Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/267

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SEVENTH DAY'S PROCEEDINGS
263

of the teacher the situation has more than academic interest.

Evolution has been generally accepted by the intellectually competent who have taken the trouble to inform themselves with an open mind. The following letter was written in response to a request to state his position, it having been alleged that he was not a believer in organic evolution:

"Washington, D. C.,
"August 29, 1922.

"My dear Prof. Curtis:

"May it not suffice for me to say, in reply to your letter of August 25th, that, of course, like every other man of intelligence and education, I do believe in organic evolution. It surprises me that at this late date such questions should be raised.

Sincerely yours,
"WOODROW WILSON."

Prof. W. C. Curtis,

Columbia, Mo.

In view of all the facts, may we not say that the present storm against organic evolution is but an expression of malign influences of prejudice and ignorance, hostile to what we may envision is the high destiny of our western world.


By Prof. Horatio Hackett Newman,
Zoologist, University of Chicago.


(Biography—He was dean of the colleges of science at that university for nearly seven years, having charge especially of premedical and medical students. He has been teaching zoology since 1898. He received his bachelor's degree at McMaster university, and his doctor's degree at Chicago university. He has memberships and fellowships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Zoologists, etc. He has attracted widespread attention in the scientific world by his studies of experimental embryology and in other zoological subjects. He was among the earliest in this country to organize large classes in various universities for the study of evolution and heredity. His publications include many technical monographs and the following books: "Evolution, Genetics and Eugenics;" "Vertebrate Zoology;" "Outline of General Zoology;" "The Biology of Twins;" "The Physiology of Twinning.")

The evolutionist stands for and believes in a changing world. Evolution is merely the philosophy of change as opposed to the philosophy of fixity and unchangeability. One must choose between these alternate philosophies, for there is no intermediate position; once admit a changing world and you admit the essence of evolution. The particular courses of change or the causes of any particular kinds of change are matters that the expert alone is in a position intelligently to discuss. We know with certainty some few things about the course of evolution, and we believe that we have discovered some important phases of the mechanism of evolution, but these are controversial matters and in no way effect the question as to the validity of the principle. Whether or not evolution may lay claim to rank as a law of nature depends upon the strength, the coherency and the abundance of the so-called evidences of evolution.

The Nature of the Proof of Organic Evolution.

There are two distinct types of evidences of evolution, one of which has to do with changes that have occurred during past ages, the other with changes that are going on at the present time. The evidences of changes that have taken place in the remote past must, in their very nature, be indirect and to some extent circumstantial, for there are no living eye-witnesses of events so far removed from the present and there are no documentary records written in human language. Records of past events are written, however, for him who has learned the language, in the rocks, in the anatomical details of modern species, in the development of animals and plants, in their classification, and in their geographical distribution, past and present. Evidences that species are