Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1885-06-27
SATURDAY. JUNE u. 1855.


Beecher's sermon on evolution are
making something of a stir in the relig-
ious world hereaway. Some clergymen
and deacons, commenting on them,
speak of the great pastor as If he were
the original d%iscoverer Of the processes
of natural selection-as if no such men
as Darwin, Huxley, Spencer and Wallace
had eve lived. The sermons are rather
bold for a Brooklyn pulpit u%tterance,
but they are about ten years behind
New England, and quite az far behind
the progressive orthodox pulpits of the
extreme west. Swing of Chicago, Breed
of 81. Pdnl and Stinson of Minneapolis
preached as advanced more
than a decade ago. But he looks upon
himself as a martyr, and says touching
Is IF am to die soon, let me 90 with
the truth upon my lips" AT the desk
of the Sunday Magazine on Monday /
met DIR. Talmage-Beecher' antipathetic
neighbor. He was i'm his usual mood
amiAble and laxative. He was writing
the editorials for the next number, and
as he leaned over the paper, silently
scratching. his massive jaws worked
automatically, AS if he were addressing
his great congregation in the Tabern-
acle.
well" he said, looking up. what is
the latest"
aE,.nlnt;on ~ 7 ,,,raztoI
"The greatest humbng and delusion OF
the nineteenth century" he exclaimed,
smiling as he laid down his pen. ut is
doing heap Of mischief, and there's
nothing in it but degradation
Nothing at all, doctor ?" / asked.
Nothing to speak Of" he went on,
"Of course it is true that we are al
affected more or less by our surround.
ings circumstances have their influence
but the tendency Of such evolution as
there is downward, and not upward
back ward, and not forward. Evolution
aud Christianity are Incompatible"
| inquired Of the doctor who he
thought the first man was.
"The first human beings were perfect
he said. without trying to specify the
very first individual: perfect with per,
feet surroundings. They fell-how far
into STA, which Is an immeasurab.e
distance; and they have been falling
ever since. Instead Of having original
al in the oyster or the pig-faced baboon,
a. evolution teaches, the human race
began, as the Bible teaches, in { species
incr. dibly perfect-fine, healthy, wise
and good-and ii has been falling like
I.ucifer ever since, its condition amelio.
rated only by Christianity. There has
been no elevation except that of which
Christ has been The lever"
"You think the antetiluvians were
physically our superiors" / asked.
"Why certainly" said the doctor.
"Men were eight or ten feet high, like
the sous Of Anak-splendid fellows.
Hardly any of our diseases were known
to them. They lived to be six or seven
hundred years old, occasionally one
lived 10 be eight or nine hundred.
When a child dropped off when only a
couple of hundred, his mother said
Poor boy dying SO young. was al
ways afraid we shonidn't raise him 7
Read the accounts Of the strength Of the
men of those days. Aud all their sur
roundings were more perfect than they
are now. Just look at that horse that
Job describes :"
There is no horse now living that is
the equal to that splendid animal that
Job described. His neck was clothed
with thunder! Now it is clothed with
hay seed!
EDIsoN's LATEST INVENTION.
a new railroad is being built around
Staten island, and several miles of it are
already finished and mounted with roll
ing stock. Upon this section expert
mcnts have been going on during the
past week for the ~verfcation of the
laboratory results in the action of
Edison's railroad signal between moving
trains, and between u train and the flag