Evening star., 1925-07-20
Kirtley F. Mather

In a statement which traced the ge-
ologic periods. indicating the evolu-
tionary evidences of each, Kirtley F.
Mather, chairman of the Department
of Geology at Harvard University de,
clared. None of these facts is really
in any way disturbing to the adher-
ents of Christianity" The statement
became part of the record of the
trial today.
Mr.. Mather, who is member of the
Baptist church at Newton Center.
Mass. and a teacher of a Sunday
school class, declared:
Not one of these facts contradicts
any teaching of Jesus Christ known
to me. None could, for his teachings
deal with moral law and spiritual
realities. Natural science deals with
physical laws and material results.
When men are offered their choice be-
tween science, with it's confident and
unanimous acceptance of the evolu.
tionary principle on the one hand. and
religion, with its necessary appeal to
things unseen and unproven on the
other they are more likely to abandon
religion than to abondon science.
Sees Churches Lose.
'T such a choice is forced upon us
tho churches Twill lose many of their
best educated young people. the very
ones upon whom they must depend for
leadership in the coming years. For
tunately such a choice is absolutely
unnecessary. To say that one must
choose between evolution and Christi
anity is exactly like telling a child as
he starts for school that he must
choose between spelling and arith-
metic.
Thorough knowledge Of each is
essential to success-both individual
and racial-in life.
Although it is possible to construct
a mechanistic evolutionary hypothesis
which rules God out of the world, the
theories of theistic evolution held by
millions of scientifically trained
Christians and women led inevitably
to a better knowledge of God and
firmer faith in his effective presence
in the world
"For religion is founded on facts,
even as is the evolutionary principle.
A true religions faces the facts fear
lessly regardless of where or how
the facts may be found. The theories
of evolution commonly accepted in the
scientific world do not deny any in
depreciation of the stories of the
divine creation as recorded in the
Bible, rather they affirm that story
anu give IL larger dIlu IIiOIc piOlOulu
meaning.
Always a Bible Student.
This, OF course, depends upon what
the meaning and Interpretation Of the
stories are to each individual. I have
been a Bible student all of my life and
ever since my college days have been
intensely interested with the relations
between science and the Bible.
1T is obvious to any careful and
intelligent reader of the Book Of Gene
sis that some Interpretation of its
account must be made by each indi-
vidual. Very evidently 1t is not in
tended to be scientific statement of
the order of method Of creation
Discussing the two versions of the
creation given in tn first and second
chapters of Genesis Mr.. Mather. said
there is an Obvious lack of harmony
between these two biblical accounts
of creation so far as details of process
and order of events are concerned.
They are, however, in perfect accord
in presenting the spiritual truth that
God is the author and the administra-
tor-a universe"
THE Bible does not state that the
world was made about 5000 years ago.
concerning the length Of early
history the Bible is absolutely silent.
Science may conclude that the earth
is a hundred million or hundred bill
lion years old, the conclusion does not
affect the Bible in the slightest de-
gree"