The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-08-03
The ge,sosta Oetegraph
KENOSHA, WIS, AUGUST 8, 1871.
DARWINISM IN ENGLAND.
BY CHARLES MIDWAY, d. D.
From the Goden Age.

marvellous. They are supported by such
striking analogies; so many curious and
unsusceptlble facts combine to establish
and illustrate them; they present such a
simple and thinkable conception of the
mode of creation; they are SO consistent
with ali the known facts and teachings
of science, and yet are so easily recon
eilable with all that is essential in re
igious faith, that they are admirably
suited to the present intellectual condl
ion and wants of vast numbers of intel
igent Americans who have out-grown
the old ideas of creation, but have no
more rational views to put in their place.
Every day we hear OF scholars, critics,
scientists, and even clergymen, who are
profoundly interested in these new views,
if not entirely persuaded of their truth
and the number Of the latter is increas,
ing more rapidly than any one not
brought into contact or correspondence
with many people of different sections,
is prepared to believe.
But the spread OF these views in Eng
land is quite as great as here. Judging
from the number and character Of the
articles Mr.. Darwin's books have called
forth, the amount of discussion they
have excited, and above all the attempts
to ridicule them by Caricatures and lam
poems Of all sorts, it would seem that the
thinking portions of the English public
have become deeply and pleasantly in
terested in the ideas these fascinating
volumes present. Some of these articles
are noticeable for their scientific mastery
Of the facts and issues involved in Mr..
Darwin's theory, and others for the phi
losophical acumen with which they dis
cuss the general relations of this theory
to theology, morals, history, and reYela
ton. But, singularly enough, no article
Of first rate Importance has appeared in
opposition to Mr.. Darwin's views The
able and valuable monograph of st.
George Mivart cohtroVerted special
points, and suggested notifications of
the theory in certain respects; but the
total inclination of both his criticisms
and his suggestions was decidedly in the
direction Of DarWlnism, whose theory is
certainly simpler, and far more plausible,
and supported by lar greater array of
facts, than the one which Mr.. Mivart
brings forward as its substitute. The
paper Of Mr. Wallace has great merits as
contribution to the subject, and lends
powerful confirmation to Mr. Darwin's
views by the small number and trifing
Importance of the points made by this
independent thinker, whose original re-
searches in the same field give his words
value amounting almost to authority
Prof Huxley, the most popular scientist
in England; Prof. Tyndall, who has been
called "the poet of SCIENCE" because of
his taste and the charming felicity of his
style; Sir john Lubbock, the author of
the remarkable works on the primitive
condition of man and the origin Of civ
ilization Sir Charles Lyell, the Nestor
of 8auGnts, together with score of other
scientific writer's of cminence. lend their
powerful support to this system.
M0cmjJl0n'y Naga9j520 for May contains
an admirable article on the relations Of
Darwinism to religion; showing that the
tear OF materialism, Of danger to the
moral sense, and of any weakening to
the sanctions of personal Immortality
from that source, is utterly groundless.
The writer ably contends that the nobil-
ity Of conscience, as gift of God, is in no
way impugned by this theory; and that
our hope of immortality stands on pre-
cisely the same basis, on the hypothesis
of evolution, as on that of separate croa
tions. 1t is, in fact, an immense advance
on the old theories Of morals; approach
ing the subject on the side of natural his
tory, it affords means of testing meta
physical arguments by the touch-stone 4
physical facts, and thus unites in g re-
markable degree the merits Of the intui-
tive and the unitarian schools.
The interest is not confined to the sci
entifc and literary classes, but has been
strikingly developed among the intelll
writes from London, that the interest in
the monkey-houSe at the Geological Gar
dens has increased since the publication
of Mr.. Darwin's book, and the DO pu
lar tendency to believe his book has been
sufficient to call forth grave phisosoph-
iCal and theological discourse from the
Archbishop of York on the subject. The
lecture is entitled "Materialistic The
cries" and is one of series now being
delivered at St.George's Hall, London, to
meet some forms of unbelief among the
educated classes" The Archbishop,
though called out to curse DarWinisIn,
forgot himself once, and said that cell
matte conditions and the. struggles
for life have modified species,
and worked out new varieties
Or new species, We may fear
lessly admit y; SO that afterward his
Identification of Darwlnism and Atheism
appeared incomprehenslbl Mr. Pen
gelly, very able geologist, employed
just now by the government in the ex.
R0ln r T. ~
Cavern, was pretty sharply questioned
during alecture concerning his Darwin
ian faith, and asked whether it did not
rob God of His rloru 70 cor tl,a4 5000