THE TENDENCY OF SCI ENTIFIO I.\QUIRV.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1738, 25 August 1883, Page 4

THE TENDENCY OF SCI ENTIFIO I.\QUIRV.

♦ Sir llkxry 13arkia-, G.C.M.G., F.R.S., tool; the chair at the annual meeting of the Victoiia (Philosophical) Institute, at 7, Adclphi Terrace, London, in the last week in June The Honorary Secretary, Captain F. Petrie, F.R.S.L., roatl the report. l>y which it appeared that tlie Institute,—founded to investigate all questions of Philosophy and Science, and more especially any alleged to militate against the truth of Revelation, — had now risen to 1,02) members, of whom about one-third were Foreign, Colonial, and American, and new applications to join wore constantly coming in. An mci easing number of leading mfn of science had joined its ranks, and men of science, whether in its ranks or not, co-opeiated in its work. During the session a careful analysis had been undertaken by Professor Stokes, F.R.S., SirJ. R. Bennett, Vice-President, R.S., Professor Beale, F.R.S., and others of the various theories of Evolution, and it was reported that, as yet, no scientific evidence had been met with giving countenance to the theory that man had bwn evolved from a lower order in animals ; and Professor Virchow had declared that there was a complete ab&encc of any fossil type of a lower stage in the development of man ; and that any positive advance in the province of prehistoric anthropology has actually removed us further from proofs jof such connection, — namely, with the rest of the Animal Kingdom. In this, Professor Barraudp, the great palaeontologist, had concurred, d eclat ing that in none of his investigations had he found any one fossil species develop into another. In fact, it would seem that no scientific man had yet di&covered a link between man and the ;ipe, between fish and frog, or between the vertebrate and the inveitibrato anmlals ; further, theie was no evidence ol any one species, fossil or other, losing its peculiar characteristics to acquire new ones belonging to other .species ; for instance, however similar the dog to t'le wolf, theic was no connecting link, and among extinct species the same was the case ; there was no giadual passage frmn one to another. Moreen ci, the first animals th.it existed on the earth wcie by no means to be considered as infeiior or degiaded. Among other investigations, one into the ti nth of the aigument from Design in Nature had been carried on, and had hitherto tended to fully confiiin that doctiine. The question of the Assyrian inscriptions and the let cut Babylonian reseat dies had been under the leadership of Mr Hormuzd Rassani, who, on his arrival from Nineveh, had given a lull report of the extent of his new excavations, which were of the highest inteicst. His discoveiy ot Sepharvaim, one of the first cities mentioned in Holy Wiit, was most important. Professor Delitsch and others aided in the consideration of the discoveries and the inscriptions found. Two mi ctin»s had been held to consider the questions msed in Mr Herbert Spenoei's Philosophy, and Loid O'Neill and othois had shown, by a careful analysis of the ai guments that a gi cater attention to accuracy in statement would ha\ekept Mr Spencer Iromaniving a.t those hasty conclusions winch had made )ih philosophy remarkAble. It was announced that the lesults of exploitations now being caitied on in Egypt would bo laid boioiv the Institute caily in the winter. The discoveries were veiy important, especially that of tho siteot Succoth, which, like the results of the suivey ot Palestine, was confirmatoiy of tho Sacred Recoid. The quaiterly Journal, which had been published for sixteen yeais, was now issued fiee to all Mcmbeis and Associates whether at home or abioad. Several interesting speeches having been made, the numbers and their fiiends adjourned to the Mubeum, where refreshments were served.

DAMAI.hh 10K A CUKIOUh LIIJEL. — It isn't always sale to inscribe a libel on a tombstone. A father in >St. Louis, whose son was rh owned while bathing with two companions, suspected the latter of having boon privy to his death, and, after the recovery and burial of the body, erected a tombstone over the giavo, bearing the following inscription : " Rork of Arcs rleft for nip, Let me hide in) self in ilici-," JJiowncd l>) Philander I'inley and Mart Hoggs. The peiaons thus giavoly accused, and against whom nothing whatever could be proved, bi ought suit for libel against the parent and the maker of the tombstone, and wcie promptly given a verdict for ijSOO damages against both defendants. Lying tombstones are by no means unusual, but the lies they tell are oidinarily inscribed with friendly hands, and involve no reflection upon the living. When, as in this case, they are made vehicles of slander and libel, it is in e\ciy way proper that the offence should be punished, Thi: other day, on an Aikansas railroad au old gentleman fiat, halfd.slecp, with a book entitled " Train Robbers'' lying on Ins lap. Prctt} r soon ho Mink to sleep. Tlio wiudow-Sri'-h fell with a loud report, and tho old man, springing to Inn feet and throwing up his hands, exclaimed : " Gentlemen, I haven't got a cent. 1 ' Tin: paster of a chuioh in Yonkers, N. V. , recently received a lady 100 J 3'Cii I . s old on probation. Too much caution can not be exercised when a centuryold lady has announced an intention to reform. Tho giddy thing may bo off to a fauny ball in three minutes after &he .solemnly promised to restrain herself. tS vxdy borrowed the uniform of an abseut Lancer in order to participate in leoeption of the Continentals, "Hallo," s-aid Zenas, when he saw Sandy rigged out, '• soldier clothes?"' "No, I haven't nold 'em,'' replied Sandy, " they're at home."— Busfon Star. Ovk cannot help wondpring what would happen if a gentle dude should stub hi*, toe and fall down while sucking hi-, cane. Would the e.iuo break between his cheek and the sidewalk, or would it penetrate his brain cavity and let it in tl)D»ir?— Lowell Citizen. A PrtKXrif inventor has'an apparatus foy I'Auvuig tUo tail of a pug-dog, so that its luistiexs can grasp it sceuiely and convey it to the opposite side of a muddy street. When a great necessity becomes fully known, the invention to „ meet it is always on hand. Tiih next time you hee a lady'"exhibiting rather generously her ankles, look iuto her face and you will recognise that Nature has not been kind to her thero. — Sidvwdlk lit mmiscvhccs. •' Ci.roic, Cluck," clucked the anxious hen, " I've lost a chicken." " Don't brood over i', mainiun," piped another youthful member of the family. "Li your dog a tweeter or a pointer?" • ( Well, I bought him for a setter, but he has turned out a pointer — that is to say, a disappointer.' I—Somcrvillc1 — Somcrvillc Journal. A remarkably honest doctor sent in a certificate of death, and other day, with his name signed in a space reserved for " cause of death " A simple and beautiful invention has just been patented by a well known militia officer, under the name of the " Soldier's Friend." It is intended to remedy a long felt evil which has caused so much suffering to our noble militia in times past. It consists in an extra row of buttons down the front of the tunic three inches inside of the ordinary row. As the stately private inarches in the early morning down to the boat, to participate in • ■ the picnic of his company, lie buttons the outside row, which displays the symmetry of his manly form to perfection. Before he starts for home, carrying a gallon or two of lager and sausages under his vest, he loosens his uniform, uses the inside ' row of buttons and comes .home . in T comfort, looking more elegant than, ever, , with, an extra section of a brass foundry glistening, in the rays of the evening * sun. \Sujeh inventions' as ' these' 'daVn the gratitiitte'of communities at one" swoop, and make Edison's , contributions^ to Y'l science; dwindle ;ju#9, jW«gnjifiipi,pw,^f»^«»»|