The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-04-10

OF the same kind. Again, ii is uuiver- |
sally admitted By all reasonable men |
that no ascertained scientific fact has |
ever disproved the teachings of the |
BILE We might cite a long roll Of il |
lustriouS men and women in literature |
philosophy, science, art, and even poll |
itics. who have reverently accepted and |
taken as their guide and support |
through life the impregnable truths OF |
Christianity, and the apostles of ag-
Mysticism and pure science such as
Darwin. Tyndale, Huxley and Herbert
Spencer, have never sought to deny
the existence of great first cause, the
center and heart of the universe. As
regards the special doctrine of evolu-
ton, ii would appear to be winning
victories all along the line, and what
"a noble conception of the Creator and
Creation il presents to us, The Mo-
sale account of Creation is very beau
tiful story, fascinating TO the budding
intelligence of childhood youth. and
even to those of maturer years, yet
there is a grandeur in the newer theory
that Infinitely trancends the older. Ac-
cording to the nebular hypothesis, as
| taught by modern astronomy, the in
! finite bounds of space millions of years
| ago was filed with vast masses of gas
locus vapor revolving with incOnceiv-
able rapidity; these masses, gradually
contracted, they took form, CONCEALED,
and became solid. In the fiux of time
portions broke away, and in obedience
| to the fixed laws Of gravity-attrac-
ton and epulsion-they assumed GER
tain ds fined positions and orbits, and
! became suns, stars and planets. How
and when the first dawnings of inor-
ganic and organic life began in our
sphere we can only conjecture, but
after an infinitely extended period of
evolution the foundations were grad
ually laid. The animal world succeed
ed to the vegetable, and by process of
natural selection, or, as it is termed,
the survival of the fittest, these grew
into being out of the crudest and most
elementary forms, until the browning
effort of all, the goal OF natural evOlu-
ton, man himself, was created. Then
came the first dawnings of reason,
sense, language, power, dominion, pas
sion, and the spirit Of love and rever-
ence, which have developed and exalt-
ed him to the high position and des-
tiny he has now attained. Out of self
ishness-the struggle for life-has been
evolved altrusm, unselfishness, the
|
the material and animal world so
from the rudest state of society has
been evolved our present civilization
chaos and confusion, wars, persecu-
tions revolutions, have been succeeded
! by increasing harmony and beauty,
and now there are everywhere unmis-
taxable signs that men are becoming
more humane, more peaceful, the insti-
tuition of the home, with its boundlesS
capacities for mutual sympathy and af-
lection, has taken the place of the rude
and primitive life of the cave and the
forest. All history teaches us-pessi-
mists and fools alone eXcepted-that
the world is slowly but surely growing
better Nations like Greece and Rome
have risen, have reached their zenith
and have fallen into decay and ruin.
Others again have followed, the map
iof the world has been constantly
changing and still changes, stronger
nations are becoming stronger, the
weak weaker: social and economic con-
ditions are modified, all doubtless in
accordance with fixed laws, until the
Divine will be accomplished An i'm
mense impetus and acceleration was
given to the growth Of a higher civil
ization and humanity by the birth of
,.
like Aristotle, Plato and their disciples,
although able to reason marvelously
upon many Of the great problems of
the Universe, were in reality cropping
in darkness. Human society in their
Iday, although possessing arts. sciences,
Literature and monuments OF architec-
| ture which must ever remain the
wonder OF succeeding ages, contained
elements which foreshadowed ruin, but
the advent of Christ came like an cleo
trio flash, whose power and influence
radiated, and still continues to radiate,
to the utmost ends of the earth. re-
generating and ennobling all things.
And still there must be progress. EyO-
luton goes on. The inorganic provided
the base for the organic, the lower an
imal developed into the higher animal,
then came the savage man. then the
reasoning man, then the spiritual man,
and there are not wanting signs that
higher and still higher destinies await
him, destinies which cannot be COM
pretended by our finite faculties, but
which tend towards the Eternal and the
Divine. Some things in the world ar
rive, they attain to their highest beauty
and perfection. The human body is
natures masterpiece, the highest pos
Sible attainment OF physical evolution.
In literature, in music, in sculpture, in
architecture, we shall never see greater
achievements in the future than in the
past. The poetic and dramatic crea-
tons of Milton, Dante and Shakespeare
cannot be eXcelled: the noble strains
of Mozart, Beethoven and Handel are
| high water mark which will never be
surpassed: we shall probably see no
/ lr1tn
Michael Angelo. Chantrey and CanOva.
The capacities of nature and the human
soul on the contrary are infinite. Any
intelligent schoolboy or schoolgirl Of
TODAY knows more about science and
! Of Tho IL vGI,Sa h q