The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-11-18
Letter from Hamden.
Hamden November s, 1915


Editor Jackson Standard
have carefully read the prise essay of Mr. J.
w. Longbon And finding in it SO much that is
different from what consider more correct
view of the origin and relationship of the hu-
man family that propose to call his attention
to few scientific facts and opinions
Mr. Longbon errs like most others who impli-
city believe in the 'established' religious
creeds of the present day in regarding the in
to have been educated as fixed or immutable
And then using that belief whatever it may be
as a standard by which all scientific discoveries
must be judged, Such system of reasoning is
generally considered "Safe" but it may be COM
pared to a ship under sail with her sheet anchor
out 1t is doubtless with religion as it was with
medicine for a 1000 years the opinion of Hippo
crates and Galean wer considerd as "orthodox"
and it was considerd about erroneous to de-
part from their teachings as it has been the ac-
cepted creeds of religion But for the past 500
years the members of the medical profession
have TO aconsiderable extent thought for them
selves and the result has been quite satisfacto-
~. A similar revolution is in progress in or
rather for religion which will hope be similar
in its results. Or to give my idea more perfect
lY religion seems to bear about the same rela-
tionship to science that the democratic party
does 10 the republican. By being always in
opposition always behind and never learning
from past blunders that present opinions may
be wrong
The theologians who reject the teachings of
science are GENERALLY those who know but little
of what they oppose. The writings of Mr. Dar-
win which are perhaps the most popular of the
productions of science on the origin of the hu-
man family are seldom read or even seen by
his critics And Mr. Longbon is evidently no
exception to the rule Let us see what he says.
POSSIBLY it may be claimed that God created
other men besides Adam" Certainty il is. The
doctrine of the plural origin OF the human fam
lily is old "Had the Creator designed that there
should be different and seprate races of men
devoid of consanguinity he would have made
them such and had he made them such they
would have remained such. Had he done this
it is but reasonable to suppose that he would
have informed US of the fact as well as of the
creation of Adam and Eve'' That is good spe-
cimen of religious reasoning it is but an atempt
| to bring the plans of God down TO a level with
human understanding. 1t should always be
rememberd that ellis ways are above our
ways He continues "If this was the case
why should we not be able to find somebody
who entertains such an idea. We find now and
| then man who profess to be unwilling to
believe in the creation of .even one pair-but
nobody who is willing to believein more than
| one such creation So that this theory is found
neither in the bible nor out of it" This is GER
tainly extraordinary statement. And be-
| trays an entire want of information on a SUBJ
ject .on which he presumes to write Had he
ever read q work on the natural history of the
human family he would have known better
Farther on he continues "To say that men
always existed gives no clue to his origin but
denies that he ever had one' Well no body
says so. "If men ever sprung from matter OF
from the lower order of animals why did this
| remarkable process of Growth and production
ever cease If there was ever a a first human
pair brought forth by such process when wa!
it' Evolution is not stopped. Let any one
think of the progress of the human family il
his own life time then think OF its condition
5000 years ago Then try TO think back 1
100000 years longer. Then think what may b.
its condition in equal periods in the future
The time which have mentioned was perhap
sufficient for the progress OF a race similar to tn