Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1882-01-28
EVOLUTION.

The d0ctflne OF evOiutiou u goinih6
converts so rapidly among reading,
thinking and intelligent men that prob
ably not many years will pass before IL
will be classed with the fashionable doc
triucs OF the times. For a doctrine that
thirty years pso was believed in by o,lya
few scientific men, and fifteen years ago
vas ridiculed to such an extent by the
orthodox that timid persons hardly dared
read the works Of its advocates and sI-
popsnts, its hold upon the minds Of
thinking persons today il remarkable.
II, as claimed by jealous disciples Of
the many religions Of the world. the
rapid spread Of religions among the
people is evidence Of their divinity.
then. judging the doctrine Of evolution
by the same token. il also Is divine. for
its rapid spread among intelligent people
during the last twelve years has been
wonderful.
1t should be borne in mind that svolu-
ton and m~aterialism are not n and the
same thing. While many believers in
evolution are materialists. the orthodox
church has in ito membership thoussnds
Of believers in and strong supporters Of
evolution. Mr.. Darwin quotes the words
Of q celebrated English divine who had
cleaned to see that 10 is just as noble q
conception Of tho Deity to believe He
created q few original forms. capable OF
self.dsvelopmsnt int other and nsedfui
forms, rs to believe that o fresh act OF
creation VA required to supply the voids
caused by the action OF His laws"
Evolution does not teach that man Is
necessarily q higher development OF the
monkey. But even II it did. and 1t were
90, the fact would be no worse. as has
been often said. than to have been made
Of mud. rs taught by another doctrine.
Evolution teaches Q common origin oil
nil organized life, and that its lower
forms, as well as man. came into exist
eucs when the surrounding conditions Of
nature were favorable for their birth;
and that by natural selection and the
survival Of the 6ttest. through vast ages
OF time, these forms have developed into
higher and higher succeeding forms I'M
Ill they have reached what they ara to-
day. The doctrine Of evolution also in.
cludes the dogma that language. civiliza.
ton. our system Of laws and OF art. are
oil the results Of adaptation and pro.
gress, or evolution.
Professor Huxley. in his course OF
lectures delivered in Chickeripg Hall.
New York. five years ago, on "Tbe
Dirsc. Evidences OF Evolution" demon
strated the truth Of his theory by the in
PRODUCTION OF diagrams Of the feet OF TIT
fossil horse found In Dakota by Fro
lessor Marsh. "a Yale College. The fee
Al thu fossil horse found in the Older
carnations there had i've toes. In later
.-.,.;s-. four toes, and so on to the
horse OF three and two toes found In
still later formations. These evidences
Of adaptation OF the horse to its necessi.
ties and environments. gradually coming
down to the one.toed horse Of today,
Professor Huxley considered conclusive
proof Of tho truth Of the evolution
theory.
Surely this doctrine OF itself ought no,
to DO Questionable to reasonable men.
1t indicates that a. man has gradually
progressed from q lower plane to his
present one. he may BY the operations
OF the same laws progress TO q far higher
plano than that which he now occupies.
And we're Il not that this doctrine is not
taught In our sacred books. and was at
nrst opposed BY r%elisionis,s because
afraid II might overthrow long sstab-
lishsd religious beliefs. ii would have
been accepted ere this As universally as
10 the Copsrnicau theory Of our planet
AIRY system.