Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-04-27
PASTOR SPEAKS
ON EVOLUTION
THEOLOGICAL KHAN WOULD
SILENCE ALL MODERN
THINKERS

Eve believe that it is infinitely no.
bier TO have risen even from the cave
and the jungle than to have fallen
from Eden; better to have developed
from lower life, to have started at
the bottom of the ladder and worked
up than to have fallen to the base;
better to have the Golden Age ahead
of us than behind; better to be on the
road to perfection than rushing to
perdition. Evolution shows man with
the roots of his life struck deep into
the soil of the eternity past, and at
last giving grounds for the hope that
his life shall go on continually un-
folding in the light and air of eterni-
ty to come"
In this unequivocal way did the
Rev. VIM. ]. Taylor pastor of the
First Universalist church, express his
convictions regarding evolution on
Sunday last when he spoke to a good
congregation on "The Twentieth Cen
tury Mans Attitude Toward Mr.. Bry-
ans Attack Upon Evolution"
Some time ago, the Hon. VIM. J.
Bryan gave an address in this city
in which he made an attack upon the
theory of Evolution and condemned
in the seyerest terms all who held
such a view" Rev. Taylor said "And
since then, he has been addressing nu-
merous clubs, Y. Nj. c. AS churches
and legislatures, telling them that
many professors in high schools and
colleges are teaching evolution and
that therefore, they should be imme-
diately driven ont and other instruct
orS, closer to his own reactionary
thought, be given their places
| No Question of Sincerity
"No one can question Mr.. Bryan's
sincerity. | had the honor of being
one of the local committee to receive
him and | consider him a man of
high motive and earnest zeal He
believes that evolution has worked
seriously toward unbelief, separated
churches from educational systems
and destroyed the enthusiasm of
| young men for the ministry as we'll as
weakened the evangelistic spirit"
| Rev. Taylor related Mr.. Bryan's eff
fort to make it a statutory offense in
Florida to teach any other than the
Biblical story of mans origin on earth,
and his characterization of DR.. Birge,
president of the University of Wiscon-
sin, as an atheist because the latter
would not repudiate modern scien-
tific teachings about the Bible.
| In a word, it is evident to those
who are on the ramparts that there
has been organized in the country at
large, a theological Ku Klux Klan,
whose .axowed object is to brow-beat
and terroriZe into silence all modern
thinkers who differ or dissent from
their conception of modern science,
the Bible, God and Christ.
| Want Monopoly
These reactionaries are of the same
temper as their predecessors were in
heresy hunting. They would suppress
all searchers for truth, and would set
themselves up as having. a monopoly
upon all soudces of all truth and
enlightenment. They would meet ar
gument with accusation; contradic-
ton with contempt; confront facts
with force; deny assertion by prohib-
iting speech. They represent in our
day the spirit of Philip of Spain and
Bloody Mary of England. They
will not run the risk of possible
falsehood dying natural death. They
are out to give it an ecclesiastical
hanging.
What do they want to do? What is
their aim?' continued Mr., Taylor
"They wish us to return to the faith
of our fathers, to the belief that the
world was created 5000 years ago, on
February 23rd at $3.50 in the after
noon
"They seem to overlook the fact
that this old point of view has already
alienated tens of thousands of think
ing men and women from the church.
es and that there are an increasing
number who never now darken the
doors of the church because they will
not stultify their thought and con-
science by the old and archaic views
OF the past. They do not appreciate
that ninety per cent of the leading
scientists of the world, who have led
and are now leading us to higher
civilization, are believers in evolution.
Service OF Scientists
These scientists are the ones who
explain to us in terms we can UNDER
stand the marvels of the land and sea
and sky. They lead us to appreciate
the development of the races of the
world. They show us the rise of arts,
tools, ethics and the liberties of peo-
Piles. And then they show very beau
tifully that back of all is an adequate
creator of first cause. And they at
tempt in no way to explain all this
phenomena except in the words Of the
text: In the beginning
Simply stated the theory of evolu-
tion Is that all the higher species of
live have developed from one or a
few lower forms of life, that man
through long ages, has gradually as
cended the scale of life until the
present hour and that even now with
all his understanding and knowledge,
he is only fairly started. upon his
glorious journey. Opposed to this be-
lief is that theory held by Bryan and
his group, which is known as Special
Creation. The thought is that the
earth and all that it contains was
called into being by single creative
word or touch, as / said, about 5000
years ago. The entire world was fin
ished in six days. Each species of an
imal, creeping, walking or flying, was
called into being as we find it today
by some special word or act Of God.