American Addresses. By Thomas H. Huxley. (Macmillan and Co.) —The
three lectures on evolution which form the principal part of this work are distinguished by the moderate and truly philosophical tone
which pervades them. There is no dogmatism, no violent partisanship, no fierce denunciation of opponents, but they are a calm and judicial examination of the whole question, especially dealing with those points on which as a specialist Professor Huxley can speak with authority. Stating first the three hypotheses regarding the past history of nature, he proceeds to criticise them as matters of historic fact, and examines the evidence on which they depend. The Miltonic interpretation, taken as being the popular theory, is shown to be inconsistent with facts granted only that the geological record may be depended on. For the hypothesis of evolution there are three kinds of evidence offered,—the neutral, the favourable, and what he calls—using the word very loosely, as it appears to us,—the demonstrative. The persistence of type, on which Cuvier laid so much stress in his opposition to this theory, is shown to be really indifferent evidence in favour of it ; the intercalary types, which have characteristics of two now distinct genera, and seem to be collateral relations of the main type form, the principal argument of the second kind ; and a whole lecture is devoted to the third degree of evidence. The genus Equidm is selected as the best type for the attempt to trace the gradual evolution, as the fossil evidence is more complete in this case than in any other. The other addresses are one on " University Education," given at the formal opening of the John Hopkins University, Baltimore, in which the Professor describes his idea of educational establishments, and which contains much practical truth, especially with regard to medical education, and some things in which we widely differ—such as the postponing the study of the classical languages until the University is reached—and one on "Biology," given in connection with the Loan Collection Series.
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