The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-24
PEOPLES FORUM
Darwin pldn,t sar It

As' daily reader of The Age Herald I am glad to see you take the stand on the evolution ques- ton, which Is very much alive, that you do, of course, on ewho Is capable of editing B great news paper as The Age Herald is could not take any other view of the matter than what you do. What does the word "Evo1ution" mean7 The Universal Dictionary Bays 1t is Development or growth; the movement of troops in marching or on the battlefield; the extrao- ton of roots of any Rrithmetical or RlgebrRicRl power; the gradual development or descent of forms of life from simple or lower or gsnized types consisting of a sin gle cell"
 Now what is 1t that the distin- suished gentleman that introduced this wonderful bill in the Alabama legislature Is seeking2 Surely he cannot wish to eliminate those fundamental principles which are the prime factors in our whole process of education. Can he ask that the teachings of development or growth shall be stricken from the curricula; can he ask that the teachings of the movement of troops or the marching on the field; that the extraction of roots of arithmetical or algebraical powers; or that we shall no longer teach the descent of life? If he ask that evolution" be stricken from the curricula of the schools, then that is what he will have to ask for, for he will have to get his definition of what evolution" Is from some stand ard dictionary, and they will give approximately what I have given here. If this bill which Is to pro- hibit the teahing of evolution" doesn't specify any definite thing, or any definite branch of "evolu- tion," then what are we going to know to exclude in our teachings? l don't think that any sane man would ask for the elimination of the teachings of evolution" if it is to involve all that the diction- ary says that evolution" is Now, if the gentleman Is just wanting to introduce a bill which will pro-
  thinking that, or saying that he | is the direct descendant of a monkey, then all right. I don't | think that there is an eyolutlonist | living or any of those who have | lived that would object to that.
 The luscious grape that the gen | tleman sometimes has for break | fast, possibly, Is a direct result | of "evolution;" the fine Ben Davls or Virginia Beauty apple is a process of "evolution," from a bunch form of grass that first was known in Old Mexico; the fine | Poland China, Berkshire, Duroc, l etc, are the direct results of a process of evolution" Then take | the fine Aberdeen Angus, the | Hereford, the Guernsey and the | Jersey cow, they are direct results | of a process of revolution" This | is also true of the fine Percheon i draft horse and ever yother | branch of the horse family, draft, | saddle and harness. Perhaps that | Is not the part that is objected to. | It is the part that teaches that | man is the descendant of the ape. l Well, I am a graduate from one | of the best colleges in the South, | taking general science, and never had that taught to me. have | taken advance courses in physiol- ogy, psychology and sociology, and | haven't seen yet where there Is | any proof that we are akin to the | monkey. I have read Darwin and | regard him as one of the greatest |
 
 known; I have real Huxley and | others, but I fall to find where | they say that man is the direct | descendant of the monkey. In l fact, you can always be safe In | knowing that a man has not read | Darwin, Huxley or any other au- thority on the subject when he | makes such claims. But, of course, | everybody that knows anything at | all knows that we are very differ ent from the men of the earliest | periods of the inhabited earth. l | have taught in the state of Ala bama for ten years and I never | did teach anyone that they are | descended from a monkey; I was educated in Alabama and I never had any such taught me. I feel | after taking the work of general | science and also in pursuing some of the courses along that very line | in advanced or research work | that I am just as much of a Chris tian as I was when I used to say | my evening prayer at my mothers knee. And l am like the gentle man who has introduced this won derful bit of legislation, I would | be highly indignant if anyone was to try to teach my boy that he Is the descendant of a monkey.
 DAN W. HOLLIS. National Sanitorium, Tenn, Aug.
 20, 1923.