Evening star., 1924-11-15
SOUL is COMMON TO ALL LIFE.
NOT MANS ALONE, EXPERT SAYS
Dr. HroLicka Declares Descent of Humans From
Lo,cer Creatures Ciues Right to Aspire Denied
by Biblical Creation.

That intangible conception known
as the soul" II it is to be subjected
10 scientific analysis. cannot be re-
stricted to man alone, but must ex-
tend down the whole scale of life.
varying only in degree with the les
sening of mind. DIR. Ales Hrdlicka,
head of the department of anthropol-
ogy of the Smithsonian Institution,
said yesterday in the fourth Of a
series OF lectures in which he is pre-
senting evidence tending to establish
The evolutionary origin Of the human
race.
DR.. Hrdlicka's lecture yesterday
was devoted to an impartial but elo-
quent application of the theory OF
evolution to religion. He maintained
that the evidence that man is derived
from lower forms Of life not only does
not undermine religion. but tends TO
place all churches Oh a hrmer foun-
datior.
= Know Soul Exists.
Those of US who have loved and
lost.'i Ire said, know the soul exists
1t is a faith beyond science. But
when we come to an actual knowl-
edge of it there is little to be said
1t is impossible to discover any def
:ng. from conception TO death. when
line can be drawn on one side of
which there is no soul and on the
other side of which there is soul. In
the scale Of life itself there is no
definite point at which it can be said
that the soul begins to exist. What
ever soul may be, it must exist in
proportion to mind throughout ma
turc."
DR.. Hrdiicka pointed out that among
human beings themselves there are
recognized essential differences in
souls "A great statesman or artist
being referred to as "a great SOUL
whereas a criminal or an idiot Is con-
sidered practically 'souless"
The lecturer considered the influence
II evolution upon religion in this ia sh-
ion
Analysis OF Religion.
All religions, Christian or otherwise,
consist OF three fundamental elements
faith, belief or dogma and moral code.
The theory Of evolution cannot effect
faith which in its Very substance can
not be relegated by reason or lessened
by knowledge OF change. Faith as dis
tinsuished from dogma and moral code
is 4 matter pure,y OF religion and not
Il science. Hundreds of dogmas which
were held almost sarred b. churches
nave been destroyed by science In the
past, and no" are universally recog-
ni1cd 10 have been wrong. but the faith
- 10 church has suffered Such reyo-
'utionarv changes as proof that the
earth revolveS around the sun rather
than the sun around the earth, that the
historical chronology of the Bibe Is
Nrolis, that the stars are not holes in
tne SIX. but milliore OF wor ds as big
Ir han
no universal deiuge, or that living beings
nave Inhabited the world far earlier
than credited in Scripture have left
faith unaffected. This despite the fact
mat they all caused great alarm when
hrst promulgated. as, for instance, the
tatenent that the world moves around
the sun for Wh:cn Gallileo was near:y
ourned at the stake.
Duxma Open to Chanxe.
Eelicf OF dogma always is open 20
'hanse through new knowledge. No
.hurGh will admit wanting to hold
oo.trines which can be proved un-
true II can be positively prov ed
that the earth moves around the sun.
therefore ii would be suicidal for any
c,'urch to maintain that the sun
moves around the earth. Il would be
equally suicidal for any church to
hoid that man is the product of a
special creation If it can be prov ed
positively that he Is the product of
evolution. Religious colleges such as
Geo. SetoWn, DR.. Hrdlicka said. are
spending great deal Of money and
effort IN the study of astronomy and
attempt to discover new stars, yet
only few centuries ago it was con-
trary 10 all human knowledge that
there were any new stars. Churches s
always must abandon dogma for new
facts. There can be only two kinds
of belief-in what is true or in what
is not true.
The moral codes of al, churches are
merely rules as to wha; is generally
considered right behavior-that is,
Vidual and to the society in which
he lives. All such codes must be
based on knowledge Of facts. If the
facts are false. then the moral codes
will dictate behavior which will not
De advantageous in many instances.
Pride In Descent.
II is degrading for man to have
descended from lower animals such
as monkeys? Between man and the
highest OF the apes there is tre-
mendous gap which is filled or to be
filed with the superprimates who
were the precursors and probable
actual ancestors of man. aspiring
creatures who made great progress
over seemingly unsurmountable diff
Culties. Man has more reason to be
proud of them than to jump to con-
CluSionS by watching some disgusting
antics OF monkeys at the zoo and
throwing aside with contempt the
idea that he could have descended
from such creatures.
If man was created by the Divinity
out of the dust, then the creation was
imperfect because man is Imperfect
Sin, depravity and pain can be con-
sidered in that event only as defects
in the handiwork of the Almighty or
otherwise man must come to the con-
clusion that God intended him to be
defective. If such was the intent Of
God is it not sin to try to change
his handiwork? Are not eugenics
hygiene, even the applicat ton Of pre-
ventive and curative medicine con-
trary to the will Of God and sinful?
Is not everything sinful except utter
stagnation. especially any aspiration OF
man to improve the lot which God or
dained for him at creation?
License to Aspire.
The theory that man is evolved
from some lower form of life, on the
other hand. gives him a license for
all conceivable efforts to improve
himself and the world in which he
lives. 1t gives him a tradition Of
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