The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-24
,;onne Abroad and at Home.

thc mania which has seized upon the minds
OF some of the most famous Of British
sayants. HUXLEY, MILL, SPENCER, DAB
WIN. and others, have their crotchetS-
science run mad--which lead them away
| from more useful deliberations and employ
ments. and very much vcN the MIND OF tn ",
| scientific world. So the annual nleeIii's "
the British association was yer! hiuen ~.
| cupied with vague and absurd spec''''I''"
| touching creation and the origin o. H.
| In the widest vagarics of the ilaas ia
ton Of man laboring under NV t,ncv
lirium tremens there could DC "o a,ose.
more absurd-more completely oase co
than many of the spec'l'a'i'n' -
vans. Can such stuff science
D.rwiniainism was discussed very nu.o ~
and II was strange to see how many ihen VI
t,me with some qualification, agreed Win
him LISA regularity Of enthusiasts that
great amount of seIfcomplacency Is per-
ccptible always in their acts and theories
r. would lower themselves too mucn 10 con-
eur with DARWIN altogether. SO they quar-
fled his conceits with little salt, and drank
the soup with zest.
On the 9Th of August one DR.. WAKE gave
his views in the way Of qualifying OAK
WINS absurdities. This doctor believes the
aue To be our ancestor, and announced luis
SAGE postulate: "The only way to explain
:. mans origin consistently with his proved
mental anu physical connection Win the
| {" ape is to conceive nature as an organic
:. whole. and man az the natural result
-" its evolution" This is indeed very clear
But where is the necessity to explain
any s,,ch thing? These enthusiasts trouDle
themselves greatly to "eXplain" mere
pbantom of their crazy brains. 1t would
he lust AS sensible and reasonable to assume
that there was O near relationship between
The oak and vertebTeted animals because
in that tree there are seen rudimentary IN
dications of yertebra in the knots upon IL.
Isn't it as easy to assume that man was Gre
atcd as he is as to puzzle the brain IN Ell
forts to account for his production by evo-
luton from the very ooze of The sea, "hicn
indeed is much more difficult to imagine
Isn't it US easy for the Creator OF the Worid
itself to create any animal in it as it was 10
create the world!
These savants are no wiser than the rude
speculators of ether days, who assumed
that the earth rested upon an elephant, ana
he upon 4 turtle; or, upon more solid
theory, that it rested upon rock, and that
rock upon another. "But,' asked an in
qti,itve philosopher, "what does that
rock rest upon:" The prompt reply was,
:" On It. its rock all the way to the bot
TONI" That settles the question in lar
more clear and satisfactory manner than
any of the British enthusiasts have been
able to establish or even make plausible
their wrctched theories about "origin Of
Species ...
The preachers in Edinburgh became high
~ irrtnted at the theories of the crazy PM
loSophcrs, and pitched into them with more
zeal than taste. 1t is not the best way TO
deal with these thcori SIS to confront them
with religious theology, and the divlnes
never fail to lose somewhat OF their dignity
when they enter the ring with the sword OF
faith to fight these gentlemen who are mad
of much learning. There are innumerable
arguments with which they may be COM
pletely answered without appealing to re-
vcaled religion for weapons OF defence.
Indeed. there is an overscnstivencss in the
pulpit upon these subjects. The faith
adopted Ivy the civilized world is in no dam
ger from the wild yagarics of the unscien-
tiiic enthusiasts who disguise their dreams
ui.der the cloak of science. There is too
much good sense in the world to allow them
many followers in their pilgrimage through
Greamland.
The temper of the scientists Of the Brit
ISL school differs widely from that of the
American, which is rather in its infant state
just now. But our men of science devote
their attention almost exclusively to mat
trrs physical. rs they should. The Amer'-
can association is either just adjourned or
now in session at Indianapolis. In one day,
for instance, we have for the themes oil es-
saws and discussions, Meteorolosy,
/" Distances of the Planets,' "Chemlcal
Euuiyalency," :: Rates of Interest, 1.-The
Metric System,'' &c. The Ape" did not
| 1t is to nc hoped that he will always be eX.
cuded in favor of more useful themes.
1t will he decidedly to the national adj
vantage if our scientific men devote them
selves to physics, and leave the uneXplora-
bic field of supernatural things to the Eu-
rorcan enthusiasts. The spiritualists can
luu that machine in this country. They
can beat DARWIN, and HUXLEY, and all OF
their class, because onr spirit,m'ists solve
all problems by direct communication With
the spirit world 1t is . happy division OF
labor in this country that confines the man
Of science to his proper themes, and as.
| signs the matters Of imagination, touching
creation and spiritualsm, to the spiritual
! isis.
| BOYD COUNTY, kENTUCKy..The Ashland
4 - q Il off n