The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-12
URGES BRYAN TO
Study EVOLUTION
pangler AssaiIs commoner
in Letter Outlining His
Own Ancestry.

SIORGANToWN, June 12-Af,
fer sketching his family Tree aIu
several questlohs;t -
LIN west Virginia University, pro
posed to William J. Bryan IN
5Ietter made public here today, that
both Of them go to the. sur Inei.
;,'fsSSschool at the University OIL Chlcaso
", take courses in evolution ana
odern christianity.
you should take the trouble,
|Y,fHe letter said, "to inform yoursell
son some of the common Ftacts thdl
4proye evolution to be the truth, as
well as to learn how to interpret
the Bible according to modern
views of Christianity and the nat
gSiral laws of the universe.
Declaring that Mr.. Bryan, IN
Irging laws to prevent the teacL,
Of evolution in schools ana
Colleges, twould force professors
Is teach falsely or leave their pro-
fession, and be replaced by men SO
4 signorant4 that they do not under
stand the laws of nature or d1S-
.llonestSenough ato3rece1Ve their pay
{5for$teaching falsely, you 90
In @beHeye in a literal interpreta-
s 4$fi on Of the Bible as you insisted on
:h ere, dc you, Mr.. Bryan? Tell me
fhonestly, do you believe that the
earth is fat and motionless, and
that it is the center OF the uni
ssVerse that the skies are a root that
Shold up the waters above the
4 cart that the stars are set in the
Sky, that the sun moves around
1.-THE earth, and that the heavens
@$aTe on ened to allow it to rain
After tracing his ancestry from
til e protocol, metozoa, fishes, prl-
I'm ates, the ape-man or 5OO,GOO
wears ago, the FaXhall man, the
2 Heidelburg man, the Plldown man,
"a the n eand man and the Gro
i hIagnon man, Professor Spangler@
said
s5s.t'Is am very proud of these high
4 Fly honored ancestors OF mine.
4 More has been written about them
sthan will ever be written about
You and your struggle to keep the
beopIe ignorant of the facts of my
ancestry.
s5s.:eAs an embryo, I passed
Trough stages that clearly repre-
a AntHthe animals mentioned above
4 my ancestors" the letter said.
+ kat the beginning of my existence,
4 Twas a small one-ce1led animal
Nike a@protozoan. AT another stage
+ }pfSdevelopment I was a tiny sac
s. shaped mass like the Mc.azoa,
Without blood or nerves AZ an
Z s>otther stage L was a worm-like ami
Ma with a pulsating tube instead
81 heart and without head
heck, spinal column or limbs; at
Yanothera stage had as a backbone
}Sa3Srod Tof8cartilage extending along
ie5 back and a faint *nerve-cord as
81 IA the sAInphioVus, one OF the low
est of the Chordates; at later
sgs stage Twas a fish-like animal with
81 atwo-chambered heart, with mes
Sonepheric kidneys and g1ll-sl1ts
ssWri tn arteries leading to them, just
Nc as in shes; at another stage,
Aswas a reptile-lil1e animal with a
Athree-cIlam bered heart, and cloaca
UNEMPLOYMENT like other reptiles; at
~ Sc Ill an other stage, I was lemur-
like animal with a heavy coat OF
s3fh hair and a tail longer than my legs
-'Sjust as in the Iemurs; and finally
& when entered on post national
ss sins and actualities, was a
TasTiing, squalling, unreasonlng
yduadruped partially fitted for an
arborel existence.
eEtSIr. Bryan, your ancestry was
e lfdst the same as mine, and l as
ss sure you that your embryo logical
TN Felopment was the same.
81 do not know whether your
III tail degenerated before birth or
was amputated after birth.
sS5ss{E..tt Let me close by saying THAT
AhayeEno reason to be ashamed of
llmy ancestry as given above #
S%fhere We're an ancestor whom
hshouid feel ashamed of recalling,
N t&vould rather be a mana man
tf&restless and versatile intellect
Mo, not content with success in
own sphere of activities plum
IN intD scientific questions with
(which he has no real ACQUAINTANCE.
obscure them by ainless
rhetoric and distract the attention
4 Sof his hearers from the point at
Issue by eloquent digressions and
skilled appeals to religious preju-
r>I toe 1880 '3;s. AZ.