The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-11-20
The DARWINIAN Theory.

THE DARwlNIAN THEORY.
It Calls for : Faith Based on Far Weaker.
Evidence Than the Faith Required BY
the scriptures-The Credulity Of the In
credulOus.
The current type OF infidelity is ag-
Mysticism. The agnostic' processes UNI
certainty about every thing that can
not be definitely proved. He re-
proaches the Christian for his credu-
lous acceptance of mythical tales and
unhistoric writings. He is the man
that sticks to facts, that refuses TO be
led by the Imagination or the feelings,
but accepts the guidance OF reason
alone. These be brave words, loud
professions, but will they bear exami-
nationP 81 &
They will not as a, single instance,
will show. There is probably not an
agnostic who is not firm and even an
enthusiastic believer in the theory Of
evolution. and especially in the OAR
winian theory of the descent of man
from the anthropoid apes. Now
this is theory regarding the ORR
gin Of the universe, and of man in
particular, Of which the most that
is or can be claimed for it. by its So
Der advocates, is that it is probably
true. It is not proved. In the present
state of knowledge it can not be proved,
il. indeed, it ever can be. Its accept
ance is, therefore, an act Of faith. pure
and simple--faith founded on evidence,
to be sure, but overlapping that evil
dence long way in order to reach the
conclusion. The agnostic who believes
in Darwinism is estopped from reproach-
ing the so-called ''credulity" OF others,
that is, the acceptance OF what can
not be positively proved to be true. but
is yet regarded as sufficiently probable
to be accepted without full proof, in
the hope that decisive evidence may be
found in the future. This is exactly the
basis Of the Christians faith; only that
in his case the probability is so strong
as to be moral certainty. while in the
Darwinist's the probability is very
weak, If 1t may be said to exist at all.
On how slight basis OF evidence the
Darwinian POUNDS his faith may be ap-
preciated when we consider the testi-
mony of so great man of science as
Prot Virchow. the German biologist.
He has no superior in his specially. and
that specially has led him carefully to
examine the evidence in regard to the
origin of man. His declaration, made
anew in a recent address before an
anthropological congress in Vienna, is
that science has as yet no trustworthy
word to speak on the subject. All that
science can safely affirm is that in the
course of 5000 years no change in the
human type, worthy of mention. has
taken place. Every living race is dis
tinctly human, as distinguished from
simian or semi-simian. Prof. Virchow
has made a comparative examination Of
nearly every skull OF prehistoric
man yet discovered. 1.-The result has
BEEN. T" he says, 'that we have certainly
met with opposite characteristics
among various races; but OF all these
there is not one that lies outside the
boundaries of our present population. "
In other words. among men still living,
and admitted by all to be distinctly
human, there are found skulls cores
ponding to the types of every prehis-
toric skull yet discovered. 1t follows
that these skulls prove nothing regard
ing the descent of man that is not
proved by living man-which is exactly
nothing at all. The intermediate stages
between the lowest man and the high
est ape are still to be found before the
two can be connected with any show Of
probability.
Surely the faith that can bridge this
gap--that can even treat the gap as
non-existent-is as robust as any that
is required by the Scriptures. For the
Bible does not require faith without
evidence, still less faith against all the
evidence that we have; but faith based
on evidence sufficient in kind and in de-
gree to convince any man who is not
invincible in his refusal to believe. No,
it is not the agnostic who can consist
emily accuse the Christian of credulity.
Let him first cast out the beam from
his own eye before he attends to the
mote in his brothers. eye. Let him
cease to strain out the gnat while he
swallows the camel.-N. Y. Examiner.
He who lives and acts just as he