New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-01-01

Almost the last production from the pen
Of AgassN was an article exposing the alb
surdities Of Uarwinism. Mr.. Cu.;cn BRYANT,
tho eminent poet, and the editor Of The New
York Erening Post, has recently dealt the
theory some equally telling blows. At a
meeting not long ago Of tho Alumni Of VIII
liam College, Mr.. Bryant delivered a speech
In which he incidentally referred to tho doc
trine Of Development" and exhibited its
absolute want Of all supper. in nature, or the
natural history Of axioms. beginning his
address by quoting the remark OF the Eng
lish wit who declared that he never liked to
look at a monkey because it seemed so much
like poor relative. he said that, according
to Darwin, man Is an improved monkey. In
his system the lowest form of animal life is
a minute animated cell. A number Of these
coils come casually together and form dab
VI jelly fixed on a crag ia the ocean.
They somehow become arranged in sort
Of symlnstsy; they gradual y acquire organs !;
they rise to the dignity of oysters and mus
sells; they multiply; BY a principle Of selcc
ton on the part OF. the parents they rise
higher and higher in the scale OF being they
become quadlupeels; they crawl upon the
land; they waddIs upon ths shore in the
shape of seals they build houses as beavers,
they climb etrees as squirrels; their talons
and paws becbme hands furnished with fin.
gers, aud we have the monkeys the monkey
acquires the faculty Of speech, aud natures
into man. II is, the old theory Monboddo
pr0pounded q hundred years ago but spreads
over largo surface, and set forth with new
illustrations. - :, Ill
But allowing all that its author says Of tie
consanguinity Of a,an and the interior ami
inals; admitted that we are Of the same flesh
and blood as the Baboon and the rat, where
does he and bis proof that VIC arc improving
Instead Of degeuorStiny He claims that
man is an improved monkey; how does he
know that the monkey is no, degenerate
man, q decayed branrh Of the human family,
fallen away from the high rank jile once held,
and hauntedshy T. dim sentiment Of his old
dignity, as NJ may infer from hts melancholy
aspect? 1@proysment, Mr.. President. and
gentlemen. Implies sHost it is uphill work.
Degssersey is easy sit asks only neglect,
indolcpee, ipaetioh.l How often do the de-
acstdsnts of illpstriSus men become the most
stupid of the human race2 rreft-f! :.
miglH instance the Bourbon family lately
reisningm Spain md Naples. II might in
s,ahce The IS, Al family Of Aas,ria... There
Is q whole >patien. millions upon millions,
our Chinese Uishhurs, Of whom the better
opinton IS that they have beeu z Ding hacs-
ward inSiviiikaticn ffoin century te century.
Perhaps. they wear sl.e pigtail as an emblem
q what atlrny are all coming to some thous-
anas Of years hence. How, then, can Mr..
Darwin, insist that Il we adnlitFthe near kim
dred ef man to the inferio, animals we must
believe that our progress has been upward,
and that the noble animals are the progeny
Of the infefiors Is not the contrary more
prohabls:. Is il not more. likely that the
more easy road downward has been taken,
that the'iower ANIMALS are derived from some
degenerate branch Of the human race, and
that Il we do not labor 10 keep the rank We
hold, our rnce maybe fritted away into the
meaner Tubes of animals, and finally into
animalcule? Then may Tweets become the
proeenitors Of those skniking thieves OF the
western wilds, the prairie wolves, Or may
swim stagnant pools in the shape of:iiorse-
leeehes; or astuts lawyers may be repre-
ssnted By foxes o. great architects. by col
onies Of bsavers; or poets. by clouds Of mos
auitoes, fauishsd and musical; or doctors of
div1aity-I ssy It with all reapect for the
cloth Aby swsfns Of the mapsis, or praying
insect. alHsvs ia tbe attitude Of devotion.
I'm hold 70 Dsrvia.a tbeory--asl DO not
/. -xa. as.s q Y.s't Z {, .,'sr st,-as