The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-28
Were Our Ancestors MONKEYS ?

THE tide at last has turned. The current of
scientific investigation, which has for ten years
been flowing so strongly in favor of the mon
key origin of man, has ceased, and we antoi-
pate a reaction. Professor Louis Agassiz,
naturalist than whom there is no ADLER living,
delivered in New York on Tuesday evening
lecture on the important and interesting ques-
tion whether our ancestors were monkeys,
and boldly derided the idea, and declared him
self strenuously opposed to any such theory.
We therefore suppose that we will not forfeit
all claim to scientific knowledge, nor yet to
being liberal-minded, when we rejoice at such
man as Agassiz taking the lead of those who
desire to have mankind for their forefathers.
Inferring from the conduct of the audience,
they must have experienced decided relief
when the long series of premises led to the
conclusion so favorable to genealogy. The
applause which greeted the announcement
indicated that up to that time the audience
were possessed of grave doubt on the subject:
"There is no gradation from the highest mon
key to the lowest race OF man. All these at
tempts at bringing man closer to the monkeys
by the lower types of humanity overlook the
fundamental conditions which make man.
u
separate him from the monkey, however high
as a monkey he may stand" (Applause0
The Professor proceeded to argue from
analogy, that it was impossible that man
should have originally been a monkey, and
inferred that there was no better reason for
supposing common origin, because monkeys
had four hands and man had two, than there
was for tracing a common ancestor between
man and any quadruped, because one had two
feet and the other had four. He also stated
that one variety of monkeys had FIVE hands,
one at the end of the tail, While denying,
emphatically, that the monkeys, whether
ourang-outang, chimpanzee, or gorilla, are
our cousins, yet he is equally positive that the
African, Indian, and Malay are not relatives.
"If it ever is proved that all men have a com
mon origin, then IL Will be at the same time
gin; and it will be by the same evidence proved
that man and monkey cannot nave "a different
origin. There is the appalling feature of the
subject-that the characteristics which distin-
guish different races of men are of the same
nature as the characteristics which distinguish
the differ ent kinds of monkeys. And it was for
that reason that early maintained that the
different races of men must have an indepen-
dent origin, because l saw the time coming
when the question of the origin of man would
be mixed up with the question of the origin of
animals, ana III might be CnaC q community OF
origin might be affirmed for all. Now L hold
that the idea of the community of origin of man
and monkeys and other quadrupeds is fallacy,
the foundation OF which shall try to explain
presently. But if IL is an error to consider man
as derived from monkeys, we must admit that
men are not derived from common stock,
because the differences which exist among men
are at the same time quite as striking as the
differences which exist between monkeys and
between the lower animals"
We really think that the Professor was wei
entitled to the vote of thanks he received from
the audience for thus clearing them of all dis
reputable relations. He not only shows us that
the monkeys are not blood connections and
thus removes from us the fearful doubts
which beset us every time we hear gibber-
ing ape, but clears our family tree of all con-
tamination with the negro and the Malay.
Hereafter, all Caucasians can claim clear
genealogy, and not be in continual terror in
their Investigations, lest, by penetrating too
far, they might reach the days when Sambo
and Cufee were their first cousins. We hope
that the hearts ola Philadelphia audience may
be comforted by the same words of cheer that
delighted the New Workers two nights ago.
THE NoN-PRoTEsTNG BIsHoPs.-As we pub
lished yesterday the names of the Bishops
protesting against ritualistic innovations in