The Washington herald., 1920-10-31

gree; and l might possibly find il
convenient if my nose were six
inches longer, and sufficiently lively
TO be able to point right and left
at various objects on the tea-table
But this is simply an accident Of
the particular qualities Of length
and laXity, not a general truth about
the qualities Of growth and use. 1t
is not in the least true that ! should
experience the least convenience
from the membrance between nv
hngers thiCkening or widening q
little; even IL an evolutionist at my
elbow Comforted and inspired me
with the far-Off divine event when
my descendant should have the
wings of a bat. Until the mem
brane can really be spread properly
from point to point il is like the
hddle-string before 1t is stretched
properly from point TO point. 1t is
no nearer serving its ultimate pur-
pose than if il were not there at
all. But ii would be easy to find a
similar animal parallel to the drum
with the hole in it. There are mon
sters who would die instantly II
they could not close the holes in
their head under water. One sup
poses they would have died swiftly
before their closing apparatus could
develop slowly.
Does n Fiddle Build It.efr
But the principle is a general one.
ana Is involved in the very nature
OF any apparatus. 1t is only by way
or hgure of speech, in defense Of
the freedom of the ignorant that 1
take the NJ h.
paratus. ! take IT because I am en-
irely ignorant of musical instru-
ments. l am of the candid class Of
those who have never tried to per-
form on the violin" 1 cannot play
upon this pipe, especially II il be a
bagpipe. But il anybody tells me
that the widest pibroch rose from
whisper. gradually, as a hole in
the wind-baE was filled up grad
ually-why then l shall not be so
rude, l hope, as to say there is a
wind-bag in his head. but ! shall
venture to say that there is a hole
in his argument. And IL he says
that pieces of wood came slowly to-
gether, stick by stick, to form a
fiddle, and that before IL was yet a
fiddle at all. the sticks discoursed
most excellent musiC-why / fear I
shall be content to answer fiddle
sticks.
1t also seems to me that the same
general logical criticism applies to
the other remark of Mr.. Crowther,
to the effect that it was unreasou-
able to expect from the geological
record of continuous gradstfon or
types for which l had asked. This
mode of argument involves an
amazing oblivion of what is the
thing 20 be proved, and who is try
ing to prove it. By hypothesis the
Darwinians are trying to prove
Darwinism. The anti-Darwinisns
are not trying to prove anything,
except that the Darwinians have not
proved it. I do not demand any
thing; in the sense OF complaining
OF anything, or the absence of any
thing; 1 am quite comfortable in a
completely mysterious cosmos.
am not reviling the rocks or ours
ing the eternal hills for not contain
ing these things.
what the Darwiniau Requires
am only saying that these are
the things they would have to con-
tain, to make me believe something
that some body else wants me &c be-
flieve. These traces are not things
that the anti-Darwinian demands.
They are things that the Darwinian
requires. The Darwiniaa requires
them in order TO convince his op-
ponent OF Darwinism; the opponent
may be right or wrong, but he can
not be expected TO sccep. the mere
absence OF them as a proof OF Oar
winism. ~ the evidences In support
of Darwinism are unfort tunatelg
lost, why then We do not know
whether they were In support Of Oar
winism. ~ the traces Of natural
selection are gone, Why then there
are no traces of natural sslsctioni
aud there iE an end Of "a, The quss-
ton of loairal method seems 90 me
much moFs Important than the qusss
tian ~ bioiuHical Inquiry. Ana !
vouid rsspsrtfuiiY ask No. Cru~thsf
ahd ether critics whst uouid b.
thauaht - . niraruious - thsalus
icai sfsumsht shirh thus bassa "
ssif % ths Nsff safs in itt sSf eva