The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1925-04-02
PAGE SIX

The Legislature of Tennessee Prohib-
its the Teaching of Evolution in
Her State Schools.
To the Editor of The Republican.
The moral, legal and legislative in
telligence of the great State of Ten
nessee has just enacted a law pro-
hibiting the teaching Of evolution in
the public schools of that State. And
this happened, not in the Dark Ages
of ignorance and superstition, but in
the Twentieth century, after man has
reached the zenith of achievement in
all the arts and sciences and discov-
cred many of natures immutable
laws by which man and the universe
are governed.
South Carolina has always won dis
tinction for being the most illiterate
State in the Union, in average intel
ligence, but it looks now as though
Tennessee would claim her laurels.
Natures changeless laws which
govern gravitation, chemical affinity,
evolution and the other invisible
forces, will not deviate one iota from
their prescribed courses on account of
any Legislative act of Tennessee.
Nothing proves the assininity of
some men and displays their mental
deficiencies like politically trying to
contradict or obstruct any of the fixed
laws of the universe.
The following is just a pen picture
of this lordly man from Tennessee
who feels qualified to re-make his
Maker:
He says, q would have you know,
sir, that l am gentleman"
He is tall, lean and lanky; yes, and
slouchy. He wars long and unkempt
hair and whiskers badly stained by
tobacco juice and much discolored by
nicotine. He can squirt tobacco juice
further and hit the target better than
any other man outside of Kentucky.
He speaks the profane language flu
emily but the Queens English he mu-
tilates terribly. He carries pint of
moonshine on one hip and a revolver
on the other and usually had rather
shoot his man than have an argument.
He seldom wears a collar and never
wears a vest; eats with his knife,
drinks from his saucer, gurgles his
soup and picks his teeth at the table
He claims to be a direct descendant
of the Adamic man who was made
pure and perfect, but innocent and ig-
norant by one impulse of the Deifc
will. But his desire for knowledge
caused his fall and became a crime
that has cursed innocent humanity
ever since.
The Adamic man began life in Par
adise with all natures lavish and
bounteous resources at his command,
but in his ignorance he knew not how
to use them. Ignorance caused the
Adamic man to fall from Paradise to
perdition.
The natural man was found in the
wilderness, naked but unafraid. He
ate ali the nuts, berries and apples he
desired and found that experience
was his teacher. He discovered ma
lures laws and learned how to use
her forces for his uplift He found
that life was an ascent and that he
could climb, slough off his animal
chrysalis and rise to manhood's top
most heights-moral mental and spir-
itual He had his backsets, but never
had fall"
From the ape he has grown to be
an Aristides and Aristotle, a Shakes
peare and an Edison, and he is still
growing wiser and better as time
rolls on.
But this gentleman from Tennessee
has so much false vainglorous pride
in pedigree that he can not acknowl-
edge his true ancestor.
To STRAIT at the bottom of anything
and rise to the top is a mark of great
merit and deserves emulation. But
W SIdII WIFI lue t4CueoL luneIlldllCe
on earth, from a state of purity and
perfection and then to land as a state
representative in Tenne- see is deplor-
able, discreditable.
One of the greatest educators we
have ever had said: Nothing keeps
man down but his ignorance" A
knowledge of the truth, wherever it
is found, uplifts and makes men free.
Truth has never hurt any true re-
ligion or kept men from leading lives
of righteousness, but gross ignorance
has led man to the depths of degrada-
ton.
If the legislature of Tennessee
wanted to advertise itself as laugh
ing-stock of the age, it could not have
done better job. F. F. CORLISS.
Oakland, March %, 1925.
FACTS WILL BRING PERMA-
NvJ1ArrT Nm ON