Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-12-24

MIbDLEBURY.-Tue eve, the l5tl
inst, Rev / Tuxbury, Of Brandon, de-
liyered his very popular lecture on "Thc
specific unity and common origin Of man
kind, before tho Young Mems Christian
association Of this villarc
Tho speaker commenced with the l'ts
chapter Of Acts, where the Apostle Pau.
appeared before the Athenians and thcEpi
cureans, and stqie philosophers. and boldly
asserts that all men are born of one blood
in contravention Of their doctrines, VIZ
/ That each race Of men. had a separate and
distinctive ancestry that Paul considered
unity a, essential 10 the christian system
The speaker said that the specific unity
and common origin of mankind was
,toutly denied by modern naturalists.
The theory Of these men appears in two
forms:
First-They insist that there is a differ
encc in the species; that in the earliest
ages the negro existed. and If they have
not undergone any perceptiblc change
since. therefore. there must have been
more than one specie of man.
Second-Modern naturalists reason from
analogy, and seeing SO many different ami
mails, they conclude that there must have
existed originally, many different spc.
cics
The speaker proved very conclusiyel!
that only one specie was necessary to pro
duce the differences that we now see il
the dog, sheep, OK, pigeon, e..
That climate, the influences Of domes
ITCHY, and the numerous other changes t
which animals are subjected, are sufficicn
to produce their marked peculiarities
The speaker attacked the theory 0
! Agassiz with much force, and successful.
showing the absurdity of one species be
ing exclusively confined to one fauna, o
t of one fauna producing one particula
species. He contended that they were al
: offshoots of one and the same species, an,
) the differences seen in the animals Of on
: fauna, are the peculiarities produced b
external circumstances connected wit
that particular fauna. Exampl es-th
n Exauimaux dog, the Newfoundland dos
+ the frail lap-dog. The speakers theory j
that the unity Of races may be prove
J. more conclusively historically than Scie,
Y hfcallg and that scicrcc correctly intei
e preted, will prove history. That multipl
IS origin accounts for ,ia distribution {
mankind, that di-tin.' and sudden var
= ations account for :he varieties see
Z among men
II That animal. are not confined to speeif
geological provinces, and if they are no
as It to he supposed man would
n Indeed, instances are known where mel
women and children have drifted tho,
sands Of miles to distant shores. and it
natural 10 suppose that the aborigines {
\ this country came to these shores in tbs
+. way.
The speaker l,ii the aulienryin brcatl
less attention for. he space Of one hou
r and concluded with most beautiful e:
lp hortatiou =, 10 the necessity of the unit
+: of the whole race, in the bonds OF an III
; (; broken brotherhood, and their derivatic
from common ancestry. The respons
bilitics attending this brotherhood in Il
he elevation Of the down trodden race of Il
ID African negro, who has been liberatC
n from slavery bondage blythe hand of pro
IN ideuca,
n Mr.. Tuxbury ro,zas,a. al the requisit
X Of a popular lecturer, being concise in h
at ex prcssions; forcihlc in his methods of d
al livery, and logical in his reaSonings.
rare literary treat may be expected wht
Mr.. Tuxbury lectures