Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-06-06
}Mistellaueuns &eadiug.
THE EVOLUTION CONTROVERSY.

session at Baltimore, was on appeal from
the action of the Synod OF Georgia will
reference to the Doctors position on eyo
luton. DIR. Woodrow, it will be remem
bered, for twenty years or more held the
| Perkins Chair in the Columbia, S. C..
! Theological Seminary, where he taught
natural science In connection with re-
| vealed religion" The Columbia Semina
nv is under the care of trustees from the
synods of South Carolina, and from Ala
bama, South Georgia and Florida. It be-
came noised abroad that DR.. Woodrow
held certain views about evolution moi
consistent with the position of the church
upon this question, though is claimed
he did not teach them to his students, and
the Synods interested acted on the matter
majority of them requesting the trustees
in 1886 to ask DIR. Woodrow to resign, and
if he refused, to adeelaFa the: chair vacant
DR.. Woodrow gave the trustees an elabor'
ate exposition of his views. He took the
ground, in brief, that the body of man
descendedfrom some animal, and that at
certain point his maker met it and breath.
ed into it spirit. He contends at the same
time that he believes in every part OF the
inspired Scripture, he is strict as to inspi'
ration and heresy, is follower of Calvin
and adheres firmly to the standards OF the
Presbyterian church. The trustees dld
their duty as considerably as possible and
DR.. Woodrow left the seminary. While
he taught there, however, he held also q
position in the South Carolina Unlversl:
ty, an institution in no. way, connected
with the theological school, and he teaches
science there now.
In the discussion before the General AS
sembly the most important arguments on
either side were made by DR.. Woodrow in
his own defence, and by Rev. DR.. Adams,
of Augusta, Ca, the prosecutor. From
the report of DR.. Woodrow's defence we
quote:
For some time after DR.. Woodrow began
to speak he was interrupted by technical
objections regarding the record of the case.
He then took up the record and explained
his views of the phenomenon of science
as not inconsistent with the Bible. He
had no right to say that the Scriptures
are contradicted by evolution. He insist
ed that the control of God is paramount,
and to which all must submit, but beyond
that they should submit to no control.
He had been charged with subordinating
the scriptures to science. That was not
true. He had never written or spoken
word which could bear any such con-
struction. He never had taught word
that would throw doubt upon the head OF
Adam without regard to the manner in
which or of which God formed his body.
He quoted from his writings regarding
the elevation of niger from lower animal
life. He had never said a word about
apes and monkeys as had so often been as
serted. He believed Adam to be a mirac-
ulous creation. He held all his beliefs to
the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and
to nothing else. So he holds his opinion
as to the formation of Adams body. Upon
any subject of which the Scriptures are
silent he accepts natural history as his
guide, but only on such subjects. AS q
church court the General Assembly had
nothing to do with his view outside the
teachings of the Bible. All it has to do is
to discover if his teachings conflict with
the case must end. The laws of gravita-
ton inform US that iron in water will
sink, and yet the Bible said in one place
that "iron did swim." That instance did
not make the law of gravitation incon-
sistent with the Scripture. He then quot
ed Scripture as to the formation of the sun,
moon and stars, and of the four corners
of the earth. Did any one suppose the
earth to be rectangular formation? 1t
had been taught that the sun and moon
move around the! earth, but science had
done away with that idea and it was no
longer thought of. AS to man, they were
told that "out of the ground God formed
every living thing;" and further on it
says Adam shall return to dust whence he
came. The Serpent was condemned to
eat dust. Was that organic dust? Ger
tainly it was inorganic matter. Was any
man prepared to say that his (Dr. Wood
row's) views are antagonistic to the Bible ?
He did not think there could be. He
quoted from Paddington, Brown and 9TH
ers as to their views of the dust of which
man was formed, meaning dust from
which through steps from one stage to
another, man came to have dominion over
all other living crea cures. He said he did
not believe that he would be condemned
for rejecting ideas which were held two
hundred years ago, and which had no
foundation in fact. 1t was once believed
that lunacy was controlled by the moon.
Must we believe it now because it was
believed then? The Assembly of West
minister taught that the sun moves. 1t
would be unreasonable to expect that he
taught it. It made no difference whether
the formation of Adams body was me-
diate or immediate. He was made q
living soul, and God made the covenant
with him. The Presbytery of Augusta
could not find conviction against the
speakers belief, for he had not antagon-
lied the Bible. He had not taught that
God had performed His works supernatu-
rally. That will have to be determined
by each Individual mind. He believed
that God formed man out of the dust of the
ground, and yet he was charged with
teaching contrary to the Bible and the
standards because he went beyond and
believed beyond whatw not contained in
them or upon which they are silent. 10
sustain the Synod of Georgia would be to
condemn all who believe there may be
some truth in evolution. 1t was fact
that the church had never failed in de-
Gliding on science to decide wrong.
At the conclusion of DIR. WoodroW's adj
dress, DIR. Adams began his argument on
the part of the Synod Of Georgia. He
said it mattered little what his motives
were in prosecuting this case before the
Presbytery of Augusta, as was spoken of
by DR.. Woodrow yesterday. They had
met face to face in the courts of the church
and never had DR.. Woodrow impugned
the motives which prompted his prosecu-
ton. The speaker was Of the committee
to whom had been referred the complaint
of heresy against DR.. Woodrow. In the
committee, in presbytery, and in the syn
cd he had favored letting DR.. Woodrow
alone to pursue his investigations and
then to say how he believed Adams body
evolved. At that time he knew little of
him, but supposed him to be a scientific
man who worked out his own ideas and
proclaimed his results. Now he didn't
believe there was an idea in his address
that was not obtained from some one else.
The Synod of Georgia ordered the Presby-
tery of Augusta to try him or acquit him