The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-03-20
CHARLIE JONES AND DARWIN


editor of the Ocala Star have been
together in many hard-fought political
battles and we appreciate the yeoman
service the trenchant pen of the Ocala
editor has accomplished.
The Ocala editor takes issue, how
ever, as relates to the proposition
which has for its intent the elimina-
ton of the teachings of Darwin as re-
lates to the origin of man in our pub
lie schools.
Brother Benjamin insists that OAR
win did not urge that man sprang
from monkeys. Correct per Sc, but
Benjamin admits that he has not
read Darwin.
In the descent of Man." Darwin
does urge that our ancient progeni-
tors in the kingdom of Vertebrate
consisted of a group of marine ami
mails resembling the larvae of the
existing Asicidians, and then pro-
ceeds to suggest a line of descent
leading to the European brand of the
monkey family.
Darwin admits the great impress
sions made upon him by the fact that
the foetus of child cannot be distin-
guished from the foetus of an ape.
+, The works of Darwin would have
little Or no effect on the strong mind
ed as relates to the Supreme Being,
but all men and women are not strong
Notwithstanding Observer.
The further Charlie Jones goes into
this matter, the more he balls him
self up. 1t is time he took pity on
himself and dropped it. Two or three
weeks ago, in behalf of Mr.. Bryan, a
recent importation from Nebraska,
who is trying to break his way thru
the laws of our state into the Senate,
Charlie said Darwin shouldn't be
/ taught in the public schools because
Darwin taught that men were de-
scended from monkeys. The Star ven-
tured to correct Charlie, who probab-
ly having received information from
some educated person, says that the
Star is correct "per Sc" which means
"by itself considered" "but Benja-
min admits he hasn't read Darwin"
If the Stars statement is correct,
"by itself considered" why should
Ianything else be considered, and what
differen does it make whether Ben
jamin has read Darwin Or not?
Now, Benjamin hasn't admitted he
hasn't read Darwin, for he has read
some of Darwin's works, and this is
another proof of the careless way
Charlie Jones carries on some of his
arguments. In what we have written
on this subject we have not admitted
we hadn't read Darwin, nor claimed
we had, for what we have read of
that scientists words was so long ago
that we do not care to trust to our
memory to quote from it. And since
Mr.. Jones says that we are "per se'
correct, there is no further need to
argue that point.
But the theory of evolution as ap-
piled to the studies in the higher
schools of America and Europe doesn't
rest entirely on the teachings of OAR
win. 1t began many years before
Darwin was born, and all he did was
to throw further light on it. Bryan
and Charlie Jones are going to root
it out of education about like their
Ico-laborer, Wilbur Voliva of Zion City
is going to prove that the world is
flat.
| Charlie probably thinks he has the
matter cinched when he speaks of
Darwin being impressed by the fact
that the foetus of an ape so strongly
resembles that of human child. We
don't remember this assertion of OAR
wins, but as it happens to be fact
it was not sin for him to mention
it. We daresay thousands of other
people noted it before Darwin was
born, and some of them were Chris
tian missionaries We heard one of
the employees of Forepaugh's circus
refer to it. 1t is also a well-known
| fact that not only do the skulls of
some of the lower human races re-
semble those of apes, but occasionally
the face of a civilized human being
has ape-like features. Whether God
created man and ape, or whether they
evoluted from a primordial germ, this
is true.
Most of the educators we have
known, including a number of college
nrnSidn,,+r hnrrn honr, nr4hndnx Chris