MAN'S “COUSIN”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12529, 15 April 1935, Page 7

MAN'S “COUSIN”

PROTEST AGAINST "TEACHING OF EVOLUTION. SPECIAL CREATION PLEADED'. A resolution protesting against the continued teaching of the theory of evolution in the schools, colleges, and pulpits of Great Britain, and the Dominions, on the ground that it was not established as a scientific truth, was carried with few dissentients at a meeting held in London recently. The meeting had been organised .by the Evolution Protest Movement for this purpose. Sir Ambrose Fleming presided, and a number of messages from scientists, ministers ,nnd busines men were received. Sir Ambrose said that the discoveries of ..fragments of skeletons in and after 1891 gave new impetus to the discussion of the' Darwinian theory, and it hegan to be expounded as a definitely ascertained truth that the human race was a direct development from animal ancestors, and not a "-special' creation. The theory was distorted till the general public believed that men were descended from monkeys, though a competent naturalist would have put it that men and anthropoid apes had a common ancestor. The Darwinian theory had been forced on public attention in such a fashion as to create a belief that it was a. settled scientific truth. Objections to it were treated as though they were the result of ignorance or bigotry, and the '.fact that many eminent naturalists did' not agree with Darwin’s theory was generally accepted. “NEAR RELATION’’ The effect on the minds of young people and non-scicntifie older' people had been to confirm the opinion that the difference between the man on the ape was merely one of degree, and this belief was enforced by crude pictures in .'.many publications showing the gorilla and the chimpanzee as “man’s c-ousin or near relation.” The intercnce among people young and old was that of their personal existence, like that of ani,ended with cieath, and that they must therefore get as much material pleasure as possible out of life. If there had been no Creation .it was unnecessary to assume the existence of a Creator; ' the chief basis for all religion was taken away and mortality reduced to more expediency. “Many competent and careful thinkers are agreed,” Sir Ambrose said, “that this evolutionary philosophy prepared the way for the Great War by instilling into the minds of the German nation, under the influence of such writers so •Nietzsche, the belief that force was the great source of progress, that the prizes of life should go to the strong and that the weak must be exterminated.” NIGHTMARE-LIKE PICTURES. Sir Ambrose showed slides of tho fragmentary skulls of prehistoric man and pictures .from magazines that reconstructed the skulls and clothed them with flesh. “We protest,” he said, “against this one-sided teaching of the animal origin of man by imaginary or nightmare-like pictures which attach importance merely to certain similarities in hones, body and blood, and the behaviour, bub ignore altogether immense actual or potential dissimilarities, mental or spiritual, ffe til so condemn that- collateral doctrine which asserts that the human , soul •or mind is nothing but the brain in operation and perishes with it.” They arguments of Darwinian anthropologists were defective, and did not give the pnof they assumed. There was no justification for broadcasting this theory of the ape origin of man to schools and children. A large number of thoughtful persons thought it was pf , national importance to try to counteract the effects oif his reckless and fndiscriminate popularisation of the theory. Captain Bernard Ackworth, R.N., one of the founders o fthe movement, objected to the theory that progress in human affairs was inevitable. He believed half our present troubles were due to that theory. Mr Douglas Dewar, who has published many scientific hooks, said that if evolution wore true it should he possible to prove it, hut no evidence had been found to indicate that any one type r.f fauna or flora had been changed into its successor. The .Rev. W.. Talbot Hind ley, headmaster of Seafood College, like several other speakers, strongly condemned the teaching of evolution ns a proved scientific truth to hoys in public schools and young men at universities. “If you are going to take away from the boys of England the rook of God’s word aiVd the inviolability of God’s Christ on the build, God help England,” he enid.