Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-11-05
EVOLUTION TAUGHT IN sCHOOLsG
Press is Taking Some Severe ExCep-s
lions to Paragraph on History of Man.

Press is Taking Some Severe Exeep.
tiOns to Paragraph on History of Man.
The Darwinian theory as to the
origin of man has arisen for rather
vigorous discussion in some of our
North Carolina papers. A fortnight
OF SC ago the Presbyterian Standard
Of Charlotte declared that the children
in the public schools are being taught
that the origin of man is unknown and
that scientists agree upon the ieyolu-
tionary theory as accounting for it.
Our Father1ess Ones OF sBarium
Springs excoriates the State Depart
ment Of Education for putting or per-
hitting such textbook in the schools
The Landmark of StatesYille thinks
that this. incident is exactly In line
with the sentiment that prevented, the
adoption Of the proposed constitution
al amendment allowing the use Of the
Bible in the public schools. The Daily
News of Greensboro, in the interest
of fair play. asserts that protest comes
with. poor grace from church people,
Fresbyterians and Baptists, for exam
ples since in their colleges scientists
agree" in teaching the doctrine which,
t is alleged, is being taught in the pub
lie schools. Other papers also have.
had something to say along the same
Though we have not seen in our ex-
changes a quotation of the offensive
paragraph which started the discus
sion, we suppose it is the opening Sec.
ton of the chapter on Man and Ma
49, - $500 O60 - kL4 Mo- Dh~y-3n4I
Geography by Professor Ralph S. Tarr.
BIS, Professor of Dynamic Geology
and Physical Geography at Cornell
Cniversity,-a very popular textbook
widely used in our schools and col
leges, public and private, secular and
religious. The paragraph in full is as
follows: "
early Man.-The origin Of man is
not known, although scientists gener-
ally agree that he has developed, by the
process of evolution, from some high
form of animal. This belief is based.
upon the close resemblance between
the body of man and ape, and receives
support from the fact, that, in habits
and mode of living, some savages are
little above animals. But v the
least civilized men have powers that
NO animal possesses, while civilized
man is so far above the highest ami
mails that some people believe it i'm
possible that he is the descendant of
/ an animal"
Concerning which we wish to say:
"a The opening phrase, as it
stands, without assumptions and with
cut qualifications, is rank infdelity.
If, however, Professor Tarr, as he ap-
parently does, takes for granted the
Creator and the creation of man, and
means to simply confne the subject to
man within the theme of physical ge-
ography without going back to the
source of all things in God, he may
be possibly interpreted Though very
circuitously) as not intending any
| contradiction to the Bible account Of
mans creation. At best, Professor
Tarr needs a good deal of explanation,
If not emphatic contradiction, when he
says ".the origin of man is not known"
That phrase ought by all e to be
| changed or omitted from future edi-
tons of the book.
(2) Much less, in our view, is the
authors offense as to the dostrine of
| evolution. AS is seen at a glance, he
merely states the evolution theory
upon which scientists generally
agree" and then goes on directly to
say: "But even the least civilized men
have powers that no animal possesses"
And in the same sentence he closes
the paragraph by asserting the con-
trary view which he himself seems,
from the words just quoted, to hold:
"Some people believe it impossible that
he is the descendant of an animal"
Darwinian evolution is certainly not
defended here.
Now that the question is raised, it
RAY not be amiss to remind ourselves
that there are two theories of evolu-
ton. One is agnostic, striving al it
does to enthrone chance in the place
| Of God, and to make the Bible a book
of myth instead of truth. This is in
fidelity and atheism in one; and it is
the evolution to which believers in
| God and the Bible have always offered
strenuous and righteous objection. The
other theory is theistic, recognizing