Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-06-16
evolution.

From the Rev. Mr.. DicSens's letter on
evolution, which he kindly furnished to
the readers of the REGISTER, we gather
that his idea of evolution is the creation
of all things by God who worked not by
separate creation, but by creating some
very low form of matter,-the ''lowest,"
and impressing upon it power of de-
velopment. so that it should gradually
change from lower to higher, until the
highest forms known to man are reached.
And by this last we suppose would be
included man with his intelligent and
moral nature.
The words used by Mr.. Dickens are:
Stating 1t in q way to make scientist
laugh, perhaps / understand evolution to be
n method of creating by which God has
brought all higher forms of life up out of
lower, and lowest forms; one species passing
into another endlessly
We can see no objection to this view of
evolution on religious grounds, but we
must say that to us it looks dreadfully
unscientific, in the same way that it
would to suppose water to rise higher
ing of the kind; but we know that many
devout men, such as DR.. McCosh, have
tumbled into a belief of this kind, or
thought they had. Nor is there any diff
do his thinking, as Mr.. Dickens would
appear to uphold doing. Thus he says:
am, however, willing to stand by the claim
that a con stantly increasing number of people
believe In these teachings. also have no dis
position to recede from the insinuation that an
overwhelming proportion of scientific men,
throu ghout the world, accept the theory.
And considering the universities of cont
mental Europe, of Great Britain and America,
together with the host of specialists outside
the institutions of learning, il Is occasion for
no little surprise that SO few scientists I, iect
the theory of evolution. 1t is perfectly safe
to challenge any one to name a dozen oppo
nents of evolution who, today, possess inter
national regulations in departments of
knowledge which give them II right to be
called experts upon the subject. To be sure
there is great difference of opinion as to de
tails 1t Is n long, long road from Ernst
Haeckel, the rank materialst to Dr. McCosh,
the devout Christian. = 7 acc pit the
the doctrine that il il not quite safe for man
to receive into his body a current of cleo
tricity having a 1000 volt pOwer-because Ed
II,
other electricians so teach. In the same way
accept the theory of evolution-because
those who have a right to know proclaim it.
| This idea of leaving out ones thinking
! to experts, we have no sympathy with,
especially when, as in the present case,
We happen to know who the experts are
belonging to that army of scientists
who for $500 years taught in nearly
every school and college on earth that
the sun went around the earth. This is
only one of thousand different theories
made and taught by scientists, and since
discarded, within the record Of their his
tory. For the most part they are not
only entirely ignorant, but of that indefi-
nitely stupid class who do not realize
their own ignorance. With whoever
trusts or follows them it is often, If not
generally, a case of the blind leading the
blind, and the whole taking the ditch.
We accept the doctrine that it is not
quite safe for man to receive into his
body a current of electricity having a
2000.volt power. not because any scien.
fist so states, but because universal eX-
pertinent demonstrates the danger. The
power Of electricity to injure is selfevi-
dent. If every scientist or electrician on
earth were to drop out, the knowledge of
this would be universal.
Mr.. Locke. perhaps the greatest OF
English thinkers, writes:
hope it will not be thought arrogance to
! say that perhaps we should make greater
progress in the discovery of rational and con
templative knowledge if we sought it in the
fountain, IN the consideration of things them
| selves, and made use rather of our own
thoughts than other mems to find it; for
think may nationally hope to see with
other mems eyes, as to know by other men,
understanding.