Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1884-07-19

THE VIEWS OF REV. DIR. WOODROW OF
SOUTH CAROLINA.

last week, devotes a column to
the evolution views of Rev. James
Woodrow, ID. d., l.. l.. D., pro-
fessor of theology in the Presby-
terrain Theological Seminary, OF
/ Columbia, s. C. There is also a
/ somewhat lengthy article in the
same paper by DR.. Marc, Secre-
tary of the Board Of Directors OF
the Seminary. He says that the
professor made written report
to the Board in 1888, in which he
stated THAT, except in the ease
Of man, the Bible teaches nothing
as to Gods method of creation,
and therefore it is not teaching
any thing contradicting Gods
word to say that he may have
formed the higher beings from
the lower BY successive different
| iations; as several series of facts,
more or less independent of each
other, seem to point out as the
method which He chose" The
July number of the Southern
Presbyterian Reuiew, just publish
ed, contains Dr.. Woodrow's adj
dress on Evolution. In one place
he says, ''there are many good
grounds for believing that evolu-
ton is true in some respects, and
that the reasons urged against it
are of little or no weight The
Central is by no means satisfied
with the address, as the following
plainly indicates" We should
have been glad to have had a
more explicit declaration of the
sense in which DR.. Woodrow ac-
cepts the Mosaic account of crea-
ton, inasmuch as the language
he uses on this point leaves the
impression that he regards it as
littlemore than a Hebrew legend. !"
If the professor believes that
evolution is true in some respects,
how is it that Mr.. Darwin failed
to prove by precedent or by any
evidence whatever that anv par
ticular species Of animals has
ever been evolved by successive
gradations from lower into u
higher, species. When the evol-
utionists boldly asserted that the
human family are descended from
the ape their theory was so com
pletely demolished that they were
obliged to admit that in the chain
of evolution there's amissing link,
and that race Of beings now
extinct, must have existed to
bridge over the immense distance
between man and the monkey.
Biologists tell us that great caves
are packed closely from floor to
roof with the bones Of the Hip
popotamus and the Rhinoceros,
and other caves equally full of
the bones of extinct Oxen, but no
trace of the missing link has ever
been found.
A nobleman in Great Britain,
who is a distinguished geologist
has published well written article
on "Primeval Man." and arrives
at the conclusion that mankind
must have descended from q
single pair. "But all the evidence
of science tends to the conclusion
that each well marked species,
has spread from some one centre
of creation, and presumably from
a single pair" and again on the
variety of the human species;
Gas regards structure, the diff
ference between different varieties
of man are comparatively trifling,
and it may safely be affirmed
that all the efforts of anatomists
and Psychologists who have been
most determined to magnify every
point of variation, have utterly
failed to render it impossible or
improbable that all men have had
q common ancestor"
When Doctor Woodrow enters
the religious domain he will find
insuperable obstacles at every
point. But let us suppose that
he has bridged the impossible
chasm, and brought forward his
evolved anthropoidal ape, with
an enlarged brain and superior
instincts bordering on human in
telligence. We admit that this
would be a great improvement on
his former condition which he