According to the now almost universally (that is, among educated
scientific people) accepted theory of Evolution, each living being upon
this earth is a result of a very slow process of development, which
commenced with a low form of life many millions of years ago, and has
since been operating continuously, becoming more and more complex, and
imperceptibly attaining greater perfection as each fresh stage was
accomplished. From the homogeneous to the heterogeneous, from inorganic
to organic, from Amœba to man, the evolutionary development has slowly,
steadily, and surely advanced step by step, in obedience to certain
well-defined laws. Yet it is impossible to discern in this slow process
of evolution any well-marked difference between one particular species
and the next of kin, although the difference becomes clearly apparent
if we take two species separated from each other by considerable
time; just as it is impossible to detect any alteration in form and
feature between a child of six days old and the same child of seven
days old, while the change is very evident after the lapse of several
weeks or months. If we were to photograph a human being regularly
each day from the moment of its birth to the time of its decease at
the age of eighty, we should be unable to detect any real difference
between the portraits on any two consecutive days; but the difference
between the child of a week old and the young man of twenty years would
be enormous, as would be that between the full-grown youth and the
tottering old man. As the human individual in its earliest condition
of existence is not possessed of the same faculties as it afterwards
enjoys as a more perfect development, so, in like manner, the species
in its primal condition was wanting in the loftier qualities now
possessed by the higher animals, such as consciousness, sight, hearing,
taste, smell, and touch, all of which have been gradually evolved
as the various life-forms developed from lower and more simple to
higher and more complex kind. For instance, at a very early period of
man’s individual existence he possessed no brain, eyes, ears, mouth,
or nose, and, therefore, was quite incapable of mentating, seeing,
hearing, tasting, or smelling; but, as the organism very gradually
developed into a higher and more complex kind, these various organs
manifested themselves, and slowly arrived at such perfection as we
find in the human infant at birth. Precisely so was it with the race.
The lowly Moneron was of homogeneous structure, possessing neither
parts nor kind, but gradually differentiating into nucleus and cell;
its descendants, the Gastrœada, becoming possessed, by a process of
invagination, of an external layer of nucleated cells and an internal
and more delicate layer, thus forming a hollow organism, or Gastrula.
This external cellular integument was the original sense-organ of the
animal kingdom, from which developed the organs of special sense.
Though without nerve and special sense-organs, yet these little hollow
Gastrœada, and, in fact, their ancestors, the Amœbæ, which consisted
of simple protoplasmic cells, each enclosing a nucleus, were possessed
with sensory perception, being influenced by light, and by variations
of pressure and temperature. As the evolutionary process continued, and
the animal kingdom assumed higher forms, the original epidermal general
sense-organ became converted into several special organs of sense, each
specialisation commencing with a simple depression upon the integument
of the organism; numerous little epidermal nerves of perception were
formed, which could perceive changes of pressure and of temperature,
and some of which gradually became enabled to understand particular
influences affecting them, such as those produced by a strong odour,
light-waves, and sound-waves. By adaptation, the extremities of these
sense-nerves became expanded and enlarged, so as to enable them the
better to understand the particular influences; and this expansion was
accompanied by a corresponding depression on the integument, which
cup-like formation afterwards became converted into an eye, or other
organ of special sense, very imperfect in the invertebrate forms of
life, imperfect in the fish, more perfect in the amphibian, and still
more perfect in the mammal forms, such as apes and men. In short, the
life-history of the individual is an exact counterpart in miniature of
the life-history of the species up to the particular point reached by
the particular individual.
The order and mode of development is precisely the same in all animal
organisms, and may be conveniently studied by placing a hen’s egg in
an incubating machine, and carefully watching it for the space of
three weeks. It will be observed that the eye, ear, nose, and mouth
are not present at the commencement of the process, but make their
appearance later on, about the third or fourth day of incubation, as
tiny depressions on the integument, from which condition they gradually
develop into perfect organs of special sense, as possessed by the
full-grown chicken; the eyes, which receive the impressions caused
by light-waves; the ears, which receive those made by sound-waves;
the nose, by which odours are discerned; the mouth, which holds the
taste-organ; and the skin, which remains the organ of touch and
perception of temperature. Now, when we consider for a moment these
wonderful phenomena, we cannot help being struck by the remarkable
manner in which the animal kingdom has been slowly and steadily
progressing towards perfection, in spite of the enormous physical
difficulties encountered; and we cannot help coming to the conclusion
that, inasmuch as there was once a time when no animal existed having
eyes, ears, nose, or mouth, and, still later, a period when these
special sense-organs existed in a very imperfect condition, it is
highly probable that in the future ages man, who now possesses special
senses of a high order, will acquire even still more highly-developed
faculties.
In congratulating ourselves upon the advance made by our own particular
species over other members of the animal kingdom, we must never forget
that, although we can mentate, see, hear, smell, taste, and feel,
while myriads of our lowly brethren can do none of these, we yet are
incapable of solving the mighty problems of the universe with any
or all of these organs without artificial aid. No man on earth has
ever yet been able to solve the mighty problem of existence, in spite
of his great intellectual powers. No man has ever yet been able to
see a millionth part of the wonders in the heavens above, or in the
earth beneath, with his own unaided eye; but with the telescope and
microscope new worlds have been opened out to him. We are as yet,
undoubtedly, in but a transitory condition, the victims of an imperfect
organisation, subject to a partially-developed brain and nervous
system, and to five imperfect special senses. We must accept the
situation philosophically, and without grumbling, and do our best to
make good use of the senses we have, and leave the solution of problems
we are unable to solve to future races of men, who will be possessed of
better materials with which to operate.
[Illustration: “THE SUPREME SPIRIT IN THE ACT OF CREATION BECAME BY
VOGA, TWO-FOLD, THE RIGHT SIDE WAS MALE, THE LEFT WAS PRAKRITI.”
(Brahma Vaivartta Puranu.)
BRAHM THE HINDU ANDROGYNOUS CREATOR
Copied from Inman’s “Ancient Faiths”.]
[Illustration: ISIS, HORUS AND FISH
From a photograph of a small bronze image in the Mayor collection
of Browne’s Museum, Liverpool. Copied from D^(r) Inman’s “Ancient
Faiths”.]
[Illustration: THE VEDIC VIRGIN, INDRANEE, WIFE-MOTHER OF SAVIOUR-GOD,
INDRA. From Hislop’s “Two Babylons”.]
[Illustration: THE HINDU GOD VISHNU, NURSED BY HIS VIRGIN WIFE-MOTHER,
LAKSHMI. From Moore’s “Hindu Pantheon”.]
[Illustration: DEVAKI AND CHRISTNA From Moore’s “Hindu Pantheon”.]
[Illustration: THE HINDU GOD SIVA, NURSED BY HIS VIRGIN WIFE-MOTHER,
PARVATI. Copied from statuette in Liverpool museum.]
[Illustration: AMEN-RA (After Drummond.)]
[Illustration: CRUX ANSATA
Found marked on the breast of an Egyptian mummy in the University
College Museum, London.]
[Illustration: THE ASSYRIAN VIRGIN ISHTAR
From Rawlinson’s “Ancient Monarchies”.]
[Illustration: CRUCIFIXION OF CHRISTNA
From old Hindu engraving. After Higgins.]
[Illustration: VIRGIN AND CHILD AT IDALIUM IN CYPRUS
After Rawlinson
(“Herodotus”)]
[Illustration: ISIS AND HORUS THE EGYPTIAN VIRGIN AND SAVIOUR-GOD
From Rawlinson’s “Herodotus”.]