EVOLUTION

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 104, 29 October 1925, Page 18

EVOLUTION

THE MODERN CONCEPTION

SMOOTHING OUT FUNDAMENTAL THEORIES

Unfortunately, ninny people have a deep-rooted conviction that Darwin, in his classical work on "The Origin of iS'pecies," appeared to have almost dispensed with a Creator, or at lenst thrown him back into, the infinite past. Such an erroneous conception is vigorously refuted by the contributors to a new work on this subject entitled "Evolution in the Light of' Modern Knowledge," states tuo Melbourne "Age." Thirteen of the greatest thinkers in the world give their opinions and criticisms on the problem ot man's ancestry, and the whole question, is admirably discussed within the comparatively small compaas of some five hundred pages.'The publishers, Blackie and Son, .Ltd., have made au attempt to supply a much-felt want, because this book is a recent and authoritative statement on the doctrine of ovolution, which successfully smoothes the ground after the general upheaval of fundamental theories which has occurred during the List few years. This valuable work is not an exposition of the Darwinian theory, or of any other particular theory for that matter, it is rather an aid to the saner interpretation of all theories, as considered in the light of modern thought. It is by no means a sensational dissertation on men and monkeys. Handled by lesser men the book would probably have set more problems than it solved, for "the range of subjects is so great. Evolution; in its relation to cosmogony; geology, 'biology/ ,b°tany, physiology, anthropology, : the mind, physics, and chemistry, philosophy and, maybe, most important of all, to the layman, religion, receive studied consideration. Indeed, the volume contains a 'mass of material and information which is almost remarkable.

In a dexterous and fearless manner Dr. J. M. Wilson, Canon of Worcester, deals with the religious effect of the idea of evolution. Teh bigotry of yesterday, which to some extent survives to-day, is trenchantly criticised by this student of theology and science. Evolution, he contends, is to a large number of people a great and still unappreciated factor in guiding man's reason in quest of truth. Furthermore, the idea of evolution, besides adding appreciable to the know-' ledge of God's relation to Nature, lias immensely extended the conception of the scope of human experience and duty, and incidentally has aided people in their interpretation of it. In a striking manner does this author deal with the effect of evolution on soteriology. The fact that evolution is now approaching the citadel of the Christian faith must be fearlessly faced. He takes the view that in approaching thus, evolution should be welcomed as a reinforcement to the gallant 'defenders of tho Christian faith.

Discussing evolution as an aid to the more complete appreciation of the Supreme Being, he asks, "What was He?" and answers thus, "The Saviour of every age is too great to be perfectly understood in any age." But all the time the process of evolution continues, helping each age to approach nearer and nearer the true ideaj of Christian endeavour. The illuminating effect of the idea of evolution on present orthodox theology is bravely and reverentially discussed. In a striking passage he admits that the evolution of man from lower forms of life was in itself a new and startling fact, and one that broke up the old theology. Ho continues thus :—"I and my contemporaries, however, accepted it'as a fact. The first and obvious result of this acceptance was that we were compelled to regard the Biblical story of the Fall as not historic. . We were compelled to regard thai, story as a primitive attempt to account for the presence of sin and evil in tho world." Subsequently, he observes, that as an historic event, the Fall, not sin, was excluded and denied by science. It is, perhaps, not yet clear what view of the origin of sin will finally result from the acceptance of" a gradual emergence of the human from the animal, but, in his opinion, the old view is gone for ever. In that section dealing with evolution and continued life after death, is found the following noteworthy passage :—"To be a whole-hearted evolutionist is, in a word, not inconsistent with either the habits or hopes of religion, with prayer and worship, with effort to so study the Bible as to think of God and man more I and more as Christ taught, and to act accordingly; nor is it inconsistent with widely diverse intellectual and spiritual temperaments."