Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-08-27
Trend of Evolution.

Trend of Evolution.
Look at China, where evolution has
had full swing for thousands of years
uninterrupted by anything except here
and there mission station with this
defunct book, the Bible, but through
the most Of the realm not interfered
with. What has evolution done for
China? Christian civilization goes in
and builds railroad; they tear it up.
For 1000 years the Chinese nation,
where it is not invaded by the gospel,
has not made one-fve-h hundred millionth
part of an inch of advancement They
worship the same gods of red paint.
Just as always, they drown the female
children as nuisance. Just as always.
they eat with chopsticks. So i'll India,
so in Arabia, so in Turkey, so every
where where the gospel has not made
an invasion.
I tell you, my friends, that natural
evolution is not upward but it is always
downward Hear Christ account of it.
Fifteenth Matthew and nineteenth
verse, "Out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornica-
tons, thefts. false witness, blasphe-
mics. " That.iS what Christ said of cvo-
luton. Give natural evolution full
swing in cur world and it will evolve
into two hemisphcres of crime, two
hemispheres of penitentiary, two hem
ispheres of lazaretto, two hemispheres
of brothel. New York Tombs, Moya-
mensing prison, Philadelphia, Seven
Dials London and Cowgate, Edinburgh,
only fostering carbuncles on the face
and neck of natural evolution. See
what the Bible says about the heart
and then what evolution says about the
heart. Evolution says "bettcr and bet
ter and better gets the heart by natural
Improvement. The Bible says: 1.-THE
heart is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked. Who can know it,"
When you can evolve fragrance from
malodor, and can evolve an oratorio
from q buzzsaw, and can evolve fall
pippins from basket Of decayed crab
apples, then you can by natural evolu-
ton from the human heart develop
goodness. All, my friends, natural evo-
luton is always downward; it is never
upward.
A Galvanized Corpse.
What is remarkable about this thing
is it is all the time developing its dis
honesty. In our day it is ascribing this
evolution to Herbert Spencer and
Charles Darwin. 1t is dishonesty.
Evolution was known and advocated
hundreds Of years before these gentle
men began to be evolved. The Pheni-
clans thousands of years ago declared
that the human race wabbled out Of the
mud. Democritus, who lived AGO years
before Christ-remember that-knew
this doctrine of evolution when he said:
Everything is composed of atoms, or
infinitely small elements, each with
definite quality, form and movement,
whose inevitable union and separation
shape all different things and forms,
laws and efforts and dissolve them
again for new combinations. The gods
themselves and the human mind orig
mated from such atoms There are no
casualties. Everything is necessary and
determined by the nature of the atoms
which have certain mutual affinities,
attractions and repulsions. !" Anoxi-
mander centuries ago declared that the
human race started at the place where
the sea saturated the earth. Lucretius
developed long centuries ago in his
poems the doctrine of evolution.
It is an old heather corpse set up in
morgue. Charles Darwin and Herbert
Spencer have tried to galvanize it.
They drag this old putrcfaction OF
5000 years around the earth, boasting
that it is their originality, and so Won
derful is the infatuation that at the
Delmonico dinner given IN honor OF
Herbert Spencer some 10 years ago
there were those who ascribed to him
this great originality Of evolution.
There the banqueters sat around the
table in honor of Herbert Spencer, chew
ing beef and turkey and roast pig, which,
according to their doctrine Of evolution,
made them eating their own relations
Slicing up their own cousins Driving
a carving fork into their beloved kin
dred! Dashing Worcestershire sauce
bedaubing mustard over their uncles
and aunts And while Herbert Spencer
read a patronizirg lecture to Americans
the banqueters sat around the table
with their hands up, saying Dear
me, it is the voice Of a god and not OF
n man.
A Glorious Doctrine.
There Is only one thing worse than
English snobbeFy. and that is Amerl-
can snobbery. Like democracy and 1
like aristocracy, but there is one kind
of ocracy in this country that excites
my contempt, and that is what Charles
Kingsley, after he haa witnessed it
himself, called snobocracy. Now, l say
it is a gigantic dishonesty when they
ascribe this old heathsn doctrine of
evolution to any modern gentleman.
lam not pessimist, but an optimist'
1 do not believe everything is going to
destruction; I believe everything is 60
ing on to redemption. But it will not
be through the infdel doctrine Of evolu-
ton, but through our glorious Chris
tianity which has effected all the good
that has ever been wrought and which
is yet to reconstruct all the nations.
What is that in the offing? A ship
gone on the rocks at Cape Hatteras
The hulk is breaking up, crew and pas
sengers are drowning. The storm is IN
full blast and the barometer is still
sinking. What does that ship want?
Development. Develop her broken
masts. Develop her broken rudder. De
yelop her drowning crew. Develop her
freezing passengers. Develop the whole
ship. That is all 1t wants. Develop
ment Oh, I make mistake. What
that ship wants is lifeboat from the
shore. Leap into it, you men of the life
station! Pull away to the wreck! Steady
there! Bring the women and children
first to the shorel Now the stout mem
Wrap them up in fannels, and between
their chattering teeth you can pour res