Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-07-13
A ''Prince of Peace" Critic.

The Howard County Times in its re-
port of the Bryan lecture at Cresco
Wednesday says: ''For one hour and
half an audience of over 1000 people
listened intently to his discourse on
the great principles laid down by the
man of Gallilee, the acceptance of
which would secure universal peace not
only among nations but among individ-
uals. The speaker touched variety
of subjects and said much that was
helpful and inspiring. The lightness
however, with (Which he disposed of
some questions which have challenged
the best thought of the world was not
altogether reassuring and strengthened
the suspicion of many that he does not
go as deeply into subject as many
who have obtained less prominence as
leader"
The editor of the New Era has read
Mr.. Bryan's "Prince of Peace" many
times. He heard the great commoner
deliver it twice, at New Hampton Tues
day and at Cresco Wednesday He has
read and re-read carefully prepared
appreciation of this oratorical master
piece by one of the most profound
scholars in the state of Iowa, the Rev.
Father Nugent of Des Moines, and new
er before has he noticed the inclination
on the part of anyone who had heard
or read the lecture to pronounce even
the mild criticism of the Times.
The lecture is not eight, though it
holds the light of hope for the triumph
of Christian morality over the dark
ness of sin. Our friend Jackson of the
Fredericksburg News considers it the
"most profound and scholarly sermon
ever delivered in this part of the coun-
try" The subject is vast one and
the fact that the development of the
theme requires an hour and half even
with no irrelevant material to consume
valuable time shows that the speaker
touched" the various points with the
unerring instinct of the orator, to-wit:
the presentation of beautiful thoughts
with consistent clearness and brevity
that an audience of several thousand
people should not become fatigued.
Would the editor of the Times have
Mr.. Bryan talk all day to prove that
man has not descended, or ascended
from the monkeys? So far as our rec
election goes that is the only "ques
tion that has challenged the thought OF
the world" that Mr.. Bryan may be
said to have disposed of lightly, and he
did not treat it very lightly. He showed
!, that back of the Darwinian theory o
+ evolution was the assumption of tn
! existence of matter, that the theory o
evolution was theory of process o
} growth, not theory of creation-tha
it assumed the creation of matter
And, he, Mr.. Bryan, preferred to as
sumo the existence of a Creator bacl
of creation. He would not quarre
with anyone who preferred to trac'
their ancestry back to the monkey
but he objected to their connecting
their family tree with his own. HI
showed that that no argument ha'
: been adduced to prove that man hat
come from monkeys that could not b
made to show that the converse wa
true, namely that monkeys had com
= from men, and Mr.. Bryan added: 9
1o1: %hot oil
q came from some men than that all me
= came from some monkeys"
9 If there are any other points in tn
q lecture that did not exactly satisfy tn
= the editor of the Times we wish h
/ would name them and not treat ther
! $50 lightly" that their identity is COZ
n cealed from public view. What is
It Lou?