The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
BRYAN SPEAKS
 ON EVOLUTION
Visits Birmingham And Delivers Lectures In First Method
 ist Church

There has never been a greater need in the world for Christ than there Is now." William Jennings Bryan told about 2,O00 people at the First Meth odist church Thursday afternoon: For while we do not fear the so-called modern viewss we do fear the under mining influence which their teaching hAs affected. In our fight we are battling for the very foundations of our church and eur religion. "Evolution," was the subject upon which MT. Bryan spoke.
 We have been attacked at times, Mir. Bryan said at the beginning of his talk, lon the misrepresentation that Ne are destroying harmony within the church. This is falsity as are many of the other statements made against us.- We are merely defending our church and our bible fromtthe attacks that have been made against them. There can be no reconciliation be- tween modernism and funda damentalism tn the church.
 Churct's Enemies
 Our most staunch foe in the sub ject is the scientist who bases the Ina jority of his claims upon what he terms in hypothesis. The correct def milton of a hypothesis is guess and we do object to undermining our religious beliefs with guesses.
 '4The hypothesis of the evolution tether so that it is nots possible to tegetable matter-that we all orig hated from two small germs. Evolu- ton is fefined as deliberation. They ny they could prove the theory if t did not cover such a long period. They seldom do anything in less than units of millions of years"
 Germ Theory
 'In answer to this germ theory I will give an old argument and one which has been furnished by branch of science itself-chemistry. Chemistry isolates all matter into atoms and after years of investigation they have never been able to find even trace of a connecting link between atoms"
 The law of nature, Mir. Bryan said, was not in progression but in retro gression |. Saying, for the sake of ||arugment. htat the evolytionist is right, |then we would be able to find millions |of examples of connection between all Vegetable and animal matter, but no scientist has ever been able to do this"
 Modernism
 The effect of the teachings of mod |ernism is most noticeable in colleges land educational institutions, he stated. There has been great deal of evil Idence in our larger schools of the moulding of young men mad women to falss beliefs through the modern" in- etruction of the scientists. We have examples of college presidents who ||openly defend these views and in most rnstitutions if it comes to a question |of religion and science they tell you |to discard your religion"
 Most scientists are supreme in their |own judgment. They would convert the |Imilitant church into group of dissap- pointed Christians"
 No Conflict S
 MT. Bryan declared the war was not ||wfth all scientists but i've are fight Ing those who think they are" 'sThere should be no conflict between true hcientific teaching and Christianity" During his talk MT. Bryan confined |bf religion. Only; once iiitfsa political Ihngle enter. In speaking of the scien- Fist he said:
 "I do not have to respect a scientist Just because he is scientist, no more khan I have to respect statesman no matter how much oil is on him."
 The lecture, which is one of a, series Mr. Bryan is delivering through the bouth, was his second one, of the day ht- the church. In the morning he kpoke on "He Callethe Me" dealing largely with religions teachings and Fhe bible. He left for Florida in the