The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-03-11
The Truth as TO Darwin.
Editor of The chieftain.


called upon at some time or other to
pay his respects to that greatest of
the worlds scholars, Charles Darwin.
No matter how ignorant the writer, or
how little he knows of the Theory
of Selection" and Survival of the Fit
test, as taugRt-by the famous apostle
.of the natural, these intellectual
pygmies make some slurring state.
ments regarding the worlds most
learned scientist.
Darwin the. naturalist. was unit
versity man and grandson of Dr.
Erasmus Darwin, who had made some
investigations along the line of the
changing of species himself. Charles
DarWin's career as naturalist com
menced on December 9th, 1881, when
he sailed rom England on that famous
iiye-year voyage on H. NJ. S. Beagle,
duly booked volunteer naturalist in
her maiestys service. 1t was during
this trip that Darwin secured all kinds
Of specimens of animal life from the
single celled animals upward to the
higher forms of life, and during this
trip that he formulated his theory of
the Origin of Species"
On November oath, 1853, was pub.
lished for the first time his "Origin of
Species" Twelve hundred copies were
printed and the entire edition was
sold in a single day.
This book startled the Christian
world, for to have the creation of the
world as described by Moses so rudely
assailed by the unanswerable argu.
ments Of mere man was a terrific
sin-perhaps the impossible sin against
the Holy Ghost.
Aristotle. some three hundred years
before Christ, had suggested that by a
change of environment and cross fertil.
ization, species might be changed, but
then Aristotle was a pagan and he
didn't count. Wallace had evolved the
same conclusions about the same time
as Darwin, and Darwin gives him due
credit as being the joint discoverer
of the theories which bear his name.
The church at once put on the war
paint and went after Darwin. Jews.
Catholics, on-Conformists and all the
various sects who had been at the bit
terest kind of enmity amongst them
selves Joined hands N the very Ito
theml laudable ambition of sauelch-
ing the man who had the audacitv to
attack the Biology of Moses. It may
be said here and now that Darwin
never did say word against the book.
nor did he ever use the words mis-
sing link nor did he ever say that
man descended from monkeys. He
did say that he believed that they had
a common ancestor. One branch of
the family took to the plains and evoly-
ed into men, and the other branch
in the woods and are still
members of the Simian family.
To return to the onslaught made BY
the church on the devoted head of
Darwin, We might narrate the fact
that no preacher or bishop felt him
self too large, or too small to attack
The Origin of Species" The fact that
hey had never read the book. much
he same as the critics who air their |
vulgar TRADE on Darwin in the Forum.
lid not make any difference. They as
sailed him with soggy sermons, pious
referred to our monkey an
'estry and tried to bury the devoted
Darwin under their theological rub
Dish.
Yet, to the everlasting credit of-the
great naturalist, let 1t be stated that
le never SO much as noticed their
SANDERS. When asked for statement
IN the question, he said: IF my book
'an not stand all its critics, let it fall"
ANDREW White says in his Warefare
# Science and Religion, that the pub
ication of Darwin's Origin of Spe-
les was like plowing into an ant
ill. The theologians, rudely awaken
d from comfort and repose, swarmed
ut angry, wrathful and confused. The
ir was charged with challenges, SER
mons, pamphlets. brochures, and re-
Jews, ali directed at the head of poor
Darwin.
Even Gladstone. England's premier, /.
id not consider Darwin beneath his
ratorical assault, and trained ais bat
cries on the poor scientist Wilber-
Orce, Bishop of Oxford, in : speech !
efore one OF the learned British so-
ieties, at which Darwin was not pres +,
MT repeated a number of malicious
nd slanderous statements regarding