving 
our  own  identity  before  applying  ourselves  to  the  main 
purpose  of  this  volume.  In  doing  this  we  shall  treat  our 
subject  as  we  should  were  we  of  earth,  and  attempting  its 
substantiation  by  positive  testimony.  If  we  accomplish  this 
purpose,  we  make  our  words  as  positive  and  conclusive  as  in 
the  Arcana  of  Nature,  where  direct  facts  were  adduced. 
Before  the  witness  is  heard,  it  must  be  ascertained  whether 
he  is  trustworthy,  and  what  he  purports.  If  we  meet  this 
test,  our  description  of  the  spirit-world  becomes  as  positive 
as  the  narrative  of  the  traveler;  for  we  are  guided  by  our 
senses,  and  write  as  they  teach  us. 

If  a  single  spirit  can  be  identified,  the  proposition  is 
proved;  for  the  method  that  will  identify  one  spirit  will 
identify  all  others.  A  spirit  visits  a  circle,  and  moves  the 
table,  the  chairs,  or  elevates  the  medium  or  members  of  the 
circle  above  the  floor,  doing  so  without  any  visible  contact  or 
agency  whatever.  This  is  admitted  and  it  is  unnecessary  to 
quote  facts  in  support.  A  force  is  exhibited,  a  mysterious 
force,  which  received  science  has  not,  cannot  account  for. 

So  far,  individualized  intelligence  is  not  manifested.     The 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  431 

force  may  be  produced  by  magnetism,  Od  force,  or  any  other 
of  the  unintelligent  agencies  of  nature.  Of  all  this  class  of 
phenomena,  we  will  not  pause  to  dispute,  as  they  are  unessen- 
tial in  establishing  our  position;  for  when  the  main  point  is 
admitted,  these  will  readily  fall  into  place. 

It  is  true,  no  intelligence  is  manifested;  but  mark,  a  ques- 
tion is  asked — the  table  moves  in  response.  The  answer  is 
correct.  One  question  may  be  answered  correctly  by  chance. 
A  happy  coincidence  may  give  the  second  answer  correctly, 
and  even  the  third,  we  will  admit;  but  how  stands  the  case 
when  a  hundred  successive  questions  are  answered  correctly? 
Now  the  question  of  intelligence  resolves  itself  into  Laplace's 
problem  of  probabilities.  Again  a  single  question  being 
answered  correctly,  if  the  force  which  moves  the  table  is  not 
an  intelligent  force,  or  backed  by  intelligence,  there  is  an 
infinite  improbability  if  the  answer  is  not  yes  or  no.  What 
then  can  be  said  when  a  hundred  consecutive  questions  are 
answered  correctly,  without  a  single  failure?  The  chances 
of  error  are  reduced  to  nothing,  and,  in  a  mathematical  sense, 
the  proposition  is  established. 

From  whence  is  this  intelligence  derived?  From  the  mind 
of  the  circle  or  medium?  It  may  be,  when  the  answers  are 
known  to  them,  which  for  the  argument  we  admit;  but  there 
are  instances  where  the  answers  are  unknown  to  anyone 
present — answers  which  only  one  being  knows,  and  that  being 
is  in  the  spirit-world.  How  strong  the  inference!  Such  is 
the  conclusion  derived  from  physical  manifestations.  They 
present  themselves  in  the  following  chain: — 

Physical  matter  is  moved  by  an  invisible  force. 

This  force  is  not  derived  from  the  circle,  the  medium,  or  any 
human  agency,  as  it  is  superior  to  human  intelligence.  There 
is  infinite  improbability  against  it  being  anything  else  than 
what  it  purports. 

The  intelligence  manifested  is  not  mundane. 

It  identifies  itself  with  the  individual  from  whom  it  pur- 
ports to  emanate,  by  answering  questions  which  that  individ- 
ual only  can  answer. 


432  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

We  have  not  completed  the  extensive  list  of  manifestations. 
We  write,  we  impress,  we  speak,  we  produce  trances  and 
visions;  we  appear  under  favorable  conditions,  show  a  phos- 
phorescent hand,  or  directly  touch  the  person. 

In  answering  questions  thru  any  of  these  channels  correctly, 
the  doctrine  of  probabilities  can  be  usefully  applied. 

In  all  these  manifestations  objections  arise,  which  we  will 
briefly  consider: 

1.  It  is  the  work  of  the  devil. 

2.  It  is  evil  spirits. 

3.  It  is  electricity,  "detached  and  vitalized." 

4.  It  is  Od  force. 

5.  It  is  Deception — a  cheat. 

6.  It  is  Hallucination. 

All  these  theories,  one  after  another,  have  been  exploded, 
with  countless  others  of  lesser  fame,  until,  weary  of  repeated 
failures,  their  sapient  propounders  have  ceased  to  promulgate 
them.  However,  we  will  give  each  a  brief  review. 

1.  The  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit.    Our  communications  in 
general  have  high  moral  tone,  which  internal  evidence  alone 
establishes  their  claims,  and  negates  the  supposition  of  their 
diabolic  origin. 

2.  There    are    spirits — not    evil    but    degraded,    miserable 
spirits — who  communicate  with  earth ;  but  the  same  law  which 
permits   them,    also   allows   the   good   to   converse.     Ah,   ye 
Christians,  who  promulgate  this  theory,  what  can  be  your 
idea  of  the  just  and  good  deity  you  worship,  who  allows  the 
myriads  of  the  damned  to  deluge  the  world  with  their  contami- 
nating presence  while  he  debars  the  counteracting  influence 
of  the  good?    Law  never  works  in  opposite  ways.    The  road 
which  allows  one  passenger  to  go,  allows  all.    Good  and  bad 
alike  visit  you,  and  communicate  their  best  thoughts.    You 
have  reason.    Judge  for  yourselves. 

3.  Until   we   are   told  how   electricity   can   be    detached 
and  vitalized  this  assumption  is  worthless.    Electricity  has  no 
more  intelligence  than  water.    Whence,,  then,  is  the  mani- 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OP   SPIRIT.  433 

fested  intelligence  derived?  And  more,  in  and  around  the 
article  moved,  not  the  slightest  indication  of  this  agent  can 
be  detected. 

4.  The  claims  of  Od  force  are  still  less  worthy  of  consid- 
eration.    It  is  forced  into  a  position  of  which  its  discoverer 
never  dreamed,  and  given  power  which  in  all  his  investiga- 
tions he  never  detected.     The  flames  which  play  around  the 
poles  of  magnets  and  crystals,  only  detected,  so  thin  are  they, 
by  the  most  sensitive  nerves, — what  have  they  to  do  with 
moving  ponderable  bodies,  or  suspending  them  in  the  air? 

5.  Mediums  may  deceive;  circles  may  be  humbugged.    We 
admit,  for  argument,  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  they  are; 
but  the  tenth,  we  will  not  admit.     When  the  medium  is,  by 
invisible  hands,  lifted  to  the  ceiling,  and  suspended  there;  or 
when  the  table  is  elevated  in  the  same  manner,  or  when  ques- 
tions are  answered  which  no  man  on  earth,  even  their  pro- 
pounders,    can    answer — we    hold    that    the    supposition    of 
deception  is  puerile. 

6.  It  is  impossible  to  hold  the  supposition  that  all  these 
phenomena  can  be  accounted  for  by  supposing  the  spectators 
are  hallucinated.    If  so,  then  the  real  world  melts  and  fades 
into  a  dream,  and  there  is  no  reality  in  anything.    If  the 
senses  are  not  to  be  trusted  here,  why  anywhere?    If  the 
eye  sees  what  is  not,  the  ear  hears  what  is  not,  the  touch  feels 
what  is  not,  then,  observation  and  boasted  scientific  accuracy, 
goodby.     The  world  becomes  a  magnificent  f antasmagoria  in 
which    we    dream,    but    are    not.      The    German    mysticism 
becomes  realized — we  think  Nature  exists,  that  we  exist;  but 
it  is  all  a  thought,  a  juggler's  delusion,  for  there  is  nothing 
in  space  but  a  void. 

Our  manifestations  have  been  varied  as  theories  arose,  until 
new  opposers  find  themselves  in  a  very  unfortunate  dilemma, 
for  whatever  explains  the  facts  sweeps  away  all  the  supernat- 
uralism  of  the  past. 

So  varied,  so  numerous,  so  common  have  our  communi- 
cations become,  that  the  introduction  of  facts  would  only 

28 


434  THE  ARCANA  OF  NATURE,  OR 

encumber  pages  we  propose  to  fill  with  other  matter.*  We 
only  attempt  to  roughly  sketch  the  main  argument,  and 
plainly  state  conclusions  derived  from  facts  elsewhere  stated. 
The  identification  of  a  spirit  decides  the  controversy.  How 
would  you  identify  a  friend  concealed  by  a  wall,  if  you  could 
not  recognize  his  voice?  You  would  ask  for  proof  that  he 
was  really  the  one  he  purported  to  be,  and  he  would  tell  you 
some  incident,  some  sentence  peculiar  to  him,  and  to  him  only. 
We  are  concealed  by  the  wall  of  invisibility.  You  ask:  Are 
you  whom  you  purport  to  be?  We  answer  with  some 
familiar  sentence.  Is  not  the  identification  perfect?  There 
is  an  individuality  acknowledged;  our  responsibility  and  trust 
allowed,  and  our  revelations  become  positive  knowledge. 
Such  are  the  views  with  which  we  commence  this  volume;  and 
tho  we  shall  ever  argue  the  questions  under  consideration, 
many  will  not  admit  of  more  than  a  simple  narration,  as  the 
descriptions  of  our  homes,  etc.,  which  must  be  received  on 
our  word. 


*  Several  volumes  of  facts  have  been  compiled,  which  are  accessible 
to  the  inquirer,  and  to  which  he  is  referred : — Night-Side  of  Nature  ; 
Hare's  Work  on  Spiritualism ;  Owen's  Footfalls ;  The  Telegraph 
papers ;  the  Shekinah,  etc. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OP  SPIRIT.  435 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Position  of  Christianity. — Jewish  Religion.  —  Of  Christ's  Ref- 
ormation. —  Mutual  relations  of  Revelation  and  Science. 
—  State  of  the  World.  —  Impossibility  of  believing  what  is 
contradictory  to  Reason.  —  Tolerance.  —  The  combat  be- 
tween the  Conservative  and  Reformer.  —  Spiritual  beings 
the  true  Philosopher's  Stone.  — The  Truth  declared.  —  The 
true  Object. 

CHRISTIANITY  has  taken  one  step,  for  it  is  progressive. 
The  new  dispensation  supplanted  the  old.  The  Jewish  theol- 
ogy answered  the  wants  of  an  early  and  savage  race.  Hard 
as  iron,  inflexible  and  bloody,  it  was  the  religion  for  the  Jews, 
the  most  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  tribe  of  ancient  days;  so 
brutal  and  avaricious  that  he  was  as  universally  hated  as 
despised. 

The  Jehovah  of  the  Jew  was  an  enlarged  view  of  himself. 
His  religion  was  like  his  God.  It  assumed  the  arrogance  of 
bigotry,  and  declared  a  handful  of  savages  God's  chosen 
people,  authorized  to  slay  and  mangle  their  enemies  whenever 
interest  dictated;  to  sack  cities,  and  butcher  thousands,  God 
thundering  his  assent,  urging  them  on  to  carnage,  and  par- 
ticipating until  his  garments  were  red  with  slaughter.  Such 
a  religion,  bad  as  it  appears,  was  the  best  religion  they  could 
comprehend;  and  no  better  could  then  be  given  them. 

After  some  thousands  of  years,  Christ  the  ideal  came,  and 
gathering  all  the  best  ideas  of  the  ages,  advanced  to  the  out- 
posts of  thought,  and  began  a  new  dispensation.  This  ideal, 
pure  as  the  crystal  stream,  has  been  corrupted  until  it  no 
longer  slakes  the  thirst  of  the  present.  Does  it  teach  enough 
of  God,  of  immortality,  of  the  true  life?  Let  the  aspect  of 
the  world,  its  wranglings  and  discord  answer.  A  perfect 


436  THE   ARCANA  OP  NATURE,  OR 

revelation  does  not  need  an  interpretation,  nor  an  explana- 
tion, for  it  is  a  clear  enunciation  of  the  truths  of  nature.  It 
is  characteristic  of  imperfection  to  be  misunderstood,  to 
require  notes  and  explanations.  We  do  not  expect  perfection 
in  the  world  of  mind,  but  we  expect  a  more  perfect  state  than 
existed  two  thousand  years  ago.  As  the  race  progresses,  new 
and  higher  revelations  are  received.  Revelation  is  progres- 
sive, and  if  it  sets  its  landmarks,  is  certain  to  become  an 
encumbrance.  As  mind  advances,  new  truths  flash  out  along 
its  path,  sending  their  illuminating  rays  into  the  past,  and 
penetrating  the  darkness  of  the  future. 

Science,  classified,  demonstrated  facts  and  conclusions 
drawn  therefrom — moves  slowly  onwards,  and  the  so-styled 
revelation  has  given  way  before  it.  One  strong  position  after 
another  has  been  surrendered;  here  a  grim  castle,  there  an 
impregnable  redout,  walled  by  superstition,  has  been  evacu- 
ated, for  science  hears  no  capitulation  or  compromises;  it 
heeds  not  the  voice  of  any  book,  be  it  never  so  old  or  sacred. 
With  inquisitive  eye  it  pries  into  the  mysterious,  the  hidden 
and  obscure,  and  boldly  enters  the  most  sacred  domain.  With 
rude  hand  it  takes  down  the  holy  volumes  of  the  nations,  and 
reasons  on  their  words  with  cold  impiety. 

All  thru  the  thick  folios  its  explanations  disagree  from  the 
word.  How  shall  the  truth  be  known? 

Which  explanation  has  been  received?  Which  taught  in 
the  schools?  Invariably  the  facts  of  science.  Science  is 
ever  stern  and  inflexible.  It  never  retreats  from  its  positions, 
while  it  has  forced  the  so-styled  infallible  revelations  to  bend 
before  its  invincible  evidence. 

Glance  for  a  moment  at  the  efforts  which  have  been  made 
to  reconcile  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis  with  the  geological 
account  of  the  creation.  Volume  after  volume  has  been  writ- 
ten, but  facts  remain  unanswerable.  There  can  be  no  recon- 
ciliation. Something  cannot  be  created  from  nothing;  the 
world,  instead  of  six  days,  must  have  been  countless  millions 
of  ages  in  forming.  One  says  that  the  rainbow  is  a  symbol 
of  God's  covenant  with  man.  Who  accepts  this  explanation, 


THE  PHILOlaOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  437 

or  believes  that  no  bow  was  painted  on  the  storm  billows 
before  the  flood?  Nature  has  spoken  and  her  revelation  is 
received.  The  prism  forms  an  artificial  rainbow,  and  thereby 
explains  how  light  striking  the  falling  drops  of  rain  is 
refracted.  Wherever  the  shower  has  fallen,  the  bow  has 
girted  its  brow — ay,  millions  of  years  before  the  flood. 

Who  believes  in  a  universal  deluge,  or  that  the  earth  is 
flat,  and  the  center  of  the  universe,  around  which  the  sun  and 
stars  revolve? 

The  revelations  of  nature  have  been  received.  The  most 
sacred  books  of  the  nations  have  answered  their  end,  and  no. 
longer  satisfy.  When  urged  on  the  present  they  are  failures. 

Look  abroad  over  the  world.  Do  you  see  harmony,  con- 
cord, peace  ?  Rather  the  worst  discord — of  ideas  and  actions. 
Reform  after  reform  is  called  for  by  those  suffering  under 
the  grievous  weight  of  existing  institutions,  while  the  old  is 
left  behind  by  reforms  arising  from  its  ruins.  The  new  and 
the  old  have  their  advocates,  who  cling  with  fanatical  devotion 
to  their  own  systems,  and  listen  to  the  claims  of  no  other. 
The  errors  of  the  world  cover  it  with  a  thick  and  impene- 
trable forest,  which  arises  before  the  reformer  like  that  which 
met  the  Pilgrims'  gaze  along  the  Atlantic's  frozen  shore. 
They  met  with  difficulties,  but  with  indomitable  energy  grap- 
pled with  the  ruggedness  of  nature.  They  cleared  away  the 
forest,  blasted  the  rocks,  and  drove  the  plow  over  the  hi  Us 
where  the  red  Indian  still  chased  the  deer  with  his  swift 
arrow,  and  now  the  golden  fields  of  corn  bend  to  the  winds. 

Thus  melts  away  the  growth  of  error  before  the  reformer. 
Trees  of  centuries'  growth  are  to  be  felled;  the  soil  amelio- 
rated by  plow  and  harrow;  the  rank  weeds,  ready  to  spring 
up,  mown  down;  and  when  everything  is  prepared,  and  the 
seeds  of  truth  sown  with  a  strong  arm,  they  will  bloom  in 
immortal  verdure  ...  To  introduce  a  true  and  dignified 
rationalism  is  the  prime  object  of  spirits.  ...  To  cut 
humanity  loose  from  the  fetters  of  superstition,  and  to  free 
reason  from  the  chain  of  creeds,  is  a  work  sufficient  to  enlist 
the  services  of  arch-angels.  .  .  . 


438  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,  OR 


CHAPTER    V. 

CONSIDERATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  PHENOMENA,  AND  THEIR  DIS- 
TINCTION FROM  SUCH  As  ARE  NOT  SPIRITUAL  BUT 
DEPENDENT  ON  SIMILAR  LAWS. 

Introductory.  —  Division  of  the  subject.  —  1.  Mesmerism;  2. 
Somnambulism;  3.  Hallucinations;  4>  Apparitions;  5. 
Dreams;  6.  Influence  of  the  medium;  7.  Influence  of  condi- 
tions; 8.  Position  and  Intelligence  of  the  Communicating 
spirit. 

CREDULITY,  which  believes  without  positive  evidence,  is  as 
reprehensible  as  unyielding  scepticism.  Human  nature,  how- 
ever, inclines  to  one  or  the  other  extreme.  It  believes  all,  or 
rejects  all,  and  the  fable  of  "strainers  at  gnats,  and  swallow- 
ers  of  camels"  is  ever  enacting.  .  .  . 

Man  is  a  spirit  as  much  while  in  the  body  as  out  of  it, 
and  consequently,  as  far  as  his  corporeal  state  will  permit, 
governed  by  the  same  spiritual  laws.  From  this  cause  con- 
fusion arises,  as  there  is  a  perfect  blending  of  phenomena  at 
the  borders  of  the  two  stages;  so  great  is  this  confusion  that 
we  can  safely  estimate  that  one-half  of  what  are  called 
spiritual  manifestations  are  of  mundane  origin.  Not  that 
direct  humbug  is  used,  but  mediums  and  circles  are  deceived. 

In  considering  this  subject,  we  shall,  for  brevity,  divide 
it  into : — 

1.  Mesmerism;  2.  Somnambulism;  3.  Hallucination,  and 
Insanity;  4.  Apparitions;  5.  Dreams;  6.  Influence  of  Medi- 
ums; 7.  Influence  of  conditions  on  communications;  8.  Posi- 
tion and  intelligence  of  the  Communicating  spirits. 

1.  Mesmerism — Is  the  key  to  the  spiritual  philosophy,  by 
which  only  it  can  be  understood.  One  spirit  in  the  body  can 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF  SPIRIT.  439 

influence  another  spirit  in  the  body.  Such  is  the  general 
statement  of  the  law  of  psychological  influence.  We  shall,  in 
its  proper  connection,  show  that  we  influence  mediums  pre- 
cisely as  the  magnetizer  does  his  subject,  and  that  the  body  is 
nothing  in  the  intercourse  of  spirits. 

2.  Somnambulism. — This  is  a  state  of  mind  very  nearly  allied 
to  that  produced  by  mesmeric  passes,  but  is  not  induced  by 
them.  Volumes  might  be  filled  with  facts,  showing  how,  when 
apparently  wrapt  in  profoundest  slumber,  the  somnambulist 
has  performed  most  surprizing  feats,  such  as  climbing  from 
a  chamber  window  to  the  roof  without  aid,  which  would  be 
impossible  for  any-one  to  perform  when  awake;  getting  into 
and  out  of  positions  which  appear  incredible.  It  is  said  that 
a  lad  in  the  Highlands  scaled  a  perpendicular  precipice, 
which  had  never  been  scaled  before,  and  had  always  been 
deemed  inaccessible. 

In  this  state,  which  verges  on  clairvoyance,  and  sometimes 
is  identical  with  it,  the  spirit  is  freed  from  the  body  suffi- 
ciently to  possess  senses  of  its  own,  and  have  no  use  for  those 
of  the  body.  In  it,  beautiful  pieces  of  music  have  been 
composed,  sermons  written,  and  surprizing  mental  operations 
performed.  In  pronouncing  on  such  exhibitions,  care 
should  be  used  not  to  confound  the  operations  of  the  mind 
with  spiritual  influence,  as  has  been  rashly  done,  for  it  must 
ever  be  remembered,  man  himself  is  a  spirit,  and  capable  of 
manifesting  spiritual  phenomena. 

Still  more  caution  should  be  used  in  the  next  class  of  facts. 
The  mind  remembers  all  the  occurrences  of  its  life.  They 
may  be  dimmed  on  memory's  tablet,  but  never  effaced,  and 
the  proper  conditions  will  awake  them  fresh  as  the  occur- 
rences of  the  hour.  Sydney  Smith  experienced  this  when 
drowning.  He  says  that  all  the  events  of  his  life,  even  to  the 
most  minute,  rushed,  in  a  minute,  before  him.  This  is  true 
of  all  spirits,  and  it  is  this  that  makes  the  good  action  and 
glorious  thought  bestow  reward,  while  crime  and  evil  inflict 
punishment  by  ever  presenting  their  horrid  forms.  Under- 
standing this,  we  can  readily  account  for  those  remarkable 


440  THE   ARCANA   OP   NATURE,   OR 

mental  manifestations,  when,  during  sickness  or  some  de- 
rangement, the  most  -trifling  occurrences  absorb  the  whole 
mind.  An  ignorant  servant  girl,  during  sickness,  converses 
in  the  learned  languages  quite  to  the  astonishment  of  her 
attendants.  Now,  this  was  not  spiritual  communication  in 
tongues,  but  a  natural  result  of  mental  derangement.  Years 
previous  she  had  resided  with  a  scholar,  who  often  repeated 
these  passages,  and  thus  wrote  them  ineffaceably  on  her  mind. 

Another  anecdote  is  told  of  an  individual  equally  astonish- 
ing her  employers  by  imitating  the  sounds  of  a  violin.  This 
was  not  the  freak  of  a  musically  disposed  spirit,  but  the  girl 
had  previously  dwelt  with  a  musician,  and  in  her  sleep 
imitated  the  sounds  which  then  had  vibrated  on  her  mind.  .  . 
.  .  .  Let  us  pass  to  what  are  called  hallucinations,  but  which 
are  really  spiritual  influences.  In  this  catalog  we  shall  place 
the  oracles  of  all  ages,  the  fantasies  of  their  priests  and 
priestesses,  and  the  cases  of  real  (not  forged)  witchcraft. 
History  is  filled  with  instances  of  such  influence,  which  is 
classed  under  the  general  head  of  aberration  of  mind,  by 
philosophers.  One  must  suffice  for  illustration,  and  the 
reader  can  examine  the  history  of  the  world  for  countless 
others. 

Almost  at  random  we  select  that  of  Joan  of  Arc,  so  won- 
derful that  the  world  repeats  the  question  of  De  Quincy: 
"What  is  to  be  thought  of  her?"  The  shepherd  girl  of 
Domremy  for  five  centuries  attracted  the  attention  of  man- 
kind. We  give  the  details  of  her  inspiration,  because  she 
illustrates  the  spiritual  relations  and  nature  of  mind  in  a 
most  beautiful  manner.  Her  temperament  was  extremely 
sensitive  and  finely  organized.  She  was  modest  and  retiring. 
In  her  earliest  childhood  she  held  converse  with  spiritual 
beings,  which  she  supposed  fairies  and  elves,  beneath  an  old 
tree  by  the  banks  of  a  little  rivulet,  which  was  consecrated  as 
a  place  they  loved,  by  the  popular  traditions.  Her  senses 
were  so  fine  that  she  could  see  them,  and  hear  exquisite  music. 
In  her  thirteenth  year  she  saw  apparitions,  and  angel  forms 
as  bright  as  noonday.  She  was  standing  alone  in  her  father's 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  441 

garden,  when  suddenly  she  saw  a  most  brilliant  and  beautiful 
light  shining  into  her  face,  and  while  almost  overcome  by 
the  wonderful  sight,  she  heard  a  strange  but  sweet  voice 
bidding  her  "be  a  good  girl,  and  God  would  bless  her."  Her 
heart  was  pure  and  unsullied. 

While  alone  with  her  flocks,  another  vision  came.  In  the 
sky  above  her,  wonderful  and  majestic  forms  floated,  and 
she  was  addrest  in  mysterious  language.  Then  it  was  told 
her  that  she  should  deliver  France. 

It  is  a  singular  inclination  of  the  mind  to  endow  the  celes- 
tial being  that  most  occupies  the  thoughts  with  the  attributes 
of  a  special  gardian.  The  Hebrews  supposed  that  Jehovah 
had  especial  control  of  their  nation,  and  the  spiritual  beings 
who  guided  their  prophets  they  personified  in  him.  In 
Greece  the  national  gods  spoke  thru  the  oracles  in  the  same 
manner.  So  Joan  supposed  that  the  spiritual  being  she  saw, 
and  who  guided  her,  was  the  angel  Michael.  When  on  trial, 
several  years  after,  she  said,  "I  saw  him  with  these  eyes  as 
plainly  as  I  see  you  now." 

She  said:  "When  the  saints  were  disappearing,  I  wanted 
to  weep,  and  beseech  I  might  be  borne  away  with  them;  and 
after  they  had  disappeared,  I  used  to  kiss  the  earth  on  which 
they  rested." 

She  was  deeply  imprest  with  her  revelations,  and  as  an 
omnipotent  power  seemed  to  endow  her  with  the  mighty 
mission  of  delivering  France,  she  would  not  be  turned  from 
it  by  any  circumstance.  She  devoted  herself,  soul  and  body, 
to  her  country.  She  rejected  the  matrimonial  offer  of  a 
young  countryman,  because  she  felt  the  necessity  of  her 
remaining  free.  Against  the  wishes  of  her  parents  and 
friends,  she  set  out  for  the  court  of  the  French  king,  penni- 
less, and  without  any  credentials,  inspired  by  the  irresistible 
destiny  of  her  mission.  Kebuff  succeeded  rebuff;  but  at  last 
she  imprest  two  gentlemen  with  her  enthusiasm,  and  they 
conducted  her  to  the  throne.  Still  the  king  would  not  grant 
her  audience.  His  courtiers  questioned  her.  They  were 
influenced  by  her  enthusiasm,  and  recommended  her  to  the 


442  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

king.  He,  clouting  her  truthfulness,  seated  a  follower  on  the 
throne,  while  he,  in  plain  dress,  mingled  with  the  crowd.  He 
thus  proposed  to  test  the  spirit  she  said  controlled  her,  for  if 
she  was  simply  an  enthusiast  she  would  address  herself  to 
the  throne,  but  if  guided  by  a  higher  power  she  would  single 
him  from  the  crowd. 

The  modest,  retiring  shepherd  girl  was  conducted  into  the 
august  presence.  She  seemed  to  forget  herself  and  only 
remember  her  mission.  She  stood  erect,  and  gazed  around 
her;  turning  from  the  throne,  she  approached  the  king;  "In 
the  name  of  God,"  she  said,  "you  are  the  king.  I  am  Joan  sent 
by  God  to  aid  you,  and  I  announce  that  you  shall  be  crowned 
at  Rheims."  She  added,  after  a  pause,  "Why  will  you  not 
believe  me?  God  has  pity  on  you  and  on  your  people;  for  St. 
Louis  and  Charlemagne  are  on  their  knees  before  him,  pray- 
ing for  you  and  them." 

Her  prophetic  power  was  very  clear.  A  soldier  coarsely 
jested  her  in  the  streets,  when  she  quietly  replied  that  it  did 
not  become  a  man  so  near  his  end.  That  same  day  he  was 
drowned.  When  equipt  for  war,  in  knight's  armor,  she 
declined  accepting  a  sword,  saying  that  there  was  one  with 
five  crosses  lying  in  the  church  vault  of  St.  Catharine's,  and 
this,  and  none  other,  she  would  have.  A  messenger  was  sent, 
and  the  old,  neglected  sword  found,  as  she  had  predicted. 
A  banner  was  made,  as  she  directed,  and  the  assembled  army 
saw  her  with  exultation.  Thousands  of  deserters  again  en- 
listed; so  wild  was  the  -army's  enthusiasm  that  she  at  once 
became  their  chief. 

She  said  that  in  seven  days  she  would  raise  the  siege  of 
Orleans,  and  on  the  seventh  day  the  English  departed. 

She  said  she  would  go  out  of  Orleans  in  the  morning,  and 
return  by  a  bridge  then  occupied  by  the  enemy,  and  she 
accomplished  the  superhuman  feat.  After  the  siege  of 
Orleans  was  raised,  she  desired  the  king  to  go  to  Rheims  and 
be  crowned.  While  he  debated  in  his  mind  whether  it  would 
be  expedient  to  ask  her  what  her  spirit  said  on  the  subject 
she  read  his  thoughts  and  exclaimed,  "You  desire  to  know 


THE   PHILOSOPHY   OF   SPIRIT.  443 

what  the  voice  says.  I  heard  it  declare,  Daughter,  Go  for- 
ward ;  I  will  be  thy  helper — Go !  And  when  I  hear  that  voice 
I  feel  so  joyous,  it  is  too  wonderful  to  tell." 

The  expedition  to  Rheims  was  full  of  danger,  for  the  place 
was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy;  but  the  king  concluded 
to  go  He  first  besieged  Troyes,  but  failing  in  provisions,  a 
council  of  war  recommended  a  retreat.  It  was,  however, 
interrupted  by  Joan,  who  exclaimed,  "The  city  is  yours,  if 
you  remain  before  it  two  days  longer."  She  now  fulfilled  her 
prediction,  and  without  encountering  a  single  shot  he  marched 
his  army  into  Rheims,  and  was  crowned  King  of  France. 

At  her  trial  for  witchcraft  by  the  English,  she  predicted 
that  Paris  would  be  lost  by  them  within  seven  years,  which 
was  also  verified. 

Lastly,  Christlike,  she  foresaw  her  own  destruction.  "I 
shall  only  continue  for  a  year  or  a  little  more,"  said  she,  "I  must 
try  to  employ  that  year  well."  Her  character  sets  scepticism 
at  defiance,  and  on  no  other  supposition  but  the  interference 
of  a  superior  intelligence  can  we  account  for  the  sudden 
transformation  of  a  retired,  modest  shepherd  girl  into  a  hero 
possessing  the  original  fire  of  the  prophets  of  old. 

Of  greater  influence  were  the  beams  of  spiritual  knowledge 
the  spirit  world  poured  forth  thru  the  mediumistic  powers  of 
the  sages  and  prophets  of  old;  Mann,  Zoroaster,  Confucius, 
Christ,  Mohammed,  and  Swedenborg,  and  an  opposite  influ- 
ence which  impelled  the  conquerors  of  the  world  to  scourge 
mankind,  and  an  Alexander  and  Napoleon  to  become  more 
destructive  than  the  most  savage  beasts.  .  .  . 


444  THE  AECANA  OF  NATURE,   OR 


CHAPTER    XII. 

ANIMAL  MAGNETISM:  ITS  PHILOSOPHY,  LAWS,  APPLICATION 
AND  RELATION  TO  SPIRITUALISM. 


FROM  the  normal  state  to  the  death  of  the  body,  or  com- 
plete separation  from  it  of  the  spirit,  are  successive  steps  by 
which  the  mind  leaves  the  physical  form.  In  the  normal 
state  it  is  inseparably  united;  then  it  rises  partially  above  it, 
and  manifests  the  newly-acquired  faculty  of  impressibility; 
then  it  becomes  magnetic  and  clairvoyant,  and  exhibits  a 
noble  freedom  from  corporeal  restraints.  It  sees  when  the 
eyes  are  closed,  hears  the  slightest  sound  when  the  ears  are 
tightly  sealed,  and  by  its  superior  knowledge  conclusively 
shows  that  the  body  is  rather  detrimental  than  auxiliary  to 
the  expansion  of  thought. 

In  the  normal  state  there  is  a  mutual  dependence  of  the 
mind  and  body  which  qualifies  man  for  the  earthly  sphere. 
Born  in  intimate  relations,  nourished  together,  supported  by 
the  aid  they  furnish  each  other,  there  is  of  necessity  a  remark- 
able dependence.  But  on  the  part  of  the  mind,  this  is  only 
seeming,  not  real.  Back  of  the  nerves  and  brain,  of  cell  and 
cell-contents  there  is  a  necessity  for  higher  and  superior 
energy — just  as  beneath  all  the  changing  phenomena  of 
external  nature  great  and  incontrovertible  principles  are  seen 
upholding  on  their  Atlas  shoulders  all  created  things.  We 
must  go  farther  than  matter  to  account  for  the  phenomena 
observed.  We  cannot  refer  mind  entirely  to  the  body.  It 
does  not  originate  in  the  chemical  transformations  in  the 
brain;  these  were  means  of  its  manifestations;  and,  wnen  the 
complicated  nervous  structure  is  described,  it  is  considered  as 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OP  SPIRIT.  445 

the  engine  without  steam,  nicely  adjusted  for  the  operations 
of  intelligence,  but  inert  until  moved  by  that  superior  force 
derived  from  the  spiritual  aggregate  of  refined  matter  which 
composes  the  spirit  body. 

If  mind  was  wholly  dependent  on  the  physical  body  it  could 
not  act  without  it.  Clairvoyance  would  be  as  impossible  for 
man  as  for  brutes.  But  clairvoyance  is  established,  and 
yields  a  weighty  argument  that  mind  can  become  independent. 

If,  in  clairvoyance,  all  means  of  deception  are  destroyed, 
and  the  subject  retains  all  the  senses  unimpaired,  altho  the 
external  organs  are  sealed,  then  the  independent  existence  of 
mind  is  demonstrated.  Not  only  one  case,  but  innumerable 
ones  have  occurred  and  are  occurring  of  the  strictest  inde- 
pendent prevision  and  spiritual  sight. 

If  the  decline  of  the  intellect  in  old  age  is  brought  forward 
in  support  of  the  dependence  of  the  mind  on  the  body  the 
counterfact  can  be  arrayed  against  the  conclusions  deduced 
therefrom.  There  are  men  who,  like  Humboldt,  to  their  oldest 
age  retain  their  intellectual  powers  unimpaired,  and,  like  him, 
can  note  the  decay  of  the  physical  form,  mark  each  change, 
and  calculate  with  the  calm  eye  of  philosophy  the  period  of 
dissolution.  He  devoted  life  exclusively  to  the  cultivation  of 
his  intellect,  and  advanced  beyond  the  influence  of  physical 
decay.  While  his  body  was  falling  into  the  grave,  his  spirit 
was  unimpaired,  and  ready  to  become  an  independent  being 
as  soon  as  the  thread  which  bound  it  was  broken. 

Mind  is  an  effect  of  superior  causes,  and  if  those  causes 
do  not  reside  in  the  physical  form,  there  must  be  some  higher 
source  to  which  it  is  referable.  Beneath  the  external  phe- 
nomena is  the  spiritual  nature  of  man,  as  incarnated  in  his 
spiritual  body,  to  which  mind  must  be  referred. 

There  must  be  a  medium  of  communication,  otherwise  no 
influence  could  pass  from  one  influence  to  another.  Even 
intangible  motion  cannot  be  communicated  without  the  inter- 
vention of  tangible  matter.  If  one  individual  influences  the 
thoughts  and  actions  of  another  in  a  distant  apartment,  sim- 
ply by  the  effect  of  his  will,  then  it  is  self-evident  that  some- 


446  THE  ARCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

thing  passes  from  one  to  the  other.  This  proposition  does 
not  require  proof,  for  it  is  self-evident  that  nothing  cannot 
create  something. 

What  is  this  something?  Facts  conflict  with  the  hypothesis 
of  its  being  matter  radiated  from  one  individual  to  another, 
as  light  was  once  supposed  to  be  transmitted.  On  the  other 
hand,  all  these  phenomena  show  a  striking  relationship  to 
light,  heat  and  kindred  agents,  and  whatever  explains  one,  is 
alike  applicable  to  all.  We  have  already  discust  this  subject, 
and  to  the  universal  ether-ocean  referred  these  phenomena,  and 
as  waves  in  this  medium  of  a  certain  length,  produce  light,  of 
another  length,  heat,  of  another,  magnetism,  so  of  another 
length  they  produce  psychological  phenomena.  As  a  lumi- 
nous body  is  capable  of  producing  waves  of  light,  a  living 
being  is  capable  of  producing  zoethic  waves.  These  waves 
are  transmitted  with  greater  rapidity  than  vibrations  of  light, 
their  velocity  being  about  250,000  miles  per  second. 

Now,  let  us  inquire  how,  by  means  of  these  undulations, 
one  individual  can  influence  another. 

According  to  the  above  theory,  the  brain  vibrates  like  the 
strings  of  a  musical  instrument;  and  as  no  two  brains  are 
exactly  alike,  so  no  two  vibrate  alike.  This  illustration  is 
more  than  merely  an  illustration.  Both  depend  on  similar 
laws,  for  the  strings  produce  vibrations  in  the  air  which  are 
felt  by  the  tympanum  of  the  ear;  the  brain  excites  undu- 
lations in  ether  which  are  imprest  on  other  brains.  The 
nervous  system  alone  can  feel  these  waves.  The  string  of 
the  instrument  excites  similar  vibrations  in  contiguous  strings ; 
for  the  atmosphere  transmits  the  waves  of  sound,  or  being 
set  in  motion  by  one  string,  by  its  momentum  sets  the  other 
string  in  vibration. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF   SPIRIT.  447 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
PHILOSOPHY  OF  CHANGE  AND  DEATH,  CONCLUDED. 

A.  Clairvoyant  Revelation.  —  A  Death-bed  Scene.  —  Parting  of 
Spirit  and  Body.  —  Spiritual  Experience.  —  What  they  say 
of  the  Middle  Passage.  —  Revelation  of  an  Atheist.  —  Of 
a  Spiritualist.  —  Robert  Owen.  — The  Arcana  of  Death 
disclosed. 

[ONE  calm  and  beautiful  evening  I  became  entranced.  A 
voice  whispered  to  me,  "I  will  show  you  now  the  philosophy 
of  death."  I  seemed  to  leave  the  body.  I  existed  outside  of, 
and  independent  of,  the  physical  form ;  yet  I  observed  a  con- 
necting line  uniting  my  spirit  to  its  shrine.  The  spirit  took 
my  hand,  and  we  past  from  my  room  into  the  air.  The  stars 
shone  beautifully  from  the  icy  arch,  and  the  moon  flooded 
the  landscape  with  a  deluge  of  silver  light.  Silently  in  slum- 
ber, wrapt  in  its  gray  mantle,  lay  the  weary  earth.  We 
seemed  the  only  living  beings  of  the  shadowy  landscape.  On 
we  past  with  the  swift  wings  of  thought  until  we  came  to 
a  palatial  dwelling.  A  light  feebly  shone  from  a  single 
window,  speaking  of  disease  even  in  that  sumptuous  resi- 
dence. No  bell  announced  our  arrival,  no  knocker  rang  thru 
the  hall.  The  window  furnished  an  open  way,  and  unan- 
nounced we  entered. 

On  a  couch  lay  a  beautiful  child,  just  blushing  into  wom- 
anhood. Disease  had  wasted  the  physical  form  until  her 
spirit  stood  so  far  across  the  threshold  of  the  spirit  world 
as  to  cast  over  the  dying  clay  the  radiance  of  heaven. 

The  rose  had  vanished,  but  her  eyes  spoke  volumes  of  an- 
gelic love,  for  they  already  saw  the  bright  spirits  around  her. 


448  THE  AKCANA   OF  NATURE,   OR 

They  met  the  fond  expression  of  a  grandmother  and  a  sis- 
ter, ready  to  receive  her  in  their  extended  arms. 

At  her  side  her  mother  bent  beneath  the  intolerable  weight 
of  grief,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  couch  stood  her  stern  father, 
his  pride  subdued  by  wretchedness.  It  was  heart-rending  to 
witness  the  scene.  For  death  is  a  grim  monster  whose  jaws 
receive  our  fondest  loves,  and  hide  them  from  our  view  for- 
ever; and  unless  we  are  imbued  with  the  spiritual  philosophy, 
dark  indeed  is  the  gloom  which  hangs  like  an  impenetrable 
pall  over  the  grave. 

A  holy  radiance  stole  over  the  face  of  the  dying  girl.  She 
extended  her  hand  as  if  to  grasp  another's. 

"How  beautiful !"  broke  from  her  pale  lips.  "I  come,"  and 
she  went  to  those  who  awaited  her. 

The  wasted  form  still  reclined  on  the  sumptuous  couch,  but 
the  light  of  the  spirit  was  gone.  Dark  and  dreary  was  the 
scene  in  that  apartment. 

But  what  was  the  process  by  which  the  spirit  was  freed 
from  its  earthly  body,  and  ushered  into  the  next  plane  of 
its  existence?  Very  simple  and  very  beautiful.  It  was  a 
higher  degree  of  clairvoyance.  Slowly  the  spiritual  form 
withdrew  from  the  extremities  and  concentrated  in  the  brain. 
As  it  did  so  a  halo  arose  from  the  crown  of  the  head,  which 
gradually  increast.  Soon  it  became  clear  and  distinct,  and 
I  observed  that  it  was  the  exact  resemblance  of  the  form  it 
had  left.  Higher  and  higher  it  arose,  until  the  beautiful 
spirit  stood  before  us,  and  the  dead  body  reclined  below.  A 
slight  cord  connected  the  two,  which,  gradually  diminishing, 
became  in  a  few  minutes  absorbed,  and  the  spirit  had  forever 
quitted  its  earthly  temple.  New  faculties  were  bestowed,  new 
and  dazzling  sensations  experienced  and  the  grand  spheres 
of  spirit  life  darkened  the  mansions  of  earthly  pride. 

Thus  I  investigated  this  awful  subject,  which  in  the  clouded 
minds  of  all  exerts  such  fear  and  horror.  Death  has  long 
been  looked  upon  as  a  dreadful  gulf,  which  divides  the  mor- 
tal life,  perhaps,  from  oblivion,  the  vale  of  tears  and  sorrow 
where  man's  noble  faculties  perish  in  the  darkness  of  eter- 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  449 

&ity.  Those  who  profess  unflinching  faith  in  Christianity  are 
disturbed  by  fears  and  uncompromising  douts,  and  see  little 
hope  for  an  existence  beyond  the  "narrow  house."  No  tid- 
ings are  borne  across  the  dark  river.  The  promist  land  is  a 
"bourne  from  whence  no  traveler  returns"  to  tell  its  tales  of 
joys  or  sorrows.  A  heavy  veil  of  mist  hangs  over  the  rudi- 
mental  sphere  in  regard  to  the  great  change  all  must  meet 
when  the  body  becomes  worn  and  wasted,  and  the  soul  trem- 
bles on  the  brink  of  the  awful  gulf,  which,  it  is  taught,  once 
past,  could  never  be  repast. 

With  these  dark  clouds  encompassing  the  departing  spirit, 
death  is  feared  as  the  fell  destroyer  of  the  race,  and  under 
these  impressions  the  safe  and  easy  journey  is  a  real  gulf 
of  anguish. 

After  my  clairvoyant  view  of  the  sad  yet  joyful  scene 
with  which  I  began  this  chapter,  I  received  communications 
from  several  spirits  descriptive  of  their  sensations  at  the 
approach  of  death.  Some  of  these  may  be  interesting,  as 
they  illustrate  the  grand  philosophy  we  are  striving  to  set 
forth.  The  following  is  one  instance.  H.  T.] 

"While  a  resident  of  earth,  I  was  indoctrinated  in  the  re- 
ligious absurdities  which  prevail  in  that  sphere.  I  was  taught 
to  believe  in  a  personal  God  and  devil,  one  having  supreme 
control  over  heaven  and  the  other  over  hell;  and,  still  more 
absurd,  the  mission  of  Christ.  He  came  not,  as  I  supposed, 
to  forgive  sins,  but  as  a  reformer,  to  point  the  way. 

It  was  after  a  life  spent  in  the  pursuit  of  worthless  ob- 
jects that  I  lay  on  the  couch  of  death,  and  my  thoughts  awak- 
ened to  unusual  activity.  I  thought  of  all  the  past  scenes 
of  my  life,  and  the  frightful  gulf  I  was  soon  to  pass.  As  I 
thus  reclined  in  gloomy  thought,  not  a  single  star  presented 
its  beacon  light  to  give  me  hope.  Kind  and  regretful  friends 
stood  weeping  at  my  bedside.  0,  how  I  desired  to  speak  one 
word,  and  tell  them  not  to  wring  my  soul  with  anguish  by 
their  tears.  But  I  could  not  utter  my  request.  Not  a  word 
past  my  frozen  lips. 

I  had  no  treasure  over  the  unfathomed  gulf.     Tho  my 

29 


450  THE   ARCANA   OF   NATURE,   OR 

wife  had  gone  before  me  to  heaven,  yet  I  did  not  suppose 
I  should  recognize  her.  Consequently,  I  had  no  treasure  in 
the  spirit-land.  From  the  dark  picture  of  my  sorrowing 
friends  I  turned  to  one  still  darker.  The  dreadful  gulf  I 
was  fast  approaching  presented  an  appalling  aspect,  which  it 
seemed  impossible  to  endure. 

A  deep  sleep  enshrouded  my  faculties.  During  its  contin- 
uance I  neither  saw  nor  heard  anything  which  past  around 
me.  This  I  had  since  learned  was  the  sleep  of  death  which  I 
had  so  much  feared — the  gulf  which  had  caused  me  so  much 
anguish.  After  slumbering  an  indefinite  period,  I  awoke  into 
life  in  another  sphere.  A  holy,  sacred  light  pervaded  all  ob- 
jects, and  a  halo-like  glory  emanated  from  every  object  I 
saw.  The  first  object  I  saw  was  she  whom  I  once  called  my 
wife.  She  spoke  to  me  in  tones  of  love.  My  astonishment 
was  boundless,  my  joy  equally  great,  for  it  seemed  that  she 
had  returned  from  a  long  absence  to  greet  me  with  her  love. 

I  looked  around  me.  Below,  and  seemingly  a  part  of  my- 
self, lay  a  form  of  earth,  cold,  stiff  and  motionless.  Around 
it  stood  friends  weeping  for  a  departed  brother.  That  form 
I  recognized  as  my  own.  The  sorrowing  I  recognized  as 
my  friends.  And  yet,  altho  separated  from  my  body,  I  was 
myself.  While  I  was  reflecting  why  this  was  as  it  appeared, 
my  gardian  spirit  whispered,  "You  have  crost  the  dark 
chasm  of  your  imaginary  terrors,  and  are  in  the  land  of 
spirits." 

I  answered  that  heaven  could  not  be  on  earth;  but  she 
replied  that  "heaven  was  where  there  was  a  happy  mind." 
I  askt  her  again  and  again  where  I  was,  to  receive  the  same 
response. 

Still  my  friends  sorrowed  at  my  bedside;  and  while  con- 
templating the  strangeness  of  the  scene,  I  first  became  aware 
that  I  was  invisible  to  them.  I  could  see  them,  but  they  could 
not  recognize  my  presence. 

My  gardian  said  that  brighter  scenes  of  beauty  awaited 
me,  and  beckoned  me  to  follow.  We  seemed  to  tread  upon 
the  airy  flood  and  not  to  be  subject  to  the  laws  of  gravita- 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  451 

tion.  TVe  floated  out  on  the  polar  current  into  the  unlimited 
ocean  of  space. 

My  thoughts  were  aroused  into  extreme  activity.  I  looked 
around  and  first  began  to  realize  and  enjoy  the  second  state 
of  existence.  The  reality  of  that  state  I  enjoyed;  gazed  on 
its  radiant  sun  which  filled  the  atmosphere  with  its  beams, 
and  was  received  as  a  brother  by  a  society  of  spirits  who  were 
harmonious  in  their  desires. 

Here  I  enjoyed  the  love  of  kindred  spirits.  I  rapidly  arose 
from  my  former  position,  and  all  my  errors  were  gradually 
exchanged  for  truth.  I  have  often  considered  it  very  strange 
that  thinking  being's,  enjoying  the  light  and  perfections  of 
nature,  should  fall  into  such  egregious  errors  as  I  did  while 
on  earth.  But  when  I  behold  every  hour,  minds  receiving  supe- 
rior light  falling  into  more  absurd  errors,  I  cease  to  wonder 
at  my  former  ignorance.  Here  is  no  contention,  but  peace 
and  harmony — not  hell,  but  happiness.  My  punishment  for 
my  errors  was  the  shame  I  experienced  at  my  former  de- 
lusions, which  I  knew  all  spirits  discovered  when  they  beheld 
me.  But  this  soon  past  away  and  I  was  happy." 

[The  second  communication  which  I  introduce  is  of  an  en- 
tirely different  character.  H.  T.] 

"I  was  an  atheist.  How  I  came  to  assume  that  position 
may  seem  strange;  but  the  same  reasons  have  convinced  the 
understanding  of  the  majority  of  mankind.  . 

After  a  life  spent  in  research  into  the  concealed  laws  of 
nature,  and  the  laws  which  govern  the  external  world,  I  re- 
clined on  the  couch  of  death.  No  dreadful  gulf  was  to  be 
past,  no  frightful  scene  to  be  enacted.  My  mind  was  peace- 
ful and  quiet,  for  I  had  done  my  duty.  I  felt  the  calm  result- 
ing from  an  upright  life.  Soon  I  was  to  pass  from  earthly 
scenes  forever,  becoming  as  tho  I  had  never  been.  Like  the 
animal  whose  existence  terminates  at  the  same  point  where  it 
commences,  so  I  supposed  it  would  be  with  me;  for  we  might 
as  well  expect  the  hum  of  the  bee  when  the  insect  had  past, 
as  life  after  the  body  was  dead.  This  was  my  philosophy, 
and  from  my  material  standpoint  I  could  see  none  more 


452  THE  ARCANA  OP  NATURE,  OB 

reasonable.  I  felt  the  dreamy  sleep  approach.  My  senses 
were  entranced;  my  speech  was  gone;  I  knew  I  was  dying. 
I  slept  a  dreamy  slumber. 

After  an  indefinite  period  past  in  oblivion,  I  awoke  to 
life.  A  divine  glow  pervaded  all  objects;  my  thoughts  ex- 
panded; oblivion  was  past;  my  spirit  ransomed,  yet  I  knew 
it  not.  My  belief  was  unshaken,  and  I  still  awaited  the  ap- 
proach of  death.  I  lookt  below  me  on  a  rigid  corpse,  which 
I  knew  was  myself;  yet  I  was  an  identity.  My  mind  was 
confused  and  bewildered.  It  seemed  as  if  I  was  dreaming; 
yet  the  str.ange  scene  and  its  reality  convinced  my  understand- 
ing. I  disbelieved  what  I  before  believed,  and  believed  that 
which  I  had  always  regarded  as  folly.  All  my  theories  I 
knew  to  be  false,  for  there  was  a  reality  beyond  the  grave. 

ft  was  years,  however,  before  I  entirely  overcame  the  idea 
that  I  might  possibly  be  dreaming.  After  I  had  mingled  with 
the  millions  of  earth's  departed,  and  beheld  the  grandeur  of 
this  sphere,  the  vague  idea  of  my  living  a  dream-life  would 
unavoidably  steal  over  me. 

But  did  you  not  receive  punishment?  No  more  torment, 
no  severer  punishment,  than  that  of  remaining  in  the  belief 
that  I  dreamed  and  the  unsatisfying  state  of  mind  I  possest 
on  earth.  We  know  no  hell  but  that  which  is  in  the  mind — 
no  devil  but  that  which  every  man  becomes  unto  himself."  .  . 

[As  further  illustrative  of  this  interesting  subject,  I  will 
introduce  a  short  article  from  my  friend  Robert  Owen,  given 
me  soon  after  his  death.  The  reader  must  bear  in  mind  that 
each  spirit  is  held  responsible  for  his  own  sentiments.] 

"Tho  we  never  met  in  the  body,  I  was  strongly  attracted  to 
you,  and  received  with  pleasure  the  letters  you  wrote  in  an- 
swer to  mine.  Most  sincerely  do  I  thank  you  for  that  heart- 
ful  communication  which  I  received,  previous  to  my  death, 
from  my  most  respected  and  esteemed  friend,  Dr.  Hare,*  of 
the  spirit  world.  You  know  not  the  comfort  and  pleasure  I 
received  from  it.  True  to  his.  promise,  he  was  the  first  to 


*  Alluding   to   a  communication   from  him  thru  me.     See   Appen- 
dix.    H.  T. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.  453 

welcome  me  to  my  new  home.  His  youth  was  renewed,  and 
joy,  pleasure  and  goodness  beamed  from  his  countenance  as 
he  benignantly  gave  me  his  hand,  and  raised  me  from  the 
ruins  of  my  mortality. 

How  blessed  is  spiritualism?  Had  I  died  in  my  infidelity, 
most  dark,  painful  and  cruel  would  have  been  my  transi- 
tion ;  as  it  was,  it  was  sweet,  pleasant  and  joyful.  I  had  lived 
more  than  my  allotted  time  on  earth — so  long  that  my  body 
had  nearly  perisht  atom  by  atom.  But  I  accomplished  a 
great,  noble  work,  such  as  no  other  individual  could  or 
would  ever  have  accomplished.  Peculiar  circumstances  and 
influences  developt  in  my  mind  ideas  none  others  ever  possest ; 
and  for  half  a  century  I  labored  to  bild  a  social  fabric,  which, 
in  goodness,  purity,  spirituality,  brotherly  affection,  and 
practical  benefits,  should  shame  the  old,  time-worn,  and  obso- 
lete systems  of  the  world  founded  in  sin,  error  and  corrup- 
tion. For  fifty  years  I  labored  unfalteringly,  happily  at  this 
task.  You  may  say  I  accomplished  little.  So  I  sometimes 
thought;  but  I  now  see  that  a  great  good  has  grown  and 
will  grow  out  of  my  efforts.  I  appealed  to  the  wrong  source. 
I  petitioned  and  memorialized  the  rotten,  tyrannical  gov- 
ernments of  the  world,  instead  of  man  himself.  I  scorn  the 
idea  now. 

In  this  sphere  those  three  great  curses  which  I  combated 
while  on  earth  are  removed.  I  found  a  sufficient  number  to 
afford  me  sympathizing  association  such  as  I  never  dreamed 
of.  Those  three  plagues  of  the  world  are  its  superstitions, 
by  which  it  tramples  on  the  weak  martyr,  and  crucifies  its 
saviors,  to  glorify  them  in  succeeding  ages ;  legalized  marriage, 
consigned  to  the  mummery  of  a  priesthood,  from  which  arise 
all  the  prostitutions  of  the  world  and  the  degradation  of  the 
female  sex ;  and  private  property,  the  distinction  of  mine  and 
thine,  from  which  arise  all  the  robberies,  frauds,  falsehoods, 
and  crimes  of  the  world.  Against  these  I  have  ever  waged 
war,  and  ever  shall  until  they  are  overthrown.  I  find  this  is 
my  heaven.  Surrounded  by  a  group  of  kindred  minds,  we  all, 
as  one,  strive  to  perfect  a  social  system  which  we  shall  im- 


454  THE  ARCANA  OF   NATURE,   OR 

press  on  the  impressible  of  earth's  inhabitants,  and  endeavor 
to  actualize  in  the  world  life.  Let  kindred  spirits  be  drawn 
together  in  harmonious  groups;  let  them  be  surrounded  by 
proper  conditions,  and  crime,  error  and  folly  would  rapidly 
give  place  to  goodness,  love,  virtue  and  general  peace.  War 
would  perish,  kings  and  rulers  cease  to  be,  love  and  joy 
reign  over  the  delighted  people. 

Of  this  I  shall  write  in  detail  another  time,  and  in  a  more 
fitting  place.  Other  spirits  have  given  my  experience  at  death 
when  they  wrote  their  own.  No  one,  however,  can  sufficiently 
appreciate  the  value  of  the  boon  conferred  by  spiritualism. 
Belief  is  everything  while  crossing  the  dark  river.  One 
spirit  voice  converts  the  darkness  into  light,  in  which  the 
forms  of  loved  and  cherished  ones  appear.  EGBERT 
OWEN." 

Such  are  the  arcana  of  death.  It  is  not  a  fearful  but  a 
pleasant  change;  from  the  chrysalis  state  the  spirit  bursts 
into  full  maturity.  The  earth  is  the  infant  school  where  the 
spirit  prepares  for  eternity,  and  the  infant  sustains  the  simi- 
lar relations  to  the  man  that  the  man  sustains  to  the  spirit. 

But  the  transition  is  not  always  accompanied  with  such  sur- 
roundings as  here  described.  Often  men  are  buried  beneath 
avalanches  of  rocks  and  ice,  or  miles  of  ocean;  in  deep  wells 
or  bottomless  fissures.  How  can  the  spirit  in  such  cases  de- 
part? Does  physical  matter  wall  it  in  as  it  does  the  body? 
This  cannot  be.  As  a  crystalline  body  transmits  light,  so  mat- 
ter transmits  spirit.  As  one  is  transparent  to  light,  the  other 
is  transparent  to  spirit,  and  offers  no  obstructions  to  its  pas- 
sage. The  solid  rock,  or  the  wall  of  a  room  does  not  offer 
any  resistance  to  the  passage  of  a  spirit  more  than  the  thin 
and  yielding  air.  The  relation  between  matter  and  spirit,  or 
spirit  and  matter,  is  not  the  same  as  exists  between  spirit 
and  spirit,  or  matter  and  other  matter.  Spirit  holds  the  same 
relations  to  spiritual  things  as  man  holds  to  physical,  but 
gross  matter  is  to  spirit  a  nonentity  so  far  as  it  offers  ob- 
struction to  progression. 

With  these  illustrations,  the  philosophy  of  the  great  change 


THE   PHILOSOPHY   OP   SPIRIT.  455 

becomes  comprehensible.  One  thing  is  clearly  ascertained — 
death  does  not  change  the  mind,  but  only  the  body,  from 
which  the  mind  is  withdrawn.  In  whatever  condition  the 
spirit  was  when  death  came,  there  will  it  be  in  the  future, 
until  it  progresses  from  it:  how  far  it  is  advanced  in  love 
and  wisdom  when  it  sinks  into  the  clairvoyant  sleep  of  death, 
there  will  it  awake,  and  at  the  precise  point  where  the  mortal 
fell  asleep,  there  will  the  immortal  commence  a  new  life,  with 
all  its  former  acquisitions,  and  no  more. 

Death  thus  divested  of  the  terrors  with  which  mythology 
has  invested  it,  is  but  a  pleasant  journey  from  one  clime  to 
another,  painless  and  sweet ;  a  peaceful  sleep,  silent  and  pro- 
found; an  awakening  of  the  spirit  in  the  spirit-land.  When 
the  muscles  contract  it  is  not  with  pain,  but  by  the  changing 
electric  equilibrium  induced  by  the  departing  spirit. 

Man,  when  matured  by  age,  dies,  as  the  ripe  fruit  drops 
from  its  stem.  Death  begins  when  the  body  commences  to 
deteriorate  and  when  sensation  ceases  its  task  is  ended. 

Such  is  the  gateway  to  eternal  life — the  sleep  of  the  body 
— the  heaven  of  the  spirit. 


45G  rME  ARCANA  otf  NATUKE,  OR 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

SPIRIT  LIFE. 


MANY  a  savage  will  in  the  distant  future  arise  to  a  plane 
of  development  which  we  cannot  now  comprehend;  the 
scorned  criminal  will  surpass  the  piety  of  Channing,  and  the 
miserable  beggar  become  a  more  profound  philosopher  than 
Descartes.  Such  is  the  consoling  doctrine  of  progress.  We 
should  pity  these  outcasts,  while  we  recognize  the  presence 
of  an  immortal  spirit  germ,  capable  of  infinite  unfolding.  A 
diamond  is  concealed  beneath  the  reeking  rubbish,  which  will 
one  day  burst  forth  in  brilliancy.  The  rudiments  of  a  mind 
exist,  which,  when  placed  in  the  proper  conditions,  will  sur- 
pass the  piety  of  a  Paul,  the  philosophy  of  a  Herschel,  the 
grasp  of  thought  of  a  Humboldt.  This  is  the  doctrine  of 
reason,  based  on  the  progressive  nature  of  man. 

Men  are  not  alike,  nor  can  they  ever  be.  Conditions  sur- 
rounding them  will  stamp  their  character  indelibly.  Yet  all 
can  be  good  and  great.  The  brutal  men  of  the  world  are 
results  of  brutal  conditions,  and  by  making  the  conditions 
harmonious  a  millennium  will  be  ushered  in. 

Men  never  cultivate  all  their  faculties.  One  philosophizes 
at  the  expense  of  his  moral  and  social  natures,  another 
moralizes  at  the  expense  of  his  intellect;  none  cultivate  all 
these  equally.  The  constant  use  of  one  set  of  faculties,  and 
the  inactivity  of  the  others,  induces  disease.  As  the  mind 
holds  an  intimate  relation  to  the  body,  any  mental  disturb- 
ance equally  affects  the  physical  system;  and  the  excessive 
activity  of  one  portion  of  the  brain,  and  the  inactivity  of  the 
remaining  portion,  induce  inhannony,  and  thereby  bodily  dis- 
ease and  intellectual  eccentricity.  Why  are  there  such  multi- 
tudes of  wrecks  of  humanity  dragging  their  wretched  forms 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OP  SPIRIT.  457 

thru  life?  Simply  because  the  law  of  harmonious  develop- 
ment has  not  been  heeded.  Infinite  time  only  can  complete 
this  harmony.  The  man  who  cultivates  his  whole  being,  and 
not  a  part  to  the  neglect  of  the  remainder,  may  not  flash  out 
in  an  unexplored  field  beyond  the  extreme  outposts  of  his 
daring  predecessors,  but  he  will  be  founded  on  a  solid  base, 
and  in  no  danger  of  a  fall.  The  mind  should  grow  as  a  tree, 
each  year  adding  a  new  circle  to  its  former  limits.  Then  it 
will  be  always  prepared  for  the  change. 

There  is  no  forgiveness.  Law  pays  not  the  least  regard  to 
prayers  or  intercessions.  Do  wrong,  that  is  become  inhar- 
monious with  yourself,  or  with  Nature,  and  you  will  be  inevi- 
tably punished.  You  cannot  escape  until  the  utmost  farthing 
is  paid. 

If  you  lose  a  limb,  is  it  ever  restored?  If  you  are  burned, 
does  not  pain  follow?  Is  not  a  scar  left?  This  is  a  bitter 
proposition,  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  true.  The  contrary  doc- 
trine of  atonement  is  ruinous  belief,  which  no  one  in  his 
manly  moments  can  entertain.  Man  cannot  do  wrong  a  life- 
time, and  then,  by  a  deathbed  prayer,  obtained  thru  fear,  be 
forgiven,  and  enter  heaven  as  happy  as  saints.  This  is  not 
a  doctrine  to  live  by,  however  good  it  may  appear  to  die  by. 
Such  prayers,  such  repentance,  avail  nothing.  The  spirit 
retains  its  wounds  and  its  stains.  The  wounds  may  heal  but 
scars  remain  to  record  the  laceration.  Man  should  live  right 
on  earth,  and  then,  when  death  throws  open  the  portals  of 
the  spirit-world,  he  will  but  step  across  the  threshold,  from 
one  room  to  another.  Death  does  not  close  the  period  of 
repentance.  Whenever  the  mind  resolves  to  change,  and 
thenceforth  become  better,  more  upright  and  manly,  it  can 
do  so. 

Earth  is  the  primary  school,  where  mind  is  prepared  for 
the  college  of  eternity.  If  the  youth  ignorant  of  his  gram- 
mar or  arithmetic  should  be  sent  to  Harvard  or  Yale,  he  would 
find  it  an  extremely  difficult  task  to  keep  with  his  class.  His 
classmates,  having  a  basis  already  made,  and  minds  trained 
in  the  processes  of  thought,  will  learn  so  much  faster  than  he 


458  THE  AEG  AN  A  OF  NATURE,   OB 

who  is  not  trained  by  previous  study,  that  lie  will  be  dis- 
couraged, and  his  mind  thrown  into  constant  confusion. 

Such  is  the  situation  of  those  who  leave  earth  unprepared 
for  the  next  state.  They  are  freshmen  among  sophomores. 
They  want  congeniality,  sympathy,  guidance. 

Conditions  are  changed.  The  slave  is  a  slave  no  more. 
The  inferior  races  cannot  be  subdued  and  abused.  The  strong 
cannot  triumph  over  the  weak,  for  right  makes  might,  and 
not  might  right.  The  means  of  progress  are  thrown  within 
the  reach  of  all,  and  those  who  desire  can  advance  much 
faster  than  on  earth. 

The  son,  gone  before,  may  become  the  teacher  of  the  father 
who  remains,  and,  many  a  slave,  toiling  in  the  stagnant  rice 
swamps,  amid  rank,  miasmatic  exhalations,  will  in  future 
ages  instruct  his  brutal  master  in  the  beautiful  doctrines  of 
love  and  peace.  The  red  man,  who  flees  before  civilization 
towards  the  setting  sun,  has  capabilities  transcending  mortal 
conception,  and  one  day  will  call  us  all  pupils  to  his 
revelations. 

However  high  the  attainments  of  mind,  however  exalted  its 
aspirations,  still  higher  can  it  attain.  The  wisest  have  a 
meager  knowledge.  Man  looks  upward  to  the  unknown  with 
humiliation;  and  the  angel  from  his  star-lit  home  looks  up- 
ward likewise,  and  when  he  beholds  the  wisdom  beyond,  the 
knowledge  he  has  acquired  becomes  an  insignificant  leaf  from 
an  interminable  forest.  Thus  forever.  There  are  no  limits  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  universe,  no  limits  to  the  capabilities  of  the 
human  mind  for  the  reception  of  truth  and  the  enjoyment 
of  happiness. 

The  astronomer  (in  the  spirit-realm)  is  not  confined  to  one 
world;  but  rambles  at  will  over  the  universe,  exploring  the 
worlds  he  dimly  saw  as  points  of  light  thru  his  telescope. 
Then  his  heart  beat  high,  and  his  voice  was  low  and  agitated 
as  he  strained  his  vision  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  sparkling 
point  of  light;  now  he  journeys  over  it,  and  notes  all  the 
variations  he  observed.  He  can  stand  and  look  on  revolving 
systems  projected  against  the  blue  groundwork,  propt  by 


THE  PHILOSOPHY   OP   SPIRIT.  459 

Titan's  hands,  and  watch  their  stupendous  movements,  and 
on  that  magnificent  map  draw  his  mathematical  diagrams,  and 
develop  by  calculation  and  observation  the  silent  forces  which 
control  the  rotating  globes. 

The  poet  from  sequestered  retreats  weaves  the  subtil  web 
of  fancy,  adorning  a  wild  thought  with  exquisite  diction.  He 
roams  in  worlds  of  his  own  creation.  There  he  holds  the 
mirror  of  his  soul  to  nature  and  paints  the  flitting  shadows 
as  they  come  and  go  in  infinite  variations.  He  writes  not  for 
himself  alone.  The  poets  of  the  past  are  his  fellows.  .  .  . 

The  chroniclers  of  bygone  ages  discuss  the  events  of  the 
past,  draw  inferences,  and  prophesy.  Those  old  historians 
of  a  thousand  ages,  thru  which  they  have  lived,  having  a  deep 
interest  in  the  actions  of  nations  and  races,  can  give  lessons 
in  philosophy  deep  as  the  oracles  of  the  gods. 

In  such  minds  often  originate  ideas  which,  imparted  to 
some  impressible  mind  on  earth,  overturns  all  previous 
theories,  and  lights  up  a  world-wide  conflagration.  .  .  . 

There  is  no  hope  for  the  suicide  to  better  his  condition  by 
plunging  recklessly  into  the  unknown.  Death  should  not  be  de- 
sired. It  comes  soon  enough,  at  least  before  you  are  prepared. 
Your  motto  should  be,  I  will  leave  the  world  better  than  I 
found  it.  Each  should  employ  the  talent  he  possesses.  What 
use  is  death?  If  you  should  ask  the  disembodied  suicide, 
who  hung  himself  because  mad  with  care  or  misfortune,  if 
death  had  removed  these  or  bettered  his  condition,  his  answer 
would  be  a  wail  of  agony.  To  avoid  a  few  forebodings,  he 
plunged  into  the  sea  of  despair. 

Men  look  for  heaven  at  an  indefinite  period  ahead,  and 
think  it  forms  no  part  of  their  daily  lives.  They  do  not 
endeavor  to  make  heaven  of  their  lives,  each  day  becoming 
better.  Heaven  and  hell  are  not  localities,  but  conditions  of 
mind.  The  earth  is  as  well  adapted  for  man's  happiness  as 
the  spheres  for  the  happiness  of  spirits,  and  there  should 
happiness  begin.  .  .  .  Some  look  far  ahead  and  then  see  a 
time  when  the  weary  soul  will  find  rest.  Discouraged  and 
dissatisfied  with  the  world,  they  can  see  no  hope  but  in  the 


460  THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT. 

future  life.  Then  their  fancy  paints  Eden,  and  they 
imagine  that  the  good  and  great  will  meet  to  sing  forever  on 
golden  harps  the  praise  of  God.  .  .  .  Their  clouded  minds 
cannot  perceive  the  grand  scheme  of  causes  which  is  at  work 
elevating  mankind.  They  see  no  good  thing  in  the  human 
heart.  .  .  .  They  labor  under  a  great  error  which  is  ruinous 
in  its  results.  Instead  of  bringing  their  religion  home,  and 
embodying  it  in  their  lives,  they  have  considered  the  world  a 
vale  of  tears,  to  be  endured  until  death  sets  the  spirit  free.  .  . 

Heaven  is  around  you.  In  your  minds  you  should  nourish 
it,  until  it  grows  into  your  life,  modifying  your  actions,  har- 
monizing your  thoughts  and  desires.  The  good  deed,  the  kind 
word,  the  loving  heart — these  are  the  elements  of  heaven.  If 
you  do  a  deed  of  charity,  making  comfortable  the  cheerless 
home,  adding  fuel  to  the  fire,  food  to  the  empty  larder;  if 
you  suppress  the  conflagration  of  passion;  if  you  control  the 
wayward  desire  which  threatens  to  plunge  you  into  immoral 
actions — have  you  not  created  a  heaven  in  your  breast? 

Do  not  look  across  the  shade  of  death  for  heaven,  for  it 
is  in  your  own  hearts,  and  you  can  go  on  cultivating  its 
presence  until  your  most  secret  thought  will  breathe  naught 
but  peace,  love  and  good  will  toward  your  fellow-men. 


Patient  reader,  hoping  to  welcome  you  to  this  clime,  of 
which,  with  feeble  effort,  we  have  endeavored  to  enlighten 
you,  we  bid  you  adieu. 


APPENDIX. 

[Extracts  from  sundry  letters  from  Hudson  Tuttle  to  Emmet 
Densmore,  written  March  and  April,  1908.] 

BERLIN  HEIGHTS,  OHIO. 
DEAR  DR.  DENSMORE: 

I  send  you  the  Origin  of  Man,  on  page  6  of  which  and  on 
following  pages,  are  passages  about  living  matter  which  I 
had  in  mind;  but  on  looking  at  them,  I  see  this  refers  to 
Arcana  of  Nature.  I  think  you  will  get  me  into  the  study  of 
my  own  books  as  never  before.  I  have  always  referred  this 
statement  to  Origin  of  Man — published  later  than  Arcana  of 
Nature.  I  suppose  this  was  because  the  critic  in  the  Inde- 
pendent made  so  much  fun  over  it  as  a  statement  worthy  of 
an  idiot  or  a  lunatic.  Really  it  is  stated  much  stronger  in 
Arcana  of  Nature,  beginning  with  Par.  7,  Page  17.  Yet 
more  so  in  Par.  10,  in  which  Inertia  is  thrown  aside,  this 
so-called  axiom  being  to  the  writers  not  self-evident  but  the 
reverse.  I  know  not  if  this  was  a  new  statement  at  the  time, 
but  the  textbooks  in  colleges  taught  that  Inertia  was  a  funda- 
mental attribute  of  matter.  Now,  in  a  recent  article,  Prof. 
Edgar  Larkin,  of  the  Lowe  Observatory,  advocates  this  very 
theory,  taking  Professor  Thomson's  "electrons,"  and  stating 
that  their  pulsating  (vibrating)  centers  of  force  live  and 
think!  That  is  what  Arcana  substantially  says;  but  the 
critics  were  so  amused  over  the  idea  of  a  "living  earth,"  a  "live 
rock,"  that  they  had  no  time  to  think  of  the  more  astounding 
statement. 

I  note  what  you  say  of  Lamarck.  I  was  imprest  that  he, 
and  later,  Alexander  Humboldt,  were  associated  with  other 

461 


462  APPENDIX. 

intelligences  assisting  in  my  writings,  tho  at  the  time  I  did 
not  know  their  position  in  the  world  of  thought.  In  fact,  I 
only  came  to  know  this  years  after.  But  this  is  sub  rosa. 
I  do  not  wish  to  quote  great  names,  and  it  has  not  been  their 
desire — the  guides  always  saying  my  writing  was  composite 
from  many,  welded  together  in  passing  thru  my  brain.  But 
it  seems  to  me  if  Lamarck  had  so  clearly  stated  these  laws, 
the  opponents  of  Darwin  would  at  once  have  brought  them 
forward.  In  fact,  why  were  they  not  accepted  until  Darwin 
put  forth  his  theory?  Natural  Selection  is  only  one  of  many 
causes,  and  the  great  Central  Cause  embracing  all  in  its  infi- 
nite sphere  lies  beyond  in  the  spiritual  part  of  the  Cosmos. 

I  cannot  help  you  much  in  establishing  priority,  for  the 
thoughts  came  to  me — I  know  not  from  where,  or  whether  old 
or  new.  They  certainly  were  new  to  the  textbooks  of  that 
day.  But  I  do  not  care  about  priority.  I  know  that  not 
only  these  points  but  all  was  given  me — to  my  own  mind — 
fresh  and  new.  I  could  not  distinguish  what  was  new,  or 
distinctively  from  my  teachers,  from  that  taught  in  books, 
unless  they  referred  to  authorities,  when  they  thought  their 
position  would  be  strengthened  thereby. 

I  want  the  book,  Arcana  of  Nature,  judged  on  its  merits, 
as  well  as  by  its  source.  I  have  often  thought  had  I  been  a 
"Professor,"  and  set  forth  this  vibratory  theory  of  thought 
with  the  brain  for  a  pulsating  center  and  receiver,  I  might 
have  received  a  Nobel  prize,  if  such  had  been  provided  in 
those  days.  When,  in  Origin  of  Man  it  was  said  "Matter  is 
living,"  the  critics,  especially  one  in  the  Independent, 
shrieked  with  laughter.  Now,  every  scientist  holds  this  idea 
of  matter. 

There  is  one  point  I  want  to  emphasize;  it  is  this:  The 
Arcana  of  Nature  was  proposed  by  its  authors  to  be  a  basis 
on  which  they  were  to  bild  a  spiritual  temple.  In  the  second 
volume  and  other  books  they  unfolded  the  theory  of  evolution 
into  the  realm  of  spirit.  Spirit  is  governed  by  law;  the 


APPENDIX.  46.3 

spirit  world  is  a  realm  of  law.  Spiritual  beings  are  evolved 
by  law.  Are  not  these  new  ideas?  They  are  the  pervading 
and  central  ideas  of  all  my  writings. 

My  volume  Origin  of  Man  is  really  an  enlargement  of  the 
chapter  on  Man,  in  Arcana.  I  was  always  more  pleased  with 
it  than  with  any  other  of  my  books.  It  seemed  so  complete 
and  makes  its  points  with  such  mathematical  certainty. 

I  would  like  to  call  your  attention  to  a  passage  on  Pages 
197-8 — enclosed  in  brackets,  which  details  some  experiments  in 
germ  culture.  Now  this  passage  might  be  taken  as  written 
by  an  editor,  or  some  outsider.  Why  it  was  thus  marked  I 
never  could  understand.  It  might  be  inferred  that  I  inserted 
it.  And  as  I  did  not  perform  the  experiments,  that  would 
be  an  error.  I  stumbled  at  it  at  the  time,  but  then  thought 
it  not  my  place  to  judge  what  should  be  expunged.  I  now 
think  it  better  to  leave  out  this  passage.  In  some  respects 
the  experiments  are  remarkable,  but  their  value  depends  on 
the  character  of  those  who  make  them,  and  in  the  present 
case,  there  are  no  data, 

Volume  IE  of  Arcana  of  Nature,  afterwards  published 
under  the  title  of  Philosophy  of  Spirit,  was  written  imme- 
diately after  the  first  volume,  as  its  sequel.  It  was  written 
by  an  entirely  new  influence,  or  by  intelligences  distinct  from 
the  others,  and  who  bilt  on  the  base  prepared.  I  felt  as  tho 
a  new  element  had  come  into  the  circle  of  those  who  had  been 
with  me.  The  style  indicates  this.  This  second  volume  was 
mostly,  if  not  all,  written  before  the  first  volume  was  pub- 
lished. I  never  regarded  the  book  with  much  favor,  for  it 
seemed  to  me  that  entirely  too  much  space  was  given  to  the 
discussion  of  light,  heat,  electricity,  etc.  It  has  been  years 
since  I  read  the  book,  and  to-night,  looking  it  over,  I  am 
struck  with  the  marvelous  manner  in  which  the  way  is  pre- 
pared by  this  objectionable  feature  for  the  introduction  of 
spirit  ether  and  the  wave  theory  of  thought. 


464  APPENDIX. 

There  is  this  feature  noticeable  in  my  writings.  What  is 
•written  is  always  a  small  part  of  what  comes  to  me.  Thus 
as  regards  the  cell.  What  was  thrown  into  my  mind  on  that 
subject  would  have  made  a  volume.  Yet  the  matter  written 
was  the  cardinal  idea  condenst. 

The  automatic  and  inspirational,  even  now,  are  so  shaded 
together  that  I  am  at  a  loss  to  determine  by  which  method 
much  of  my  writings  is  achieved.  The  inspiration  when  it 
comes  to  some  point  that  my  mind  fails  to  grasp  will  sud- 
denly change  into  the  automatic  and  my  hand  seems  to  know 
more  than  my  mind. 

The  writing  of  this  Memoir  has  been  perplexing,  as  that 
portion  of  my  life  mostly  seems  a  dream,  and  I  have  not  a 
scrap  of  data  to  aid  my  memory.  But  I  have  endeavored  to 
make  a  plain,  simple  story  of  the  occurrences. 

My  memory  normally  is  strong,  but  thoughts  which  came 
in  the  sensitive  state  made  no  lasting  impression,  and  I  am  un- 
able to  recall  why  or  how  any  passage  came  to  be  written. 
.  .  .  In  reply  to  your  inquiry,  while  I  knew  Robert  Owen 
personally,  and  no  dout  gave  him  seances  as  I  did  to  so  many 
others,  I  cannot  recall  time  or  place. 

I  have  often  discust  in  my  mind  whether  it  would  have 
been  better  or  worse  for  me  had  I  been  able  to  give  all  my 
time  and  energies  to  the  psychic  side  of  my  life,  instead  of 
dividing  them  between  that  and  the  arduous  labors  involved  in 
my  business  life.  I  confess  the  burden  at  times  has  been 
almost  more  than  I  could  bear,  but,  as  I  have  said,  when  it 
prest  too  heavily,  always  relief  has  come.  I  once  said  to  a 
friend  that  if  I  had  to  live  my  life  over  I  should  take  the 
world  side,  for  I  have  had  rather  a  genius  for  getting  on 
when  I  applied  myself  in  that  direction. 

There  is  one  thing  that  has  occurred  to  me  that  perhaps 
may  have  an  interest  in  a  record  of  my  psychic  life.  It  is 
that  the  influences  do  not  come  at  all  times.  Sometimes  I 


APPENDIX.  465 

have  prolific  periods,  and  again,  I  go  over  a  desert  country. 
For  days,  weeks,  even  months,  I  feel  deserted  and  alone.  The 
very  fountains  of  thought  seem  dried  up.  No  incitement  can 
compel  me  to  write,  or  if  I  attempt,  it  is  worthless,  or  worse, 
unreliable.  These  are  the  lonely  intervals  I  spoke  of.  It 
sometimes  seems  to  me  that  I  have  never  written  anything  of 
value,  and  am  sure  I  never  can  again.  At  the  same  time, 
when  I  study  it,  this  is  one  of  the  most  convincing  tests  that 
some  superior  intelligence  comes  into  my  life. 

In  regard  to  diet,  I  have  never  been  a  meat-eater.  Almost 
the  first  communication  we  had  from  spirits  was  that  meat 
was  bad  food,  and  killing  wrong.  Father  at  once  adopted 
the  idea  and  for  many  years  only  guests  had  meat  at  his 
table.  We  have  chicken,  now  and  then,  with  fish — not  often. 
My  digestion  has  always  been  such  that  I  never  took  a  thought 
of  my  food.  Whatever  comes  I  use,  always  making  out  with 
cereals  and  vegetables  as  far  as  I  can.  We  have  tea  and 
coffee — weak — the  water  is  too  hard — I  have  thus  avoided  it. 

(Written  in  January,  1909) 

In  the  current  Progressive  Thinker  (Jan.  23rd,  1909)  I 
publish  a  story  for  children,  entitled  The  Hoarding  Squir- 
rel. Its  interest  lies  in  the  fact  that  after  I  hav  been 
engaged  in  the  exacting  conditions  of  the  higher  inspirations, 
I  am  often  in  a  state  of  collapse.  Then  a  different  influence, 
of  a  spritelier  nature,  is  wont  to  control  me,  and  I  thus  pro- 
duce stories,  verse,  short  paragrafs  or  personal  matter.  I 
presume  I  hav  a  hundred  of  these  stories,  many  of  which 
hav  been  publisht  in  local  papers.  They  are  prompted  by 
various  inspirers,  and  the  contrast  they  present  with  my  ordi- 
nary works  is  plainly  observable. 

The  squirrel  story  is  true  to  the  letter.  It  all  happend  right 
here,  but  I  never  thought  of  making  a  story  of  it  unti1  one 
evening,  weary  with  writing,  there  came  this  message:  "Now 
we'll  hav  a  story  of  the  squirrel" — and  I  was  rested  by 


466  APPENDIX. 

writing  some  more !    Some  of  these  stories  are  wierd  and  hav 
a  spiritual  significance. 

Fraternally  yours, 

HUDSON  TUTTLE. 


THE  ORIGINAL  PLATES. 

DEAR  DR.  DENSMORE: 

All  editions  of  Arcana,  Volume  I,  were  from  the  same 
plates.  The  treatise  by  Datus  Kelley,  which  appeared  in  the 
Appendix  of  the  first  edition,  had  nothing  to  do  with  my 
work.  Mr.  Kelley  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  add 
it  to  the  book.  I  could  not  object,  under  the  circumstances, 
altho  my  inspirers  said  it  was  all  wrong;  therefore  I  do  not 
wish  it  to  appear  in  this  new  book. 

You  can  assure  your  publishers  that  the  book  is  substantially 
as  first  printed. 

I  am,  ever, 

HUDSON  TUTTLE. 
BERLIN  HEIGHTS,  OHIO. 
June  3rd,  1908. 

STATEMENT  OF  PROFESSOR  LELAND 

SAMUEL  PHELPS  LELAND,  Ph.D.,  LL.D., 
Scientific  and  Literary  Lecturer. 

SEABREEZE,  FLORIDA, 

May  26th,  1908. 

Sometime  about  1858  or  '59,  while  I  was  engaged  in  the 
study  of  Geology,  and  in  making  surveys  and  giving  lectures 
on  the  science,  I  first  saw  a  panorama  of  creation  painted  by 
Hudson  Tuttle  some  time  before.  It  was  a  long  canvas 
mounted  on  a  portable  frame  and  made  to  wind  from  one 
perpendicular  cylinder  on  to  another.  After  carefully 
examining  the  painting,  I  secured  it,  and  used  it  for  several 
years  to  illustrate  my  scientific  lectures  in  various  parts  of 


APPENDIX.  467 

the  United  States.  It  was  scientific  in  its  details,  and  was  so 
arranged  as  to  present  to  the  onlooker  a  continuous  and  con- 
nected story  of  creation,  each  great  period  blending  into 
another  without  a  break.  Each  geologic  period  was  shown 
by  the  characteristic  animal  and  vegetable  forms  which  inhab- 
ited the  earth  at  that  time,  surrounded  by  the  conditions  of 
that  age.  It  was  a  wonderful  work,  and  I  found  it  of  inval- 
uable service  to  me.  I  never  had  to  make  an  apology  for  any 
inaccuracy  in  it. 

(Signed)     SAMUEL  PHELPS  LELAND. 

STATEMENT  OF  M.  H.  AND  M.  L.  DARROW. 

MILAN,  OHIO, 

May  30th,  1908. 
DEAR  TUTTLE: 

Perhaps  you  will  think  us  a  little  slow  in  replying  to  your 
inquiry,  and  we  fear  our  reply  will  be  of  little  use  to  you. 
At  the  time  you  wrote  the  Arcana,  my  wife  (born  the  same 
year  as  yourself)  was  a  school-girl  at  Berlin  Heights  (1853-4) 
under  the  tuition  of  Henry  Armstrong,  and  well  remembers 
that  your  writing  and  painting  was  the  subject  of  everyday 
conversation  among  the  students  and  their  parents.  My  wife 
at  that  time  was  a  writing  medium  of  considerable  note, 
locally.  For  myself,  I  was  only  a  boy  but  little  older  than 
yourself,  with  no  knowledge,  or  thought,  of  the  occult;  but 
my  brother,  twenty  years  older,  investigated  the  matter  of 
your  work,  and  I  often  heard  him  say  it  was  the  most  won- 
derful phenomenon  of  the  century.  But  he,  like  almost  all 
of  that  period,  has  crost  the  divide. 

These  recollections  are  all  I  have  to  offer  you.  I  will  be 
pleased  if  they  can  be  of  any  service  to  you. 

With  great  esteem, 
(Signed)     M.  H.  and  M.  L.  DARROW. 


INDEX  TO  INTRODUCTION. 

PAGE: 

Arcana  of  Nature,  origin  and  production 65 

Armstrong,  Ira,  first  employer  of  Davis 26 

Aschenbrenner,  Dr.  N.  M.  Transl.  Arcana  into  German..  58 

Blake,  Wm.  clairvoyant 92 

Boehme,  Jacob    91 

Breathing,  abnormal  in  psychic  state 12 

Buechner,  Dr.  and  Arcana  of  Nature 58 

"     meets  Tuttle  in  America 58 

Colville,  W.  J.,  memoir  of 74-85 

"       early  psychic  experiences 75 

"       influenced  by  Mrs.  Richmond 76 

"       platform  work  at   17 77 

"       lectures  in   America 78 

"       remarkable  healing  incident 78 

"       clairvoyance,  incidents    79-82 

"       distinguishes  telepathic  and  spirit  messages ....  84 

"       personal    benefits  from   mediumsnip 85 

Davis,  A.  J.,  memoir 23-38 

"      first  mesmeric  experiences 26 

"      visions  and  trances 27 

"      lectures  and  authorship  in  New  York 28 

"      various  productions    31 

"       "Superior  Condition*'  defined 33-35 

"       explains    method  of  quoting  from  books  he  has 

never  seen 99-100 

Darrow,  M.  H.  and  M.  L.,  testimony  concerning  Tuttle. .  466 
Dunbar,    Rev.    Sir    Wm.,    testifies    to    Mrs.    Richmond's 

powers    70 

Eliot,  George,  acknowledges  inspirational  power 93 

Felton,  Prof.,  testimony  regarding  Mrs.  Richmond 69 

Fishbough,  Rev.  Wm.,  as  scribe  of  A.  J.  Davis 28 

Geological  panorama,  painted  by  Tuttle 59 

Goethe,  on  inspiration  of  his  poems 96 

Hawthorne,  inspirations  of  writers 94 

Hopken,  Count,  relates  incident  regarding  Swedenborg..  18 

Humboldt,  associated  in  production  of  Arcana 461-2 

Ibsen,  inspiration  described   93 

"Independent,"  criticism  of  Arcana 462 

Inertia,  doctrine  enunciated  in  Arcana 461 


470  INDEX  TO  INTRODUCTION. 

PAGE: 

Joan  of  Arc,  visions  of 91 

Kant,  investigation  into  Swedenborg's  career 15 

"     quotation  regarding  Swedenborg's  philosophy 87 

"     demonstration   of   immortality 87-88 

Lamarck,  associated   in  production  of  Arcana 461-2 

Lardner,  Prof.,  steamship  navigation 9 

Larkin,  Prof.,  confirms  Arcana  regarding  Inertia 461 

Leland,  Prof.,  corroborative  statement  concerning  Tuttle  466 

Le  Verrier,  discovery  anticipated  by  Davis 36 

Levingston,  Wm.,  mesmerizes  A.  J.  Davis 26 

Lombroso's  classification  of  Swedenborg 90 

Lyon,  Dr.,  succeeds  Levingston  as  Davis's  operator 28 

Maedler,  discovery  anticipated  by  Davis 36 

Marteville,  Madame,  lost  receipt  found  by  Swedenborg..  17 

Mozart,  early  development 92 

Myers,  F.  W.  H.,  eulogy  on  Swedenborg 19 

Nature's  Divine  Revelations,  origin  and  synopsis 28-30 

Olofsohn,  O.,  death  foretold  by  Swedenborg 15 

"Philosophy  of  Spirit,"  origin  and  aim 61,  463 

extracts  from   407-460 

Plates  of  Arcana,  statement  regarding 465 

Poole,  C.  O.,  Statement  regarding  Davis's  Clairvoyance  100 

Queen  Luisa  Ulrica,  Swedenborg's  message  to 18 

Richmond,  Cora  L.  V.,  memoir  of 65-73 

early  psychic  experiences 65-67 

lectures  in  New  York 67 

"  England  69 

pastoral  work  in  Chicago 70 

writings  of 71 

own  account  of  her  inspiration 71-73 

Rossetti's  "Blessed  Damozel,"  comparisons 97 


Sand,  George,  describes  origin  of  first  novel 95 

Shakespeare  on  genius 95 

Shelley  on  inspiration  and  genius 97 

"Soul  in  Human  Embodiments,"  by  Mrs.  Richmond 71-88 

Spencer,  Herbert,  and  spirit  phenomena 9 

"Spiritual  Diary"  of  Swedenborg,  quotation  from 12 

Stockholm,  Swedenborg's  clairvoyance  of  its  great  fire..  15-16 

Subconscious  mind,  inadequacy  of  theory 37 

Subliminal  self,  theory  unsatisfactory 37 

"Superior  Condition,"  defined  by  A.  J.  Davis 33-35 


INDEX   TO   INTRODUCTION.  471 

PAGE: 

Swedenborg,  memoir   11-22 

first  spirit  apparition 13 

"          correspondence  with   Wesley 13-14 

forecasts   of   death 14-15 

clairvoyant  account  of  Stockholm  fire 15-16 

"         incident  of  Marteville  lost  receipt 17 

psychic  message  to  Queen  Ulrica 18 

compared  with  Socrates 19 

own  view  of  his  spiritual  experiences 22 

beneficial  effect  of  psychic  experiences 7 

Tennyson's  testimony  to  the  reality  of  spirit 98 

Thackeray,  on  the  "afflated"  style 95 

"         tells  how  "The  Newcomes"  was  written 95 

Wesley  and  Swedenborg  incident 13-14 

Willis,  N.  P.,  account  of  Mrs.  Richmond's  powers 68 

Wordsworth,  Wm.,  description  of  "superior  condition"..  35 


tbe  Same  Butbor 


PHILOSOPHY  OF  SPIRIT.    $1.00 
ORIGIN  AND  ANTIQUITY  OF  MAN.    $1.00 

CAREER  OF  THE  GOD-IDEA  AND  CHRIST-IDEA 
IN  HISTORY.    $1.25 

RELIGION  OF  MAN  AND  ETHICS  OF  SCIENCE.    $1.00 

STUDIES  IN  THE  OUTLYING  FIELDS  OF  PSYCHIC 
SCIENCE.    $1.00 

SECRETS  OF  THE  CONVENT.    25c 

HERESY.    50c 

LIFE  IN  TWO  SPHERES.    50c 
MEDIUMSHIP  AND  ITS  LAWS,    35c 
ARCANA  OF  SPIRITUALISM,    $1,25 


TUTTLE  PUBLISHING  CO. 
BERLIN  HEIGHTS,  OHIO 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY, 
BERKELEY 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

Books  not  returned  on  time  are  subject  to  a  fine  of 
50c  per  volume  after  the  third  day  overdue,  increasing 
to  $1.00  per  volume  after  the  sixth  day.  Books  not  in 
demand  may  be  renewed  if  application  is  made  before 
expiration  of  loan  period. 


15m-4,'24