The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-18

| "6ue ahu ulAuenS HeEe separated from
previous state Of Co-existenCe; tho BELT
that the mountains were suddenly eleya,
CD, and that the sea and land were by on
act made to assume their respective pla
ces; the belief that storm and sunshin
are sent In an arbitrary succession; III
belief that maniac Is one possessed OF
devil. and that the thunder Is the voice O
an offended Deity, were once all includ
ed In that family Of beliefs Of which th
only representative still existing In III
minds OF educated men, Is the belief II
the sudden creation Of life. These sever
oil beliefs having ono by ono faded ava,
before the approach Of perceived unifor
nifty IN oil the actions Of nature, Is It no
reasonable to suppose that this remaining
belief In special creations, having M
more cause for support than lis early con
temporaries, and being also opposed L
the same advancing recognition Of order
ly method throughout the universe, which
gradually displaced these beliefs, viii II
Its turn be compelled to give way to thu
same irresistible influenced Why thiI
last remnant Of series Of discarded be-
llefs Is still retained by those who have
abandoned its colleagues, would probab
~ be a difficult question for any Of its ad
vocates 10 answer.
WHOLLY WITHOUT EVIDENCE.
This doctrine Of special creations
which Is thus discredited, proves upon
examination to be unsupported by sin
gle TACT. No one, either living or dead,
ever saw special creation. Why Is 1t
believed 2 No one will assert that, Of the
human beings now on this planet prob
ably 1,300,0000O0 in number, any were
brought into existence by special crea-
ton; and still more absurd would be the
that any plant or animal now
living was so created, The fact Is every
where recognized that every individual
has arrived at the existing state Of devel-
by a gradual evolution from a
minute structureless germ, which was in
It's turn evolved from pre.existing organ.
ism. Why then apply the doctrine of
special creation to races, and yet not ap-
ply It 10 individualsH Isit not obviously
because evolution Of the latter is con-
'tantly occurring under our immediate
observation, while evolution oil species
cannot be brought under our immediate
observation? Yet that we may record o
marked development even in an individ-
lal, a certain lapse Of time Is necessary.
No change can be detected on q given
day, in the case Of even q rapidly growing
infant, as compared with It's condition on
The previous day, or as compared with its
condition the day following; yet let an
absence of ten or twenty years intervene,
and the change will occasion expressions
0t surprise, which may increase 10 In.
credulity If the absence mas been longer.
The life oil human observer sustains The
same relation 10 the time requisite for a
alteration in the condition of
\ species, as single honr bears 10 the
lime necessary to observe, change in the
appearance OF an individual
CREATION NOT SUCH AN IND1cA-
TON OF INFINITE WISDOM AS RvoLU-
TON IS.
Or, is it urged that special creation is
more in cous0nance with the Divine at.
tributes than evolution is? What object
8 effected by special creation that would
lot be better effected by evolution? III
Ipecies are supposed to be suddenly crea-
ed to demonstrate Almighty Power,
would not that demonstration be greater
{ individuals were suddenly created ?
such creation would convince the most
persistent EvOlutionist Of the error OF his
yiews. II an architect or an engineer wss
o construct wonderful machine, he
night be considered great man, but II
le was to devise an instrument so intri.
,ate and perfect that it could produce
'ther instruments OF continually i'm
proved pattern, which could in their turn
five rise TO yet better types Of their kind
le would be deemed infinitely greater
han in the first case. And then the Ques.
ion naturally arises, for whom was this
demonstration intended9 The implics-
ion is, for the human race Of course. But
Is no one ever saw Il, 1t was q useless
demonstration, and the supposition OF lis
occurrence is derogatory to the Almighty.
who thus exercised superfluous power.
Again, 1t is certainly not supposed that
he Deity would thus interfere with the
otherwise steady and uniform workings
u his own machine, merely TO show his
TO 1t. This would be- un-
worthy oil the Divine character, and Is not
o be entertained for q moment.
FROM TIE STAND POINT OF
DESIGN.
Again, why the millions Of extinct types
whose remains in tho rocks indicate
increase in completely OF or
yanizatiOn, on the ground OF special GRE
Ltion? Was creation tentative process
With the Almighty, who dissatisfied with
Zach successive species, essayed to I'M
prove upon II by experiment? Why
we're innumerable races Of animals en-
lowed with elaborate appliances for in
letting pain and death upon their fellow
Were they specially created
or that purpose? To say that they were,
8 10 assert that the Infinite deliberately
planned misery for his creatures, while 10
leny 1t is to sllege by implication, that
,ither the Lord did not adapt means 10
.nds, or else that he could not have ar.
'snged 1t otherwise, and any Of these as
detracts from the Divine dig
lity, Upon an average not more than
me organism in twenty reaches maturity,
while in lowly types the proportion Of
premature deaths is much greater than
his. How, upon the hypothesis OF special
'reation, arc these facts applicable Il
pecics were specially created, there Is
implied the assertion that the results of
hat creation were specially designed.
Why then this prodigal waste Of liieG II
he case were such that only inferior ami
nails were thus preyed upon by superior
that by destroying the weaker
he stronger race was thus preserved, we
night perceive in the progressive i'm
Drovement thus necessitated, some
compromising benefit, although this Is
4 cardinal principle in Darwinism)
but what explanation can be given when
we see the inferior praying upon the su.
perlorF Statistics show that about 90