, 1889-03-21
Interesting Lecture by Rev. w.
s. Turner.
The Subject Discussed in d
Scholarly Manner.
Tho Theories OF Darwin, Huxley, Hack.
si and other Scientists Met and
Answered.

by Rev. W. 8. Turner.
have been requested by number O
gentlemen Of this city to give few lee
tures on evolution in view of the interes
recently awakened on this subject. pro
pose TO discuss in general way the much
lauded theory of modern evolution ant
show it's utter fallaciousness ss tau .ht b,
its leading authors.
Az the subject is somewhat abstruse and
burdened with a peculiar nomenclature,
have concluded for the sake OF as much
brevity and clearness as possible to com.
init my lectures to paper, which ] know
will IN some measure lessen their interest
also do so that may not be falsely re.
ported. Your indulgence and candid
hearing are crayed. As preliminary to
this discussion, it may be pertinent to call
attention 10 the distinPu uisbed authors who
have originated the idea and are
of this age. Chas. Darwin may rinhtfully
be regarded az the father of modern evolu
tion; so evidently so is this, that the
theory has earned the name of "The Oar.
vinian Theory" Hesis the author of the
following works "Origin of Species.
"The Descent of Man." "Animals and
Plants" and some others of minor i'm.
portance. Another distinguished author
on evolution and the most eminent dis.
ciple of Darwin is Ernst Hackel professor
of natural history in the University Of
Jena. He is the author of the folio wing
large works: "History of Creation, and
The Evolution of Man." and Prof. Hux-
ley, the author of Elementary Physio-
logy" and Sundry lectures. all aiming to
establish evolution. These are conceded
TO be the ablest exponents of the system.
| shall therefore pay my principal re-
spect. to them. | desire to say that these
gentlemen have made many valuable con.
tributions to science and the world is
largely indebted to them for their in.
defatigabe labors; but that their re-
searches have established the dogma of
Evolution as taught by them with sucn
persistent zeal, the majority of intelligent
and cultured men Of this age do not at all
believe Some of these scientists teach
that all the living species of men
and animals have come into being
by spontaneous generation, with
cut the aid of creative power,
purpose or plan. This is HackeFs theory
and favored by Huxley. The other theory
few specimens of very low order were
the result of creative power as a starter of
all living beings. animals and men; and
ever since that there has been no supervis.
ing plan of superior intelligence. The
work has all been accomplished by blind
law. under the direction of natural se.
lection" or "the survival of the fittest."
In u word, that the race of men have come
down to their present high estate through
long line of ancestors, beginning with
unorganized Protoposm, or Bathybius, or
Bioplasm Moneron running through a
long line of ganoids, or fishes, tortoises,
horses. dogs, monkeys and apes, our near
est living ancestor. This Is Darwinism.
You laugh, gentlemen, but this they pro-
claim with all soberness, and | will not
say insincerity These same great scien-
lists do thus declare without blush 30 far
as their written works indicate. | think
it was Cicero, who said, He did not see
how two jugglers could look each other in
the face without laughing"
A few words about the terms employed
in these books and lectures. Portoplasm
literally means first made; it is a jelly-like
substance supposed to contain life, Bioplasm
means first life or the beginning OF life,
and is similar to protoplasm. Bathybius
ia q Greek word meaning deep sea. Mr..
Huxley, the discourser says TINS about it.
"Bathyb ybius is u vast sheet of living mat
ter enveloping the whole earth beneath
the seas" In honor OF Prof; Hackel he
named it"Bathybius Hackelii." This deep
sea ooze he made the bridge be.
tween the organic and inorganic world.
The great inhdel Strauss went into costa.
cies over this supposed discovery and used
1t as his strongest arguments against mir.
acles or the supernatural. OF course Prof.
Hackel applauded this discovery because
of the vast issues dependent upon 1t. But
the greatest living physiologists and mi
croscopists like DIR. Carpenter and Lionel
Beale rejected Huxley's testimony as n
sented evidence tnat this deep sea ooze or
Bathybius has nothing in it to confirm
Huxley's assumptions and recent deep sea
soupdings have given their verdict against
Mr.. Huxley's pretensions, and finally in
the American Journal of Science and Arts
YOU will Gnd there (Oct. 1877, PIP. 267-8)
the last concession that this celebrated
Bathybius contains nothing but the ''sul.
phate of lime!" Poor Strauss did not live
long Sns.v enough raSs0t HI, hear patbySia. rsGi
sa, mSA'ey been 'etae'' the subject of ridicnIe
and Jest am ong literary aud scientific
men for several years last past. He has
been very reticent in his recent lectures
on the subject of Bathybius and its
sisters Protoplssm and Moneron of other
eyolutiopists. 1t has been remarked that
in his New York lectures, he was
very shy about touching the main objec-
tion to evolution, viz: bridging the i'm
mense chasm between living and not
living matter. His first bridge utterly
broke down under its own absurdity and
want of scientiic evidence. Spontaneous
generation is in the same category OF
Assumptions a. we will zee further on.
The word Moneron employed 80 much
by Prof. Hacked is best explained by
him. He SAYS: "The monera are the
simplest of all known organisms. being
mere Jumps of pure albumen. without or
Qans or heterogeneous parts, and PROB.
ably not larger than a pins head and
living at the bottom Of the ocean where
unxiav d;acovared his Bati,vbius