The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-11-14
Tho Theory or Evolution.

II Henry Ward Beecher Is not'very care.
full there will presently be no limb left Tor
him to sit on, at tho rate he has been saw.
ing md chopping all round II Of late. At
the dinner 10 Herbert Spencer In New
York last week, he evolutcd OH the sub.
ject Of evolution rs follows. - rs.
'Ile said he had read Spencer for go
years and that the doctrine OF evolution
would revo!ntionize theology In the next
20 years. Whether there Is established II
direct continuity OF descent between the
lover forms Of life and man, 1t is clearly
established that man hasrisen from n state
Of .hutishness, but q lille above the AMI
lilal. The Idea TINT man was created per.
feet in Adam and fell, and that God has
been trying for 5000 years to punish
Adams posterity for that fall-'wlw,' said
Mr.. l,eeChcr, with much cmplasiE 1t has
got to go.,, The idea that there WIS one
faulty, chosen for Gods special people,
and that hc had MI especial caro- over
them, Is inconsistent itself with the breaks
Of hundreds OF years ut different times In
WHICH that people went into slavery or
captivity and idolatry. 1t Is far grander
doctrine that Cod, under ihe plan apd
method of evolution, Us laid bare bv Mr.
Spencer, is bringing the whole human
family slowly but surely upward, cnnobling
tho spiritual man and bringing under con.
lrol tho physical. Paul tolls the story Of
sin in the 7il Of Romans. Tho Bible il.
sell is II proof Of evolution in religion and
morals. The patriarchs OF tho Old Testu.
ment would not to-day be allowed In good
society. The Old Testament did not even
breach the immortality OF The soul. rrof.
lark and the Andoycr thcolosians will not
let II MN preach unle4s he believes ull the
impcnitcnt will 20 10 everlasting torment,
when for thousands Of yeaBafter Moses men
had not learned there was future life NJ MI.
We do not see In tue remarks made nj the
meeting but what Mr. Heccher was in full
accord with the scientists there assembled
Such men, for instance, as Spencer him.
self, and Prot. Sumner, Of N'alet and rrof.
fiskc, OF llarvard-and while this was Il
very respectable company, from II scien.
lists stand point, It looks somewhat odd TO
hear man who lately formulated con-
iesslon OF iaitl. acceptable to the Conerega-
tianalists, expressing himself 10 much at
one with these generally esteemed hcretcs
in mattels considered fundamental BY
Copgrcsatiorallsts. We do not SEQ that
even the somewhat radical remarks OF
Prof. 0. G. Marsh, one Of the great lights
present, could be esteemed rs much more
OIL color theologcally than those OF Mr..
ieechcr, when he (Marshj made the fol.
lowing observation:
<As to the origin Of species, once thought
to hc'thc key 10 tho position, no working
naturalist OF today who sees the great
problems Of life opening one after another
before him will waste time in discussing /,
question already solved. This question, SO
long regarded as beyond solution, has been
worked out by that creates. oil na,nfalis.s,
whose genius all intelligent men now rec.
osnize, and whose recent loss tho whole
civilized world derloras. Not only do we
know to-day that species are not perma.
nent, but every phase Of life bears witness
to the same general law OF change Cen
era, families and the higher groups OF ami.
mails and plants arc now regarded merely as
convenient terms to mnrk progress, which
may be altered by any new discovery.
All existing life on tho earth is now BE-
LEVIED to lie connected directly with
that Of the distant past, and one
problem today is to trsed out the lines OF
descent. What the law Of gravi,ation is to
astronomy, the law OF evolution is now 10
natural science. Evolution is no longer n
theory, but Il demonstrated truth, accepted
by naturalists throughout the verdi. The
most encouraging ieaturein natural science,
indeed, III al science, to-day isrtlie spirit
in which the work is carried on. No au.
thority is recognized which iorbids the
investigation OF any question however pro-
found; and, with that confidence which
success justly brings, no question within
the domain Of science is now believed to
be insolublc, not even tue grand problems
now before us-the antiquity ofthe human
race, the origin Of man, or even the origin
Of life itself.