The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-12-13

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TTMMIl0ADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
HYESM%SlN ! need not remind you,
HHEG&SgN that in a 15-minute peri
l90B cd l can touch but briefly
a problem of so great magnitude
as is encompassed in the radia of
my subject. Therefore, what have
to say at this time will be sug-
gestive rather than comprehensive.
The theory or, 1 might better
say, fact, of evolution is daily be-
coming more firmly rooted in the
minds of men. With powerful
telescopes man has read the infinite
leaves of the heavens, and he learns
that among the distant orbs there
are some of far greater age than
the planet Earth, and that there
are others only in process of for
nation. He lays aside his tele-
scope and from the deeps of earth
wrests the history that has been
indelibly traced in the book of Ma
ture by the hand of Time. Upon
each leaf, as represented by the
various strata, is inscribed the data
of the ages, eras, and epochs of
the unnumbered centuries before,
from the seeming chaosity of
Nature, man was evolved.
l mention the evolution of the
physical in connection with the
evolution of the moral nature of
man briefly, and only that we may,
by the association of ideas, be en-
abled more accurately to co-ordi-
nate the preceding causitives with
the subsequent effects, as we shall
hereinafter endeavor to set them
forth.
Because of time limitations, l
may consider but one phase of
moral law, viz: the law of duty
as regards right and wrong" This,
1 am sure you will agree with me,
is a prerogative peculiar to man.
We can not we'll conceive of ami
mails, even of the highest grade of
intelligence, recognizing a law of
duty as regards right and wrong"
For, moral action. being defined,
is: ''The voluntary action of an
intelligent agent. who is capable of
distinguishing between right and
wrong or of Distinguishing what
he ought, from what he ought not,
to do" The actions of animals
may, in some measure, be con-
trolled by fear of punishment and
hope of reward; but actions so
governed involve no phase of NOR
ality.
Ernst Haeckle, to name but one
of the great thinkers, has put in
scientific form the evidences of the
spontaneous evolution of man, the
individual, from the lower forms
of life; and, as I said a moment ago,
that which yesterday was but a
vague theory, to-day bears the
stamp of.almost universal approval
And it is upon this premise that ]
predicate my conclusions as regards
the evolution of moral law.
It has been shown, that birds
have evolved from serpents; the
penguin showing the least devel.
opment in the process of evolution
No less clear is the evidence that
man has evolved from the lower
forms of animal life; nor should
any greater difficulty be expert.
enced in reconciling ourselves to
that truth. We know that the
origin of man antedates by myri.
ad centuries the four or five thou
sand years B. c.. which, according
to a once popular, though errOne
Gus. conception was for long be-
lieved to be the age of the species
To name but one circumstance
in substantation of this position
scientists. in excavating, near tht
city of London, found imbeddee
in earth stratum, formed five han
dred thousand years ago, the skele
ton of a man, showing a de
velopment almost equal to tina