West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-01-22
EVOLUTION.
Mr.. NSs decides to jerk the Rising Gen.
Grafton Into the Dazzling Indulgence OF
Icrmcnting Braius.


lermcnting brains.
The following paper was read 10y me
in clear resonant tone of voice, before
thc Academy of Scicscc and Pugihsm
at Erin Prairie last month and a,
have been 80 continually and SO earn
csll imporlmcd To print it that lifo
was no longer desirable, submit it to
YOU for that purpose, hoping that YOU
will print my name in large caps, with
a~ionishcrs at the end of the article.
and also in good display type at the
close
SOME FEATURES or EVOLUTION.
No one could possibly, in brci
paper do the subject of evolution full
Justice. 1t is u matter of great impor.
tancc TO our lost and undonc race IL
lies near to every human heart, and cN-
crciScs wonderful influence over our
impulses and our ultimate success or
failure. Whom we pause 10 consider
the opaque and tathomlcss Ignorance
oi the great masses of bur fcllow.man
ON the subject of evolution, il is not
surprising that crime is rather ON the
increase, and that thousands of urrnCc
are annually hllmg drmkards' graves,
with no other visible means of Support.
while mulutudcs of enlightened human
beings arc at the same time earning
II livelihood Ivy meeting with fclons'
dOOms
These | would ask i'm all seriousness
and I'm tone of voice that would melt
the stoniest heart: "Whv i'm creation
do YOU do it?' The time is RAPIDLY
approaching when there will b. two or
three felons for each doom | am sure
that within the next fifty years, and
perhaps sooner even than that, instead
of handing ont these doomS to Tom.
Dick and Harry as formerly, every ap-
plicant for a fclou's doom will have TO
pass through "a competitive examina-
tion, as he should do
IL will be the same with those who
desire To fiji drmkard,' graves. The
time is almost here when all positions
ol profit and of trust viii bo carefully
aud iudiciously handed out. and those
who do not fit themselves for those no
SitlOnS will be left i'm the lurch. what
ever that may be-.
II is with this fact glarmg me in the
lace that have consented 10 appear
before You to-day and lay bare the
whole hypothesis, history. rise and fall.
notifications, anatomy, physiology and
geology Of evolution. IL is for this that
! have poured over such works as those
of Huxley, Herbert Spcnscr. Moses in
the Bulrushes, AnaXugoraS. Lucrctius
and Hoylc. II is for the purpose Of
advancing the cause of common hu.
manity and to jerk the rising genera
ton out of barbarism into the dazzling
ctulgcnCc of clashing intcllccts and
fcrmcnting brains that have sought
the works of PythagOras, Democritus
and Eplurebus. Wherever / could
find any book that bore upon the sub
lcct Of evolution, and could borrow H.,
have done so while other, slept.
That j. matter which rarely enter,
into the minds of those who 90 easily
and carclessly through life. Even the
General Superintendent OF the Academy
OF Science and Pugiiism here i'm Erin
Prairie does not stop To think of the
midnight and other kind Of oil that |
have consumed in order 10 fill myself
full Of information and 10 soak NV
porous mind with thought Even the
. Reilly College Of this place, with its
strong mental faculty, has not Informed
itself fully relative TO the great effort
necessary before lecturer may speak
clearly, accurately and cNhaustingiy OF
evolution
And yet here in lhi. place, where cdu.
cation Us rampant, and the idea is
pattcd on the back, a. / may say. here
IN Erin Prairie, where progress and
some other sentiments are written ON
everything here, where am ADDRESSING
you tonight for two dollars and feed
1 II. a ssI
bright and cheerful smile. who did not
know that evolution consisted in a
progress from the homogeneous to the
heterogeneous
So you see that YOU never know
where ignorance turks. The hydra
headed upns tree and bette nOire Of self
acting progress. Is such ignorance as
that. lurking in the very shadow Of
magnificent educational institution,
aud hard words Of great cast Moth.
ing can be- more disagrecabc to the
scientist than the bette noirc. NOthinp
gives him greater satisfaction than 60
chase 10 up tree or mash il between
two shingles.
FOr Obi, reason, as I said, it gives me
great pleasure 90 address YOU ON the
subject Ol evolution, and 60 20 into de
tall- boo psaking OF it / could 20 ON
for hours as / have been doing. de
lighting Nou with the iutricacics and
poculiarues 81 evolution, but ] must
de-ist 10 would please mo to do SO.
and you would no doubt remain pa
ticutiy and listen, but your business
might -udcr while you are away, and
so VIII close, bat hope that amy ono
now within the sound Of my voice. and
~ whose breast "a sudden hunger for
more light on this great subject may
have sprung up viii feel perfectly free
20 cali ON mo and ak me about it or
lmmer.c himself boo theuumcrOus tome,
that ] have collected from friends. and
which relate to this matter
lu closing ] wish 10 say that I have
made no statements i'm this paper rcla-
tive 70 evolution which / am not pre-
pared tO prove; aud, " anything. I
have been over conservative Tor that
reason ! say now, that the person who
doubt single fact as ! have given 10
tonight, bearing upon The great sub-
icci Oi evolution viii have 90 do So
over my dumb remains
And man who will do that b. mo-
gentleman ] presume chat many OF
these statements will bee snapped up
and sharply criticised bv other lhco-
lOg.au and many 0f our foremost
thinkers, bui they win do well to paus.
before they draw me into controversy.
for / have other facts iu relation tO