AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 202, 28 August 1888, Page 2

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

A ! of the Auckland Institute watt held l&tft evening in'the Museum building, Princes street. There was v fair attendance, amongst those present" being Beveral ladies, and Professor A. P. Thomas presided. New Member. -. MrE. Bell was announced as having been elected a member of the Institute. ~..-; ': '^::, ■:'■■-. -.; .^ , , ■ . Donations.—Tne list of donations since last meeting wero read as Lllows:—Centennial, medal of New: So^th. Wales, Kew South WileV Government; 'eliiri of dabchick, Messrs Hellaby Bros, f silver ore from' Waihi, Mr S. T. George; silicified wood, Mr T.l<i)WhitejS fossil from; Ohoeawai, Bay of Islands, MrW. Fidler. Dabwinisw Testkj) «y. Logic. *—A paper on this subject was read by Dr. Bakewell. Ho wished it to be understood that, though he did not accept the doctrine of evolution. «s laid down by Darwin and others, be would not propound any definitp theory of his own.' Bfo lamented the obstinacy with which tliQ generality of people clung to the Darwinian theories "and refused to bear any argurneutsjagainst tlieir dogma. ■ Bbt though he could not oelievein the idea of his dligcoiit from an anthropomorphous ape, ho would still much ratiher,be the remote descendant "of that animal thaw of some individuals lie I knew. (LauKhter.) After referring to the Ih-Bb 6tage.4 of animal life, Dr* Bakewell attacked the, deductions made, and the manner in which Darwin and hjs followers Bought to trace the origin of man, and the i;theory, of the frequent and apparently causeless change of the natural qualities of simple tiubstances, He cited instances witlun hU own obsetvation to support his argument that thp change ofquality and nature in «peoies was exceedingly slow and gradual, and thatin many eases no chango took place for thousands of generations, or noneat all. Thoy were asked td take the statement of tho ohangq of species on faith, and Verily in this at any rate faitih waa "the substance of things;not seen." JDr. Balieweli read several extracts from various authors bearing on his remarks, ixhd gave numerous instances af tho" qircularroaSoning" indulged in by Darwin and others. He protested against the action of ovptu-■ tionists in thrusting": their unproved hypo- ■; I theses upon the public mind, ted refusing i jto listen to or attempt to reply to al'gu-1 raontfl against them. In conclusion, he J might say that his large o.xperionce of the fleeting nature of all kinds iof theories not founded on solid facts had caused him to becbnioin a greatmeasura sceptical in[scientific matters, anrt his 6cientili,c creed might be embodied in the woll-known formula, ""rhere'e nothing new, aticl thero's nothing1 true, and'it doesn't very much matter," -*ThO Preside Jit; Said that he thoroughly agreed with Dt. Bakeiyell when he Bald that nothing could injure the cause of scienco more than " dogma," for they had not yeb got to end of all knowledge, and theories were constantly .undergoing qhange. : Nevertheless ho sincerely hoped that DrJ Bftkewell's professed BCientinc creed would not bq adopted by others, for Various reasons which Jie.gaye. lie: thought the doctor was a little hard Upon evoliitioiiists and biolot/isis in general when he said that they refused to listen to the voice of argument in opposition to their own. views. The speaker took bbjeetibh to several points in Dr. 'BaUewell's paper, particularly the latter's view on tho aubjecfc of boiling »s a, iheans of killing tho germ of lif6,- and his asserted belief that great changes in species were very rare and gradual, if indeed they took place at all. Several other members also spoke on the subject of the paper, and Dr. Bakewell briefly replied. Before tho meeting concluded the President announced thab the next meeting of the Institute would be held on September 10th t ■ when a pa per woulcl be read by himself, en titled '" Micro-organisms, and their power on everyday life."