The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-01-12
Is Darwinism Dead?

win has onened the doors to another worldwide
discussion of the merits and dement's or Oar
winism. Magazines and papers have given the
matter so much space that one is led to feel that
the number of those interested in the serious and
really important matters on the increase; 1t
also has led us to unburden ourselves on the SUBJ
ject with which unburdenment we trust our I'M
scientifically inclined readers will be mdulgent
Until the Fifteenth century it was supposed
the stars were moved by angelic beings The
heavens were the abode of multitude of those
beings who acted in enforceable and arbl-
trary fashion. When star might swing into
existence, when it might burn into nothingness,
were inexphcabe mysteries. And every comet
and other celestial "portent" was heralded by ig-
norant and learned alike the manifestation of
supernatural activity. Many true thinkers
seemed to grasp in uncertain way some glim-
mering of the idea Of natural law, but none were
able to make any Roadway in that direction.
But along came in the last part of the Fiji
teenth century the Polish monk Coperncus and
crystalized much of this suspended and vague
fore-seeing into the crystals of the true begin
nings of science of astronomy. He was unable
to discover the law that rules the heavens chat
was left for Newton) but he proved that law
reigns in the heavens.
In spite of theological opposition this convic-
ton that inorganic nature is under reign of law
gained ground until finally three great sciences,
phys chemistry and astronomy were founded
thereon
But even after accepting the Newtonian law
of gravitation the very boldest refused to carry
the reign of law into the sphere of living plants
and animals. Here the old fairies and angels
still held sway; here still the reign of the
supernatural. What horses and dogs they
had booo md that had 1Vav
had been determined by an act of special creation
at a certain fixed hour in the remote past. And
what was thought true of horses and dogs
held equally true of plants and birds and men
and women. All species had been miraculously
created at fixed and limited time
Just as geniuses had CROPPED vaguely for some
conception of a reign of law among the stars so
did they now feel blindly after reign of law in
the spheres of life. Goethe guessed at it Eras-
Darwin skirted the great discovery; and
many others hazarded guesses, some superficial
and some profound.
At this juncture appeared Charles Darwin
BY heredity and by inclination a naturalist he
turned his attentions to biology. Unlike his
predecessors he not content to tabuate and
classify; he wanted to understand methods and
his mind refused to accept the current explana-
twenty years of reflection and research he final
ly reached the conclusion that the of the
various forms. varieties and species of living
things as natural and as discoverable as the
causes Of star birth and star death. He pro-
claimed the reign of law in the worlds Of life. 1t
is this which is his greatest achievement And
it is nothing but the acknowledgement of this
reign of natural law that makes the evoutionst
But having finally settled on the fact of evo-
luton Darwin next turned to the question: If
there is evolution what are the methods by which
it is carried on? At this problem he worked for
many years with little success. At last, in Octo-
Der, 1888 he CHANGED on The Essay on Popua-
ton by that pious and loveable Church of Eng
land clergymen Nautilus. This essay started
Herbert Spencer to thinking; it started Alfred
Russell Wallace toward his great discovery 1t
dropped the seed into Darwins mind which ulti-
mated in his now famous doctrine of the survival
of the fittest.
If the moss that grows in pond bottoms were
permitted to propagate unchecked it would fill
every stream and lake in the world in few
years. If insects were left unhindered in their
amazing fertility they would cloud the heavens
in five years. If rabbits could go on breeding in
geometric ratio and hawks and guns were not
the planet would soon be transformed into rab-
bit warren. If salmon could spawn and breed at
their own sweet will, their rivers would become
in time mass of fish
But the fecund species that have tendency
to breed to such enormous numbers are held in
hand by certain opposing forces such climate,
lack of food and foes 1t is therefore inevitable
that of the millions bred, only few survive
What is it that determines which shall survive?
Darwin said that those survive which chance to
be best adapted to the conditions with which thew