New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-07
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
MR.. BEECHER AT THE COOPER INSTITUTE.
LECTURE IN THE REGULAR ANNUAL FREE COURSE
OF THE UNION.

| ton" Long before the hour for the beginning or
the discourse-S oolock-the hall was comfortably
filed At 1926 although the room was by no
means crowded as IL is frequently permitted TO
be at political meetings the police declared tho hall
| full closed the doors and refused to admit any
more people, large number stood outside Till after
$50 and then went away in despair Mr.
Beecher treated the subject Of evolution In much
the same way as he has done before, and was
listened to with great attention by the large audi
He spoke for one hour without referring to any
notes. He was frequently interrupted by laughter
| and applause.
| THE LECTURE.
| The subject that l am to speak on tonight
| Ia Evolution. There Is often, and often Justly,
prejudice against o attempting TO lecture upon
science who has not devoted his whole strength to It,
and scientific very apt to regard them with the
species OF benevolent contempt with which moral
teachers regard scientific when they undertake to
draw moral differences from scientific facts Men whose
business propagate moral ideas have one stand
point men whose business 1t Is to find out simple
scientific facts have another and II were tonight to
/ discuss different standpOints OF fact L should
feel myself amonabe to criticism propose nothing OF
1 this kind.
great change has taken place within the last thirty
years. greater change probably than took place
In any former period Orwell may say 500 consecutive
years II has been quite revolution but IL has be-
general and effects tho underlying thought
feeling of the community, that think one should
| give II more than a passing attention. Andes
peoiay as am In profound sympathy with the general
| tendencies OF scientific investigation and as 1t
| 10 my business professionally to deduce
from all truth application that shall better human
life sweeten human dispositions encourage men tOido
good and 90 DO what right, hope may pass I'M
the criticism undertake to show that the revo
utonary tendencies OF the doctrine OF Evolution are
more in seeming in fact and. though extremely
radical radical In the right direction and are OF the
right kind AThe doctrine of Evolution has itself gone
through evolution. II was limited at long
ago, but dlsappeared and up again
and again, each time occupying more space and
oddcinR moro and probabilities, until at last. In
one day. II has assumed form denite with roots 40
deep, that It surely has come to stay WHAT'S EVou-
ton As eoutradistngushed from the old notion Of
creation BY instantaneous obedience OF matter 10 the
Divine command Is the teaching OF the Divine method
creation gradual and tbs result OF steadily
ing natural laws through long periods OF time-perods
20 long that not the Imagination can stretch
10 borderland OF their faron horizon We have been
brought largely 10 found our notions or creation upon
the poetic expressions OF Sacred Scripture. Tho COM
mand God said Lot there be Hight, and there was
light is sublime poetry We all felt rs II God came to
the fore front on the creating and said, Let there
DO light" and Instantly there was light This IL
the almOstuniyersally prevalent impression. But
10 has now been sufficiently demon |
strated az think 10 enter easily into the belief OF men,
that the Divine method of creation utterly differ
en from this; that 10 creation beginning with the
very smallest eements-elements incOnceivaOly small
and then gradually. through the force Of dviney or
ia ned natural laws unfolding little By litte the whole
teri aqueous globe This in short Is the theory OF Eyo
luton.
Now. whom this ia propounded. regards the iorma
ton OF the globe ITSELF the Astronomers tell us that the
world was ether-whatever that is Llaughterl-
and that through process OF cOnden |
It into nebuous condition, and that the
conditions kept changing, but under natural laws
until at last It assumed approximate sodity. az any
rate nudity and that little by little 10 became solid and
rocks were deposited; then upheayals. grndlugs and
various other influences created soil and so instead OF
the world being created By the immediate Cat Of God,
and In instantanoty has been slowly forming through
myrnds and myrlads and myriads Of ages Then
came successiye stages OF existence: the |
inoreanic first; then the owest forms OF vegetable lie
hen slowly. with many ohtaclysns reyoution ana as
astcrs, animate cTisence-cOn'ci0us ire, or ne oci0w
consciousness gradually peglh 20 prevail upon lhe
rarth no, without many Interruption now plnngng
into dust aud now appearing again ana lte oy nltio
growing stronger ana stronger, tho Wholo tcndihS 10
adaptation to climate, and 10 the thousand and one
other SPIRAL n. from tho Simple to tn% Complex
from lower TO higher organizations from poorer -
dom which IL called the manfuAia-the ve.tcbrate5-
aud nuay reach lac point man
MAN SUr DESCENDED FROM THE APE.
Upto this point while there many Emergencies
there Is absolutely difference Of opinion the
rra application OF this doctrine 20 the formation OF tho
globe, Of the vegetable kingdom. and OF the
animal kingdom-uutl you come up to man
when 10 that point, my own strong impression
Is that were II not for lusory. supposed, moral ndu
cnces-were # FOR the lear which good men entertain
~ the eject OF such doctrine suppose that the whole
human family would be swept, without exception. into
he same general category ami II would Thought that
himself has been uufodcd from the lower forms IN
TO the human form, aud with human in-
telllgence II this thought In regard To man
that he creature proceeding from and being The
embodiment Of the inferior animal crraton-werc To sep
arae man from the idea Oi me DIVINE creative Io1coH
would indeed throw shadow upon oar mlnds The
very idea mat man-who u nc has NO Other quality
proud enough ~ himself ana VAN enough
OF himself laughterl should have desoended
frpuenant 10 every mans leuuhKa ~ IA 'nHIeore, |
great comfort o. me 60 assure you that you "ore not
Renewed laughierI The prevalent teaching OF scicn-
fc Il at certain period there came point
STOOD. aud burcaton was developed, tue apo aud al
tribe going OF 10 the Left, and the man TO the right
the unfolding OF man continuing but antcdatng tue ape
lOu Ray therefore put aside any lear OF descent
trails OF that Kind In the human being. you mny
assured tha obey do not come from the ape but farther
back. lIhughter.l
on three points scientific disagreement.
For there three clnsses OF evOuOnsts when you
Isle. Of ich class Mr. ISccEe Of GERMANY Is very
able cxponenti the agnostc 10 which class most of the
eminent English physoHLs bel0ng ana the thelsiic or
Christian cyOntioniHs There Is difference among
what those Influences Whlcu determined
tho variations and that dlscu slOn, though tuding
a closure, Is yet entirely settled. But there Is
.il more important dihocncc-nanely, when we como
Was he, without any other intorierence-witn-
any divine thought, or will eIerosed-unfOldod from
animal kin gdOm, simply by the natural process un-
natural law, lOther things have been nnfOded
Here tue Cnristian philosopher takos his stand.
and says that there snperadded certain -
Influences that conduoed to tho formation OF the
human mind -
THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION SPREADING. [
The doctrine OF evolution being the underlying phi o
osophy OF to-day, 1t is the philosophy by which ninety
per cent OF the scientific investigators OF our time
ire working. 1t Is gradually spreading TO all depart
nents Of effort Its nomenclature and its thought are