St. Landry democrat., 1878-02-02
The Origin Of Races.

Inc origin Oh Aaccss
The Syracuse, n. Y. Journal has a re-
port of an interesting lecture recently
delivered in that city, by DR.. Winchelj,
professor OF zoology and historical and
dynamical geology in Vanderbilt univer-
sity, in which the commonly received
view of the unity of the human race is
pronounced untenable. Admitting that
Adam was the progenitor of the white
and dusky races, he believes that the
chronological, archaeological and anthro-
logical evidences are conclusive, that he
does not occupy that relation to the ne sro.
"Should you AFFIRM" says DR.. Winchell,
" that the negro is degenerated from the
white mans Adam, every fact of nature
shakes it's head in denial. The black man
is too numerous. The affirmation would
establish law of retrogression. ProgreE-
sion is the law. The black man on the
healthful and fertile plateaux Of central
Africa is not oppressed by miasm, nor
starvation, nor cruel neighbors. He is
free to roam where he will, like the Dig
ger Indian of North America, or the
drinching Botecudo Of Brazil. No, these
savages exist in normal condition they
are coming up instead of going down.
Their Adam was further from our Adam
than they are. Their long thigh bones,
and lean shanks, and projecting jaws are
inheritance of q lower rather than a
higher ancestry.
Do you say these veins are calculated
to disorganize belief? | am glad of it.
Some beliefs need to be disorganized.
Built like rude log cabins in primeval
period they ought to be taken down SIS
soon as we are able to build better ones.
For the old shanties of opinion which
have been a refuge for the past, have
sentimental regard but I am not will
ing to skulk beneath them when | see
The stars through all the roof, and find
the siIls eaten up by the rats.
It was many thousand years ago that
the first human being appeared which
could be called a man. Whether de-
scended from a being unworthy to be
called a man, is a collateral question
which rests on other foundations. That
first of all man did not make his advent
in Asia, nor in Europe, nor in America.
He either appeared in Africa or On a con-
tinental land which stretched from Mad
asascar to the East Indies; and which
has since became reduced to few relics
of itself. His skin was probably black
and we'll clothed with hair. He had
implanted within him the divine spark
of intelligence. He listened to the voice
of conscience and felt the claims OF duty
If not indigenous in Africa, his descend
ants took possession of the continent
They spread over Australia and BeEnee
and the lesser islands Of the sea. In the
course of thousands of years they
| disseminated themselves over consider
able portions of Asia. The time arrived
at length When, under the law of pro
gressive improvement, a grade had beer
reached nearly on level with that o.
civilized man. Now appeared the foun'
der of the Adamic family. His home
was in central Asia. Seth and Cair
! were either his sons or nations descended
from hissons. The Sethites and Cainite
and the other descendants of the som
and daughters of ADAM as they spreae
themselves eastward, displaced, and a
last exterminated, the pre-Adamites o
ASIA
After tracing the spread of the nation
according to his Interpretation of tn
teachings of modern science, Dl
Winchell concluded as follows:
"This scheme of prehistoric time weas
in all the facts of history and science
If it traverses old opinions, we nee
not mourn. New truths are better tina
old errors. Fact is worth more tha
opinion. Certainty is more desirabl
than confidence. Progressive knowledg
implies much unlearning. The loss Of
belief, like the death of friend, seems
bereavement; but false belief is onl
an enemy in friends cloak. 1t is onl
truth which is divine, and if W
embrace an error we shall NJ
find it ratified in the oracle
Of divine truth. We who hold to Il
valid inspiration Of the sacred recor
NAV feel assured that nothing will
found affirmed therein which collid
,, with the final verdict of intelligenc
/ Nor has the color of the first man al
concern with simple religious faith.
YOUR creed embodies dogma respectil
4 the unity of man, or the epoch of /
t first appearance on the eartn, that mi
Q he exscinded as an exerescence.
: Those are subjects to be settled
$ scientific investigation. Ecclesiastie
|, faith has had sorry experience in t
9 attempt to sanctify popular opinion.
d faith that has had to surrender the g
J, centric theory and the denial of atipoe
y and the high geological antiquity OF {