The New York herald., 1922-03-19
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
USE "Darwinism' to describe the
hypothesis of mans origin which


r USE "Darwinism' to describe the
hypothesis of mans origin which
has received most support among
those who believe in evolution as ap-
piled to man. l have not thought 1t
worth while to deal with evolution as
applied TO plant life and to animal life.
simply because a mans views on these
subjects do not affect his philosophy
of life, except as belief in evolution in
accept the hypothesis of evolution in
regard to human life. Evolutionists
Lave so little upon which to base their
belief that man is a descendant of the
brute that they Immediately take ad-
vantage of any concessions, even
though made merely for the sake Of
argument. in regard to the doctrine
of evolution as applied to lower forms
of life.
A recent illustration of this is found
in the answer of a professor made to
an article which l wrote at the re-
quest Of the New York Times. Be-
cause l distinguished between evolu-
ton as applied to lower forms Of life
and evolution applied to man he ac-
cused me of being ready to admit evo-
luton in regard to plant and animal
life. 1t was a Misrepresentation Of
my position and I refer to 1t to pre-
vent further Misrepresentation. There
Is no satisfactory proof Of evolution
in either plant life or animal life. The
proof relied upon Is so fiimsy that no
court would consider it sufficient to
convict an habitual criminal OF even
the smallest offense. And yet II is
accepted as conclusive by those scien-
lists who want to get away from God.
Upon such testimony they try to con-
denim the Bible.
Evolution Is System That
Appeals to Human Vanity
It Is flattering to ones egotism to
be told that there is nothing that he
cannot understand: the chief attrac-
tion Of evolution Is that it seems to
bring all the processes Of nature within
mans comprehension. 1t does not pre-
tend to explain the beginning of all
things. but does pretend to explain all
that has taken place since "the be-
ginning"
Darwin at the close OF his life de-
clared that the beginning of all things
was mystery insoluble by u.s." Evo-
luton simply attempts to explain a
process. According to the evolution
ary hypothesis all that we see was
evolved from invisible germs of life.
or, as Prof. McClung describes it. from
the simple CELL" Darwin began with
one or a few germs-modestly recog-
nizing that he could not be accurate
In his count when he looked bac,,
through the mist of millions OF vears
AZ germs OF life which were invisible.
Accorolng 10 modern evolutionist
VINO happens. unfortunately, to be a
Presbyterian preacher-all the powers
OF man and the brute as well (and.
u TINS Is true, of plants also) are
drawn out by environment. He IL
lustrates this by asserting that the
eye came out in response to light
waves playing upon the skin. This is
ABSURD. OF course, but one becomes
accustomed to absurdties when he
reads the ridiculous guesses advanced
seriously by those who cannot tolerate
the thought of separate creative acts
by an infinite God.
There is no evidence in the plant
world that one species ever came out
OF another or from another. and vet
evolution must be abandoned as an
hypothesis unless it can prove a
change from species to species. The
development of the grain of wheat
into ripened grain is not evolution
u is growth. just as it is growth and
not evolution that brings us the child
and the grown man from a tiny germ
OF life. Growth we see everywhere
but evolution nowhere. The imagina-
ton that enables an evoutionist to
believe that environment brought the
onion and the lily OF the valley, either
one from the other or both from a
parent stock. would be unsafe to use
In the business world. Such an i'm
agination substituted for common
sense would make one the victim of
any confidence man he might chance
to meet.
Back to Mosaic Law:
According to It's Kind!
And yet, II mans powers are drawn
out by environment instead OF being
inherent we must believe that the
onion gets its odor from it's environ
ment instead Of giving it's odor to the
air about it, and that the lily of the
valley is indebted to its environment
for its colors and its fragrance. All
nature supports Moses in announcing
the universal larv that Cod cfannnnd