The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-02-18

u y
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY M
bryant on Darwin.
The poet Bryant lately made speech At
meeting Of the alumni Of Williams College,
In which he thus treated Of Darwinism: !
Hisa good while since the remark was
made BY ap English wit, that he did not
Ike 70 look at monkeys, they seemed to him
90 much like poor relatiOns.- What was
regarded that time as clever jest. has
atnce been taken by an eminent naturalist
- the basis Of an extensive system, which
PrcfeAsas to account for the origin Of ths
human Species. According 70 MI. Darwin, !,
nsn = m Improved monkey. IN his sys-
tenn tho lowest form of animal life is
minute animated cell. A number Of these
celia come casually together, and form q
Dab Of jsliy fixed on = crag In the ocean.
lot synastry; they gradnaiIy Acquire or
gans; thsy riss TO the dignity q oysters.
and museles; they multiply by principle
EQf seteeti0n on the part OF the parents,
they rise higher and higher in the seale OF
being; they become Quadrupeds they
crawl upon the land; they waddle ON the
houses as beavers they climb trees as
Esquirrels; their ta.ons and paws become
Shands furnished with fingers, and we have
the monkey; the monkey acquires the
facnlty Of speech, and natures into man.
u 10 the old theory of Monboddo pro-
pounded hundred years ago, but spread
over e larger surface, and set fourth with
new. illustrations.
But allowing Mi that its author says of
300 consanguinity 81 man Ana the inferior
animals; admitting that we arc Of the
same flesh and blood az the baboon and the
rat, whore does he find his proofs that we
are improving instead of degenerating !
He claims that man is an improved
monkey; how does he know that the
monkey is not degenerate man, a decayed
branch of the human family, fallen away
from the high rank he once held, and
haunted by q dim sentiment of his lost
dignity, as we may infer from his melan-
dent and gentlemen, implies effort, lis up
bill work degeneracy is easy, it asks only
neglect, Incidence, inaction. How often do
the descendants of illustrious men become
the most stupid of the human race! How
many are there, each of whom we may call
The tenth transmitter of foolish face
Ia line of Savage, the best he ever wrote,
worth all his other verses put together
The tenth transmitter Of foolish face
and that face growing more and more fool
ish from generation to generation! 1
reigning in Spain and Naples. 1 might
instance the royal family of Austria.
There is whole nation, millions upon
millions-our Chinese neighbors-of whom
the better opinion is, that they have been
going backward in civilization from CEN
tury to century.--Perhaps they wear the |
pfgtail as an emblem of what they are ali |
coming to some thousands of years hence.
Now, then, can Nj. Darwin insist that if |
we admit the near kindred of man to the
inferior animals, we must believe that our
progress has been upward, and that the
nobler animals are the progeny of the in
Ferior I Is not tho contrary more prob
able Is it not more likely that-the more
Easy downward road has been taken, that
,he lower animals are derived from some
degenerate branch of the human race and
hat, if we do not labor to keep the rank
Te hold, our race may be fritted away into
he meaHer tribes of animals, and finally L
INTO animalculaf Then may our Tweeds
become the progenitors of those skulking
hieves of the Western wild, the prairie
wolves, or may swim in stagnant pools in
he shape of horse leeches; our astute
awyers may be represented by foxes, our
,reat architects by colonies of beavers,
ur poets by clouds of mosquitoes, fam
shed and musical. If we hold to Darwin's
heory--as do not-how are we to know
hat the vast multitudes of men and women
n the earth are mot the ruins, SO to speak, II
f some nobler species, with more elevated
nd perfect faculties, mental, physical and
neral, bat now extinct ~ II
A.. 81 q - - .