Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-08-13
SCIENCE OF EVOLUTION.
Father Boutlou Discusses it in the
ExpositOr.

article of Francis j. Auber, publish
ed in the Wheeling Intelligeneer of
the same date. You supplement it
with an editorial in which you quote
DR.. Raymond and DR.. Ward.
Whilst / nave no desire to enter
into what appears to me partisan
| fight against DR.. Raymond, whom l
consider as thorough scholar and a
perfect gentleman, beg to enter
my protest against the groundless
assertion of certain SO called scien-
tife school, which aims at nothing
less than the destruction of Chris,
tianity. | do not wish our Christian
people to think for moment that
those rash and unscientific asser-
tions cannot be contradicted.
| | am not biologist, but | have
closely and with great interest fol-
lowed the wonderful progress of that
science. May / add that with due
restrictions, / have always telt in
clined in favor of the hypothesis of
evolution? | purposely called eyo-
luton a hypothesis. To my knowl-
edge no scientist has yet been able
to call it TACT That only which
falls under observation can be called
a fact, in experimental sciences. In
dividual eyolutions in nature, social
evolution in man are facts that can
be easily observed but, under differ
ent circumstances, individual as
well as social retrogression and degra
Fdation are scientific facts of the
same character.
Specific evolution is to me quite
an acceptable hypothesis but, | dare
say, has never been proved to be a
fact.
For half a century special school
has tried hard to force upon the
world the monistic theory or hypoth-
esis of universal evolution. But in
the chain of that universal evolution
there are three great chasms which
no scientist has yet been able to
bridge over.
First:-The chasm between non
existence, or the first apparation of
matter and force is still to be ex-
planned by those who reject creation.
Eternity of matter and force is an
impossibility to the mind of the
most fanatical evolutionist. II mat
ter and force are eternal, how is it
that we have not yet reached the
end of the evolution chain? Why
have we got so far and no farther?
| Second The chasm between in
organic matter and life still remains
open ia spite of the arduous efforts
of school nonscientifically dead
and buried since the work of Pasteur
He, by the way, was biologist OF
some note; yet he lived and died a
devout catholic, firm believer that
the Bible Genesis included is the
written word of God Spontaneous
generation is scientifically dead. The
history of the once famous school
that proclaimed it SO loudly to the
world should be warning to the
true and honest scientist.
Third The third and last chasm
that cannot be bridged over is the
first apparation of man among the
living creatures-the chasm between
animal instinct and the highest or
der and human reason capable of
abstraction, generalization and rati-
ocination.
/ did not intend to proceed 50 far
in my remarks but [ wanted to bring
matters to proper focus before your
christian readers. IF Dr. Ward is
correctly quoted by you, if he has
said that the process (of evolution
has been purely automatic, that no
thought, no idea, no purpose, has
entered into the great cosmic move
ment "(0." He has expressed a no
less unscientific than unchristian
idea. Whilst accepting evolution
with the restrictions above mention
ed, | admire with awe and worship
with feryor the Eternal Power that
has placed in nature that wonderful
force evolution, the Eternal Mind
that continually directs that force
along certain definite lines and has
brought it to the perfection of Christ
Himself, the Man God. who alone
bridges the remaining chasms be-
tween man and God.
Respectfully,
/ A. BoUTLoU.
st. Peters Church, Fairmont, w. Va,
/ Aug. IL.