, 1877-08-04
Communicated.
The Darwin Theory.
New TACOMA, July rs, 1877,

the medium Of your paper to puhliclycx
press my admiration Or the hnldncss and
ability with which Mr.. Tnhe assailcd the
Dnrwinian theory Of "spc"i's' develop.
ment" in his discourse NJ Fte's Hall on
last Sabbath morning. This Darwinian
theory is nutIing more than greenhouse
!, "ut-growth of the sn.calcd science of
$ ,eology. During period ot two thou
Sanu years it was an axiom Of physical
science that the rapdity nj descent with
falling bodies was in proportion to their
weight Fnr all that time 1t was part
and parcel of the teaching Of the most
learned philosophers, simply because
while Aristotle lived he had taught it,
But Calico proved that the rapidity Of
descent with falling bodies was in pro-
portion to the height from which they
fell, by simultaneously dropping bodies
OF unequal weight from the top Of the
leaning tower Of Pisa. Subsequently
aided by the invention of the telescope,
he disproved as palpably the Aristotle,
inn theory of the motions If the earth
ana sun in consequence of which, dur
ing the remainder of MS life, he suffered
from the merciless persecution of the
scientific world. In this day, though,
the prestige Of great names cannot long
sustain great tnllacics. The theory OF
"spccics' development" ST. popular now,
is destined quickly to perish along with
its congenlal parent, geology as now
caught, is to the student, Ms it would be
to the mariner, II the United coast sur
veys were continually working from in
correct base lines. In that case, although
conducting their work in other respects
with the greatest attainablc skill with the
best instruments that can he made. their
charts, instead or aiding the mariner,
would mIslead him to his damage or
utter destruction.
, JUSTIN CHENowETH.
SNoHOMIsH Co., July 2Sth, 1877.
EDITOR STAR: Please give place to
the enclosed and the following comments
thereon and oblige your old friend aud
well wisher.
The above, from the Herald deserves
to be noticed. Says the contributor,
''This Darwainlan theory is nothing
more than green. house Outgrowth OF
the SO called science of geology" In
This the writer IN isapprehends the facts.
The doctrine OF evolution and develop
ment tue ory is the result of Anatomical
and Physiological research, aided by
Chemistry and Geology and confirmed
by actual experiment and observation,
and is the 0utgrOwth of no particular
science, but rather the conclusion, that u
vast combination of the well known laws,
principles and facts pertaining to all
ths sciences inevitably point.
AS to the philosophy OF Aristotle,
students are aware that his error in re-
gard to the velocity OF falling bodies
was disputed point long before Galileo's
time, and that the latter simply demon
strated by experiment what was actually
believed by at least half the then scien-
tiiC word. The assertion that GallleO's
astronomical discoveries we're rejected by
students of science, and that he, "suf-
fered from the merciess persecution of
the scientific w0rld,' Tor the balance of
his life will be rare news indeed to the
student OF science or history or the read.
ers Of the lile and writings OF that cele.
brated scientist.
How any one could venture to make
such statement 80 lar from truth, and
give it TO the press, can be accounted
lor, apparently, IN no other way than by
supposing the readers OF the Herald
We're as Ignorant OF the facts OF Gaileo's
history and OF the facts OF modern science
AS the writer has shown himself to be,
upon this subject, ut least. The literary
and scientific press OF this country and
Europe, particularly that of Vienna,
Berlin and Paris, within the last eign-
teen months, has contained literal trans
lations Of the many charges preferred
against Calico, at different times, by