New-York tribune., 1876-01-22
EVOLUTION.
A LETTER FROM PROF. TAYLER Lrwrs

were put to me by correspondent OF THg TguSk who
signed himself T." They were pertinent truthful and
respectful, having reference the "posr opposition Al
had expressed II, between what is called "D.rwnism"
and Biblical truth There are reasons why could not
answer sooner, which 1T" viii he pleased TO accept
Where" he asks "is this polar oppositionr' have
| studed his question. and several modes OF reply
suggest themselves. Cae / think. he himself has
furnished in his first paragraph "The true view " tho
doctrine OF evolution" lac says is that OF natural pro-
so ia motion. guided and oyerruled By Almighty
Creator" We are TO presume that by aa Almighty Gre
atOr" here IA meant a personal God instead OF al
| mighty force or cause, having no personal win.
and only brought in the logical pakcweaht of
mcncng The style Of Ts inquiry does not peTmt
10 doubt his truihfuness, but he must know how
much evasion there has been In the OF such language
a natural process originated guided. and oyerried by
Almighty Creator" cannot quarrel with who
talks in that way. But is 1t really fair representation
of the Tyndalian or Darwinian evolution The hrst
term only might not be enough to satisfy the theologan.
mere originating cause, II supposed to be personal
might furnish faint show OF tIesm, drawing barely
perceptible line Of distinction between some
OF the English scientists and such frank
atheists as the German Buchner and Haeckel:
but that Is about all that can be conceded An
originating power force, unanowabe mystery. that
barely in motion at time remote rs 90 supsss
all the powers OF the decimal notation and which after
ward does nothing, and never Will do anythng-neyer
in ercIing any way With such notion guiding
and controlling. much less oyerling it, for any purposes
other than the physical or higher than the evolution IT
self; such a view may be hel. and it take to ITSELF
the name OF thesm; but what 10 worth What Its
moral worth, neon; for that is the only real standard
A thing must be weighed by something outside of itself
OF other than itself, and hence tho physical alone can
determine the value of the physical Giving it tho
nlme thea. be IL God. Chemosb. or Dagon of Baal
poor Nature the Great Fetch ask again What
Is it worth-morally worth' lie hears prayer. IIo
has regard ports Even the great totally he has
long dismissed from his hands He has tiod up tho
helm and let il CO. What has he TO do with us. OF We
with hint what have we 10 nope or fear from such a
Godi We may baspheme him with impunty, IL we will.
We may him and die" II an idea, In short. that
wonld make no net. thought or feeling Of any human
being different from what u would be on the svowal
of sheer atheism. What Is It WORTH This 10
the thought should ever have IN mlnd
when disposed TO d. Scuss that trsiing question:
what the kind degree OF theism TO be ascrbod TO
writer's lao Darwin Tyndali and Matthew Ainodf it Is
certainly the Bible thoiSm At is not the Christian
hcsn. II We nave any reverence for that The answer
involves Of practical common sense. with which
science has very little to do There is reluctance TO
part wholly with tie religious idea the religious feel
ing and therefore have the advocates Of nts ex-
remely aeuna'ed thesln talking. sometimes, OF tho
awe OF tho infinite" OF "the unknowablo." or soms
similar shadowy vasnesS. This contents the pure phys
cst -3ut there others. like Matthew Arnold. who
wish to get some slight adumbraton OF tho moral,
aud tho they would give 10 their God Is " the
power somewhere that 10 make for risbieousness
that righteousness being the physical fitness Of things.
whatever that may be- Re Jon is indeed, amost awful
thing it ia nothing at all But take away prayer and
providence. and IL 4. wholly gone We are but physical
parts OF this great uninterrupted never % Dee interrupted,
movement Oar particular eSistcnce-we compelled
this kwar DISQUALIFICATION, for man has 10 per-
sonsl.iy no ego I5 sohemebas como mp like bu'-
bio lrom to great ocean Of darkness then the atoms
part again. and nd yiGuity or what seemed to 10
such. lost tor eyermOre. Tho man Is gone. Even
should they combine again, wholly OF partially In the
mlltes OF time and space, i, would neycrnorc be he
LIT moi T. think me wandering 1t taxes more worls.
sometimes. 10 answer question than 10 ask f. Two
other expressions ne uses SIN s1iii ant and i'm.
porfaut-" guided and overruled." These good
words, used think. in their most honest and obvious
sense but that is certainly not the Darvminn. TLere
may be for difference In regard o the first
term. Tyudan might seek to restrict its meaning to
following Of The original impulse. bo 1t what it may.
~ .ulH - lie skill or instinct of tho first cauSs first
.r, ,helo d, amy irt about Il, every wheel and cog
tio machine has been made, shaped and arranged
thstt VIII always Ie in an uninterrupted s.fIrs ~
physical means ever evolving physical ends THIS might
perhaps De called cuidIIc,. but tS certauy not tho
common or obvious An engineer who sits upon
ti, locomotive all the way Buffalo 10 N-N-York
witaodt touching say part 81 the machinery could
hardly ba said guide H. Tho same may be said of the
switch tender, for whom things have been % arranged
has u0aiteuuon nom him Is required. Whatever IL
4, be- 70 il not guidance. The train 1y, poIHApe come
-i>ely through. or it may be dashed 10 pieces or 10y
some secret turn Of o switch. il ud -olf tar away
on sonc other track bar uothg; has gl.dcd 10 tho
machinery ami the sraoye Of the rails There mi ht have
lcn personal INT ricruca indeed. without leap
any violation OF such machinery. OF Us laws. II the
engineer puts his hand upon 20 The movements indeed
from without from above hut IT rAay bc n perssct
harmony with all The laws OF steam AMI water and wood
tud iron. Nothing g., broken. Thus man may interfere
with nature. guide nature, tuIn her here aud there maze
uer DO NIt hc wants. sometimes by preventing ue very
mischief ,h. might otherwise do Il lo 10 herself AMI yet
without smashing ANY OF her laws. Certainly God can do
a,mu,h and do itas casly, fan' hshpHpose a5oyethe
,phrre Of nature or any higher law" demand such in.
terseonce Now IN tho supposed. tho quiet occu-
pants Of the palace caIl would not know where the nm
seen hand comes in-whethcr 10 open tho valve 10
uirn switch The nexus Of causaton Is altogether id.
den from them. Everything goes smooth there Is
ir; the sequences follow INK tHculscyo, directly
with all before IL would be all natural to them, in
every idncture Of cause and eject Tie most
scientific man board would DO able to dis
cover nothing else It would he nature, nature. law.
law. continued evolution, outrol,ns. all
tho way. But 1t would be very rash IN thcm
to ascrbo their safety wholly to the machinery, to re.
gard it having brought them safely through. with no
THANKS TO any experimenting power that Las been
watching for them aud guarding them with an eye that
never sumbors. a hand that never tros Our cumpah.
may sa every comparison must fsi, morc or less,
give exact parallel 10 every point Of the inchibe
mystery tho deep uusocR" which the keone,t science
is rs impOlent 10 fath0m the most common Obscya
oa: bat think II fair Illustration Of what should be
mrant by the torn guidance T. employs It. Lct him
study Darwnism again. and he viii that there Is
place for IL there.
That other term, ovcrrung" brings the question up
sti moro sqIarey. IT'S pure Saxon etymolog, L. too
clear To admit any eauyOcstion. TO oVcrrule is 10