THE ORIGIN OF LIFE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 1 March 1913, Page 7

THE ORIGIN OF LIFE.

PKOFESSOR SCHAFER AND HIS LET-aiilU-BAG.

Professor Schafer, the President of 'the Uritish Association, whose address, at Duncleo upon , "The Nature and Origin of Life," caused such a sensation, convulsed with merriment the members of the Authors' Club, who entertained him on January 13, when he disclosed some of the amusing letters which his address has' evoked from every quarter of the globe. Had he attempted to answer every letter, he said, ho would have had to engage a fleet of, typewriters, and would still be busy. From America he had sent to him a copy of the tablet which God handed to Noah. This extremely interesting, inscription ran:— "Have ditches dug -from ocean to .-cean into every burning and boiling place and into every abundant burning v coal mine, and let all bodies float away. Drown all birds, hens, snakes, camels, and llamas, never eat meat, and drown all people, and allow all bodies to float away. Never teach or preach, never have any houses or ; cities, riood inside allwolcanoes and use submarine , boats and deep-sea diving bells." (Laughter.) ' J; "I think these directions must have been very useful to Noah," was Dr. Schafer's comment. Another gentleman much nearer-home told him that the millennium was coming, and added that "wealth and learning-wiU be cast off, so there will not be much chance for some of you,- 4 Toilers a,nd till-_ ers will be n^«!iseapo^^t6rVand J raft*; ers will be rejected."' ' Then ihe had been asked by many to explain ;the Book of Genesis. -,Ho did not. attempt to explain it. Then. _ there was a gentleman who wrote to him that the two most gifted men in the world had never spoken to one another, and suggest-, ed a visit. (Laughter.) Another man wrote that.he made an experiment sixty years ago by pulling a hair out of a horse's, tail along with tho root, and laving it in some mud. Ho covered it'with ti little water, and after examining it from time to time, found it was beginning to move and wriggle. "He says that in his opinion it was converted into au eel. Was lof that opinion?" said Professor Schafer., Adopting a more serious vein, Professor Schafer said that no one was more astonished that lie was to find that his address had set Fleet Street on fire. It strikingly illustrated the ignorance of the world in general regarding what the rest of the world was doins. There were -very few modern biologists who would seriously differ from the general trend of his Dundee' address.