DARWIN CENTENARY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 434, 17 February 1909, Page 11

DARWIN CENTENARY.

. A REVIEW. EVOLUTION AND MODERN THOUGHT. ' lit his ; second, lccture' in London in con- , section * with the Darwin Centtnary, on the influence -of Darwinism on Modern Thought, tho; Rev.-.P. N.'.Wnggottj -MiA.-.(firstclass , ; in- Natural -Science, who has made , .'a'-sjiepinl study .of .biology, said:—••'• . ■■.; i !.;Wo r have considered :tho nature of Dnr//win's/' doctrine? in : /./^.th&ry/^./eTO^ .and wo have'distinguished this latter . th<H>ry from tho .rival. account-' of tho, nuid- , anco ofievolution proposed, by • Lamarck, Spencor," and others , ;.-«,- X'' think -,wo' should, as early as -possible, . > finish our. merely descriptive .work by dofiniiig 'the''nature/ ; or *at least, ///-cfi.tth^'^ntactA^ and religious ideas; and then endeavour to y->. t)ie-'Strength ofthe' scientific, iVidMtrine,•:and.',then/the/.value' -justice: of: ,;..'thpse,!r < e-Btatements.-of: our?conviotions-.which' have ;been mado .from tlio .religious ' point of. view. 'To-night, then, wo shall, endeavour to disi $56Hisfe.tw6/main- elements; in -the; "collision' : iji or >!, I: Jhavey referred' to, and/; begin / the. work of estimate by iiar.&ig sorno of th>> ; ■ .grounds, for belief in' evolution.- Tho-grounds , for.-.belief - in. natural selection will > bo/the subject of the next lectuio. ! And .-.here rlet IT.O say • onco moro. that, .thoughl havo spoken of estimates ■ aud .values',>. our business in this . course is not x-.^pontro descriptive [throughout'.- s Our is to giv'o or recall a prima facie viow of tho' whole h-i matter;?and." such 'a./simpleVacdountr of; term's ■ employed' be; iiseful by way 1 of,.preparation for a year of .Darwinian --dis-- .' cussions. Anything. worthy to be: called a '.' -thorough defence, either of Darwinism 'or of .- religious truth 'in connection with Darwin.siot! of ono or ;.< two lectures, but of the whole course..; i Contact with Religion 1 . < v. i ; How, ~ then, jdoes, tho Darwinian' doctrine of ,tho, development of organisms como into . contact with - religious: ideas • : and with ;KChrMian'tradition great '.; variety'of ..ways, and'we; may say- in /one : word' imost.-. effectively, r-iby .-•■ the 1 in- : 'flnerico: of .Darwin.' upon tho notion's, and . habits - of:. thought, ot 1 tlie . whole modern. ~ world.;.:. But if :ws 'keep to strictly ■ defined • issues and to tho 'most direct kind of in- . fluence,. then I. think" we shall best approach ; ■ the> .description. of; the Darwinian influence of . 1 it, : and two parts; viu:. correspondence, of re- ., -Jigious ; thought.'Darwinian evolution -falls, ;. ot.course, into the two :divisions-of evolution : in, general ( and- naturaliseleotioii : in lparticular;;. religious -thought into. ' these t.wo-^ :'>:Tlieißm^:pr'the;bdief-in;;Gbdi;>aiid\the,parti-.'o cular- statements -of dogmatic or historical Christianity .as given in--'Scripture', and the Creeds. 1 . ' 1 I - - If,;you grant :mo-theso-two pairs.of tlivi-:Bioni;fl!-furtheiFsisubmit^ihat?'itKe^the^ Evolution r.vj-..coiiflio^j"f:iMth®t!iby.; ; ::.or.'i._the.vmost ingenious .with |jngeneral-rrbut. opposed,' . and'-eveii-verj ; manifestly; opposed, to par-; tieular.\statements'.of historical' Christianity; \On tho other :hanil, Theism.'in general., may appear opposed to the particular doctrine of: natural selection. , , ' .-'I . findj ' the: prima facie, or appar- ?: .cqntradiStions'underfthesa'two:'pairsi'flf' opposites-rTheism , .and. .natural i.: selection ;.v.rovealed ■ religion- and tevolution.Tho .with: which 1. start that The-. ! ism, the general . belief lin Almighty God, .. .cannot, be: brought' into contrast with' the. Vt'i?f -.-£6"- sbme.-' rinay-, ;;V: ;hodd'*:..of:*i proof ? oi*--' '':.:1': • must.riot to-day ! giye, time.to.it; and 1 leave ;--t:it^-n with''.'the "Jess;,-.regret'/? bMause^'.rv'belieYp'.. : that ..only deliberdte . reflection , oil any man's rSpart'Ms: needed..;to' show jits".-Jtisticov'i' l -" ■ word , is' required to . guide -that L : :; . Ba1n«ly; ; tinguish .between; foßt^^^®'®nd*bknse'^lffi'B3™le^ , sMhßid«a-' fftiqnfof'questiorikVprtliisikindibelorigs'itoi'the' ■ -general, study., of ,:theistic.?belief, : ratherothan ;. to the;; controversy'; ofi a\'particular:! period, i:, >yihent^hat; ; Kving: v creatures ; ■; as .we -see 4y?-'prpcesses -." . of. growth, •. reproduction,and. change : such- , : .bs, are still .going-cm; 'if it is to. be the sub-' Ki -must bo set :'i; .in V, contrast with if particularstatements of 3_i-"*©,ve^edvjroli^biV:rwliicli ; -.r?ippeat i ri'J^/--:V9htra- ; diet it.:,. Whether "-this can; be; done- roa'soni ably and - with; success . we .; must consider later. , ' -I Tho Argument From Design, cBut tho' theory of, natural 'selection;-ap-pears/ tbUheyjh:;conflict Vwith; ; the::belicf; ; in ;;i: as L this.v;' In- :>;• .^.'K'i !, "™?^^^v?;^V'®®.e'™avi-t^ia€Sobuiit.. ; '.f6r"vth'o'. -guiilanco of. evolution'; for: tho guidance of ~ tho 'world.' It secms v to them—l confess ; -;' .only; for ;]ack..of' sufficient.- re-. ' r^'n^ioiV^as;.^ «• ??!^Hohv* by/;eliminatiohSfilldi the. placo ~of. : mind in -th0,,.w0r1d.., - Fnrtlier, among?»:the . : government of God, Theistic advocaites have ■ -placed..tho argu'ment 'ffom. design. : In this ..argument, which . has : its" general warrant : in/tHe" words-of. St. the existence anO ■,-characfcer :of the" Creator i. is inferred from ' : ;of.' design ;>6r;;';purposo ;ih ...the ..but.'they, have; when most.'exact and-just,, a'.rcil^ubsidiary. .occasions, or^siipportsibfvTheistip':Belief.! : 'At.;,the:: iime: preceding Hthat■ of ;.iDanyiii , s/;-influ'en6e,.;,-the -:J,teleol6gical;;argu'merit'7had,}f.bw^ :. by .Paley in a -very- definite,- and even powor';;;;ful,^.but It depended .upon tho^^':dotection!;6f : ;detaiis'Wbf pf. ; structure'; to\ purpose, and ' upon: our ignorance of any process by which tho "adaptation/ v,' might haro arisen.- Natural ...selection, put. ' : ;i as/; such^a'/prbcess;;^^ adaptation, iwithin tho/ range of • natural to be a .substitute for a Dek therefore'.weakenedZ-'the; argument- from .'design. . . ; .• . : .;. v/Wei/must examine later; the justice of such, a conclusion. Evolution and Natural Selection. I .niust. now try to'slsow, the-strength oil' '; scientific grounds of the theories cf Evolu- ; - < tion.;, an(t.; Natura!' Solcction j - •'••abd ■'to-niglit only!; of Evolution in general. . This order ; of.;! discussion fnay. not seem..:logically- '.or i formally natural, ' but :it is 'psychologically' correct. . Eor a lecture requires for its. completeness persons/who listen to tho-lecture, . and-'Jcaniioti;..expect initeh/;to'.ransider'/carefully.'the speculative fffect of Darwinian • doctrinb unless first they' believe that cloct f:; trine to'.be scientifically i respectable and pro-bahlo-in view of tho facts ;wo: have'- to co- : " Tjio lati'er • half of the lecture was devoted /- to the support of.the theory, 'of Evolution /.;in;;ljying ..-.create /fully/.treated -under the fnllowinj; ' heads:—Tho likeness in unhkeness of all animals and plants; tho j ; "natural", character; generally speaking,' of ; of/classificatipii;/ the.igeolbgical .■/Tecord/arid - the/succession pf/forms in time; : . vßeographical/idistributibn'j'/'the/ fact's, '/of/em- ::/ V.bryqlogyJ'/and/ the partial recapitulaiion. 'of / .descent in /the development; > of: : the v. individual.. //v'/':/'/.'/'-?-'-/'/;■-/ •v ;'Waggett's own standpoint was stated in his first lecture as.follows:— . _ - f.1...am myself., an old-fashioned Darwinist, : believing still ; in tho general prevalence of /..natural selection,'/ believing what -is 'taught , ' by./.-Weissniann arid Wilson,' and'' hot seeing at present' (though 1 1/have; ' / followed the. now studies) any reason for ~/• departing - from :the typical. Darwinian -standpoint." . : - ;- 1 ./ .// ' ".Throw, physio to the "is a course. hat ;; mifjht wisely be pursued by Rheumatic sub' /. jects,, who/injure/themselves by taking trums which profess to relieve-every kind of ill. ;• The only method of Cure for Rheumatism/ Lumbago, Gout, and Sciatica, is to clear the . blood of uric aeid, and RHEUHO i ouroj thousands of sufferers.- • All Chemists and Stores, 2S. Gd.-'and 4s.'Gd.. -,/; ' i ■- For Children's Hacking Cough ■, at night (Voods' Groat Peppermint Cure, le. 6d. and 2a. &L cai.