The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-13
THE EVOLUTION RUcTIoN.

The ruction over evolution that has
opened out in the y, Y University
Mt Provo has resulted in the resigna
tion of Professor Joseph Peterson prl'
marily, and in rumors Of designations
by at least two others Of the instruc-
tors in that institution. Professor
Chamberlain. one of the accused, had
in the Deseret News of Saturday even,
ing an article of some length on the
subject of evolution His positions
therein are absolutely unassailable;
they are conservativcly stated, and we
doubt if there is real scientific man
in the world who would fail to approve
Of every point made and every position
stated by Professor Chamberlain.
And yet the church organ cditorially
on the same evening had nm editorial
appalling in its stupidity and ignor'
ancc. osicnsibly in review Of Professor
Chamberlain s article In the editorial
spoken Of evolution is treated as n
theory simply, the demonstrated and
demonstrable points of the science
being entirely ignored. AS TO evolu-
tion being a theory, which accounts for
S'the origin of WORLDS 10 use the
church organs expression, the notion
is entirely misleading as regards the
ordinary application Of the word and
the idea Evolution as a science was
set forth by Darwin, and relates to
the origin development, and diffusion
Al, Il IN.
gle it with the processes of the cosmlc
universe is doubtless intended TO mis-.
lead.
The church organ objects to cvolu-
tion, mainly because there Is no sup
port TO be found for il in history. That
is, the original tadpole did not write
an accurate account of his origin in
plain English so that it might be read
when the English language developed.
The fact that there is no written rec
ord in history with respect TO evolution
may seem to he a point to the editor
of the News, but, in urging 1T, he sim.
! ply makes himself ridiculous And
when, in this same connection the cdi'
Tor says that the cvolutiouists ignore
the facts of history, he simply pro.
claims his own lack of knowledge, The
idea that history could treat OF the
origin of species untold periods OF time
before there was any intelligent mind
in the world. is such a moustrous piece
of stupidity, that it is a marvel to see
| it put forth And though history IN
the sense used by the News is neces
sarily silent as TO evolution, since his
tory is only as of yesterday compared
with the immcasurable ages that pre-
coded it, there is a record in the rocks
that is true and unmistakablc.
However, the b. Y. University al
| Provo is church school. 1t is entire
| w in the hands Of the church auihori
ties If they want to prohibit the
teachings of scientific truth. they have
n perfect right to do so. If they want
TO insist that the world is fat and not
round. they can have that taught II
they want teachers like the old seeker
after n place, who was ready TO teach
either that the world was round or fiat
to suit both sides, they can get tina,
| kind also, They can make the schoo
| precisely what they desire, because II
| is their school, wholly within their con
troll. At the same time, the fact is
perfectly evident that, to insist upor
this sort of illiterate word wrangling
such as the News INDUCED in on tn,
question of evolution in its oditoria
credit the school, and TO throw ridi
cule on everybody connected with the
! attempt to hamper the liberty of scien
titic thought. and 10 keep the people in
ignorance of the scientific advancement
| Of hn