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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1877)
t&imm tiv"-'"--pp 101 Daiiwinism. I! t I . li t. i 'i m Ho paused a moment, ami then ex claimed aloud, "I'll do it! I'll bo a mini!" and then walked on briskly home wnnl. SYLVIJSTKlt. (to bo continued.) JDAItWIITISM. To the question, ""Whence camo l?" various answers have been proposed; but apart from the explanation given in the Scriptures none have so many advocates as the Darwinian theory; natural selec tion, and the survival of the liltest. Mr. Darwin has laboriously collated facts bear ing on this subject; and spent the greater part of his life attempting to establish his theory. He brings out many points that might be construed to support it. But Prof. Agnssiz, the greatest naturalist the world has ever produced, says they can be accounted for by the Scriptural explana tion far better than by the other. "When Mr. Darwin comes to a difllculty he ac knowledges it, and promises to dispose of it; but while multiplying words, he dexterously slips around, promising to re turn n it again; but he generally forgets lo return, or if he does, it is only to re mark that lie has disposed of it in a pre. vious chapter. In discussing this ques tion, I do not propose to consider its re llgious bearings; for Mr. Darwin claims ilutt his views arc in perfect harmony with tint .vords of Revelation; in fact, he thinks it would be ascribing greater glory to Deity, and much more honor to man, t know the first had conceived of such a development, and the second could boast of so long a line of ancestors. Mr. Darwin assumes the truth of his hypothesis, then advances his arguments to support it. In this way, he deceives many who do not take the trouble to ex amine closely. A man by assuming the truth of what he wishes to prove, then bringing in what proof suits him, can make almost anything appear plausible. Mr. Darwin starts out by begging the sympathies of his readers, in the same way that so many men do, if they have some pet theory to bring before the pub lic. He says, "I expect to be abused, for so have been the discoverers of all great truths; and the immortal Galileo is their standing illustration. They forget the thousands of absurd things that so-called scieutillc men have advanced, which, when weighed in the scales of common sense, are found wanting. Mr Darwin was untiring in his re searches through the animal kingdom, for proof in support of his views. He draws the same conclusions from entirely differ ent grounds. If he finds the female the most beautiful, it is on account of natural selection, if the male presents the finer appearance, it is on account of the survi val of the fittest. Thus lie goes through all the changes of nature, accounting for the losing of one organ and modifying of another. lie tells us that the reason man has lost the power of moving his ears as his early progenitors did, i that as he be came more! civilized, he lost all fear, and did not have to use his cars in hunting food, after the manner of his ancestors. According to this theory, it is difficult to tell why our American Indians should have lost the power over their ears; or if a delicate lady were as nervous as a mule I presume she would have as large cars, and have as much control over them as Mr. Darwin's ideal mulish ancestor. The monkey, he says, by the constant use of its front feet, transformed them into hands; but he docs not explain why it s that the same animal, with a prehensile tail which it constantly uses, does not de velop t lint into a third hand. Mr. Darwin examines comparative anat omy, and finding the animal in some of its parts resembling the humau frame, he IhiiiKs it is conclusive evidence that they have a common origin. We might with equal propriety argue, because the earth is round, and the knob on a bed-post is round, therefore the earth was once a bed post; or a whecl-barrow is an embryonic sewing-machine, because they botli have wyffflpw