The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-09-29
REVOLUTION IN VIEWS OF EV0LU-
TON.

by some OF the scientists ABOVE all
that is called God. Professor Hulk
ley and others have urged it's claims
so stoutly and persistently that they
have seemed willing to stake the ex-
istence of the moral as we'll as of the
material world upon its operations.
This has been to them the one great
material, moral and practically
speaking,-sp spiritual. Of course, in
their assumptions they have given
currency to many absurd fallacies.
These fallacies have been the greater
as the evolutionary theories have been
made to account for the ethical ideas
existing among men. 1t is gratifying
to note in Professor Huxley's latest
utterances what may surely be con-
sidered surrender of evolution's
claims to the parentage of moral
ideas. His former student, Professor
Mivart, has always maintained that
"the cosmic process, since it often ia
vors the ill-doer more than the virtu
Gus man, could never by any posi-
bility have evolved the ethical idea"
Professor Huxley now states that
"cosmic evolution may teach us how
the good and evil tendencies of man
may have come about; but in itself
it is incompetent to furnish any bet
ter reason why what we call good is
preferable to what we call evil than
we ever had before" That is an adj
mission that covers a great deal of
ground. Evolution, however wide its
realm and however great its power in
other directions-and we are not now
admitting even its lesser claims-is
not the force which makes for right
eousness. As Professor Mivart claims,
his old teacher, Huxley, to whom, as
a teacher and friend, he is most loyal,
admits now what he did not admit in
1871, namely, tina. there is something
| deeper in man than the utilitarian
theory of morals; that "there lies
within him fund of energy, operat-
ing intelligently, and SO far akin to
that which pervades the universe,
that it is competent to influence and
modify the cosmic process" This,
whatever else it may mean, certainly
means that evolution is to take some
thing less than first place hereafter.
When once he admits that there is
power that can overrule it's processes,
what further admission may we not
next expect?
Ethical ideas are not to be account
ed for by evolution, is the latest tes-
timony of the great prophet and high
priest of evolution. Then there must
be higher force or power, and who,
even though he be scientist, shall
say absolutely and without fear of
contradiction, that this higher force
is not personal intelligences Again,
how long will it be ere the scientist
finds out by reasonable deduction
from facts that he n ust spell out that
personal intelligence in name of
three letters, G o D? Professor Hux
lev does believe in some sort of ON
nipotent and infinitely benefcent
cause. Whether or not he is prepared
to follow this theory of his faith to
it's logical conclusion, it will be read
ily seen that those who pin, not their
faith so much as their skepticism,
about God. to Huxley, have very
uncertain hold. He has changed his
position, and if words mean anything
the change is radical and revolution
airy.
Professor Mivart expresses himself
as little uncertain whether Profes-
sor Huxley means just all that his
words would seem to indicate, but
with conciseness and with clearness
of utterance that leaves no doubt as
to it's meaning, Professor Mivart says
just this for himself: "For my own
part, my conviction grows ever strong
err that, though corporeally man is
but sort of ape, his intellectual ma
ture is so distinct that, thus consider
ed, there is more difference between
him and the orang than between the
latter and the ground beneath his
feet, but high as he is raised above
the rest of nature, the very limitations
of his reason, considered in the light
of the highest ethical aspirations of
his being, demand something beyond
nature-a divine revelation. This is
what the higher races of mankind
seem to me to have, consciously or
unconsciously, sought and strivenf for,
from the dawn OF history till the adj
vent of Christianity. The acceptance
of that revelation (of course without
the surrender of single truth of
physical, biological, historical or any