THE HAND AND EVOLUTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5562, 25 January 1879, Page 3

THE HAND AND EVOLUTION.

Recently Professor Huxley delivered an inaugural address to the South London Working Men’s College on the above subject. The hand, he said, was the most important part of a man’s anatomy, not even, perhaps, excepting the brain ; for, without the ,hand, emanations of the brain could not be, in most cases, put in force. It performed many wonderful functions, such as touch and communicating one with another, &0., and all by the means of a very simple machinery. He then proceeded to explain how the digits were moved by muscles and tendons, and drew especial attention to the wonderful movements, use, and power of the thumb. In order to see what the hand was capable of doing, a person should watch an expert player on the violin. There waa no source of power yet dissevered, he

maintained, so economical as that supplied by the human machine. He denied, however, that the hand, or any part, or whole of the human body was the result of design in the same sense as might be applied to the completion of a watch or a steamengine. It was owing to evolution and change. The professor then sketched out on the blackboard the various forms through which the infant passed up to the time of its birth, to show the truth of his hypothes's, ami proceeded to say that the term “ made,’” when used in reference to the human subject, in the same way as it would be applied to the manufacture of a timepiece, was an erroneous expression. The human body, and, in fact that of all animals, was evolved—that was, it was constantly changing from the time of its conception. We were all, in fact, in the position of Topsy, “we groweel,” but how we grew it was impossible to state. One thing was certain, and that was the doctrine of evolution ; because it was clearly demonstrable. (Cheers.) Some people thought that if the theory of evolution was once recognised by the masses, we should all be picking one another’s pockets, and cutting each other’s throats, but he felt confident that such would not be the case, nor would they who were then in the room, after hearing his remarks, be more inclined to lend their hands to picking and stealing than before they had listened to him. (Cheers.) The proceedings terminated with a hearty vote of thanks.