On this page
- Departments (1)
-
Text (4)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
SATIRICAL POETRY.*
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
Darwinian theory should be considered materialistic more than any other theory , it is as difficult to show as it is easy to assert . Is Dr . Bree presumptuous enough to limit the power of Omnipotence , and affirm that the Deity having- determined to endow a certain class of animals with immaterial souls , could not effect that object except upon the particular pet theory which he , Dr . Bree , delig-hteth to honour with the seal of his adoption ? Many learned and pious men have held that Omnipotence itself cannot accomplish impossibilities involving- positive contradictions , such as undoing-the past , ' and making 1 the same thing be and not be at the same time . ; but we cannot see any more contradiction in the endowment of man . with an immaterial soul , supposing him to have originated accordingto the Darwinian theory , than if he had originated in any other way . Put it broadly : was it more easy for Omnipotence , to which all possible thing's are equally easy , to give man an immaterial soul , if made otit of clay , than if he sprung from the next resemblinganimal type ? It is deserving of notice , as having- apparently escaped all the writers on the subject , that the Mosaical account does not conflict with the indefinite modifiaWlity of man , but on the contrary , agrees Avith it ; for if the human race sprung from Adam and Eve , then the Bushmen , the Hottentot , the Chinese , the Red Indian , the Hindoo , the Aztec , the Negro , the European , in a word , all the different species of men on the face of the earth , must have been developed and differentiated out of one primitive type . What do the anti-Darwinians say to this r We have not space , nor is it necessary , to examine particularly the remainder of the above foolish and discourteous accusation . Anyone who has read Mr . Darwin's book will see that though he is as great a master of the deductive as of the inductive method , his book is one long- induction of facts from beginning to end . A man is not justified in branding another as "' demoralised . " whether in " understanding " or in practice , simply because the latter happens to be more enlightened than lie is , and has enounced views that upset his narrow prejudices-. And it is deplorable to see this tone , so redolent of the evil- " spirit- of the ' oilitinv theolofjicum , that we had thought defuiict , and quietly laid in the Red Sea . revived in the scientific discussions of the nineteenth century . One of the critics . of the Darwinian theory delivers himself to this effect : " there is a mighty march [ according to this theory ] along ten thousand lin . es of life to natural optimism ; but who leads it" ? - .. Who commands ? Who contrives and controls and carries out this astonishing advance ? Natural selection , do you . again reply ? Then again , most certainly this ' natural selection ' is Deity , or Fate , or nothing—unless you would siippos ' c a duality of po \ vci-s . " then again , most certainly , this drivelling is another deplorable instance of the disgraceful state of our scientific criticism . Books are shovelled over to reviewers without any selection—natural , artiGcial , or otherwise ;—and the consequence is such wretched trash and idiotic nonsense as this . We charitably suppress the source -whence it comes . Cannot the writer understand , as every human being ¦ with , two ideas in his head might be supposed capable of understanding , that the tendency in animals to seek what appears to them , and what in tho majority of cases would be , their own good , —the tendency to adapt thoinselves to external circumstances , and these to themselves , in the best way they can , to promote their own well-being-, —Avould , in tho eourso of countless ages , and operating Tinder the . infinite variety of influences and conditions to be ftmnd in tho world , J have the effect of producing varieties of physical structure ; that any superiority of mental capacity that might arise in a raco of animals would havo a tendency to bring about the improvement of the race , in the senso of gradually innking its conformation better suited for rendering tho oxternal world subservient to its purposes ; that this improved conformation would react upon and further dovelopo tho mental capacity of tho race ; that , on tho other hand , any superiority of physical- structuro that might ariso would tend , to dovolopo mentnl capacity , in devising means for rendoring tho external world subservient to tho satisfaction , of noods ; that tho improved montal capacity would prompt nnd suggest actions that would tend to produco further improvements of boclil ) structure ( Vide article " Inductivo Psychology , " in our imm-ossion of tho 1 : 3 th of October ) ; nnd that tho effect of tho working- of this tendency would bo that tho moro favoured animals would bo naturally selected or preserved in tho struggle for existence , whilo " tho weakest fin bodily structuro or mental capacity , or both ] would go to tho wnll ; nnd that it is perfectly intelligible to sny that tho principle of natural selection was tho oauw of vnriubil ' ity of species \> Natural solcotion oxpiv . sscs tho faot that eortain animals , for thr > reasons- statod , got tho host of it in thoir strugglo foi existonco . Surely this is intolligiblo enough , andthomost obtuse can have no protonen lor mistaking nnturnl tjelootion for tho " Doity , " or for « ' Fate , " or for " nothing !" Thov might ; ns well sny tliat Halton ' s lnw of doiinito proportions , or Newton ' s law of gravitation , nro either Fate , or Deity , or nothing 1 . It is a churn otoristio of bodies to attract oacili other , and of ohomieul Bubstunoos to oombino , as Xowton nnd Dalton have pointed out ; wo call tho ono gravitation , and tho othortho law oi doiinito proportions . 1 t is just us ovidontly a p hnrnoteristio of animals to seek thoir own good , and to sock i , t with greater or lees BiioooBs in proportion to thoir monfrvl nnd physionl moans , and tho oiiwimstnuousin whioli they arc plnood . \\ liy should wo not oall Bomo of the obvious rc'NuUft ' thonoo arising " nnfural solootion , " and " variability of spociofl , " juhI ; ns wo onll tho other phonomona " gravitation , " inul " doilnito proportions "P We will give another Hpoehnon of tlio nbmml objections tlint havo been urged nftuintsl lMr . Darwin ' s theory . It haw boon contended that this tlioory is overturned becnuse the , representations of
some animalmndc 3 , 000 years ago , are exactly like the real animal asifciiow exists ; just as if any particular state of modification of an animal would not last as long as the circumstances which produced and are suited to maintain it , whether 3 , 000 , or 30 , 000 , or 300 , 000 years . Here we see another of the vulgarest of vulgar errors—that which consists in supposing- things always were , and always will be , just what we see them in the point of time and space to which an . individual experience is confined . Astronomy teaches us th « at some of the nearest stars are twenty millions of millions of miles off ; and that some of the more remote are 35 , 000 times that distance . Geology teaches that this number in miles is but equivalent to the number in years which has elapsed since the formation of the rock over which the falls . of Niagara are precipitated . The enormous numbers reckoned in years and miles with which we have to deal in eosmical phenomena , are familiar to all who arc the least conversant with studies of this sort ; but it appears that on this subject the mind of your hack critic is a blank . Let it be granted that the formation of the rock hi question took j- place only some short time , a dozen million years or so , after the earth 'ceased to be in an incandescent state , and a like period before animal life came upon it ; nay , let us suppose that animal life came upon the earth , 35 , 000 * 20 , 000 , 000 X 1 , 000 , 000 years ago ; not even 20 , 000 , 000 * 1 , 000 , 000 years ago , but only 1 , 000 , 000 ( though geology points to the longer period ) . What is 3 , 000 compared with even this last number ? Such silly sophisms remind those versed in the history of ^ scientific discovery , of the objections that were urged against the heliocentric theory on its first announcement . It ; was tinphilosophical , it was heterodox , it was heretical , it was deistic , atheistic , blasphemous ; the earth coxild ' nt move , because if it did , a stone dropped from the top of a tower could not fall at its base , &c . But it is a fact worthy of note , that those who -argue against a true theory , cannot help adducing facts and considerations that , rightly interpreted , are sure to confirm it . The more they attack it , the more they bring- out its strong points , and reveal their own weak ones .
Untitled Article
Nov . 10 , 1860 J The Saturday Analyst and Leader . . 027
Satirical Poetry.*
SATIRICAL POETRY . *
Untitled Article
SATIRICAL Poetry , at least in the didactic form , has not been very successful lately . But in the shape of burlesque , on and off the stage , satire has revelled at will over a . large arena , of subjects . Such works as proethe ' s " Faust , '' and Bailey ' s- " Festus , " are profoundly satirical—the former in the ] philosophical , the latter in the theological field . With the latter , ' if in an inferior degree , we must class a book lying on our table ,, with a title-page containing four languages—English , Greek , Hebrew , and Latin . ; the tivo latter in mottoes , which we have i not given in the foot-note . The author , who is a clergyman , i though ho has dropped the Reverend from his name , professes in i it to ' cast a resume of his moral , intellectual , and religious life , i and his censures take a wide aim . The form of the series of poems is mainly lyrical . The author calls them lucubrations , — appearing as tho Somniloquenee of Age dreaming over the fanciful visions of Youth . These visions are , in part , c onnected ! with his classical studies . The trial of Socrates seems to have commanded his early attention . This nefarious proceeding he has endeavoured to regard in the manner which Socrates thought it deserved , and treats it with a kind of scornful levity "which was foreign to the feelings of thoso who conducted thoso judicial proceedings , though not to thoso of tho victim . The " Rous Anvti " us tho type of mere respectability in all times and places , is treated with tho utmost contempt . Tho leather-cutter ' s anxiety lost trade should bo injured by blasphemy is curious , and tho supposition , that ho " had a genteel wife / ' is suggestive . History says ho had a son , and Mr . Hambloton is courteous enouo-h to assume his legitimacy . No doubt Iho great accuser was " ' a family-man , " ami "Iho gentility of tho lady is tho natural concomitant of hoi' spouse ' s position in anciefi / . Wo arc not introduced to this important matter ot tho book until tho second canto , which celebrates " Attic Drama and Philosophy ; " and prepares the way for tho third , which is ontitlocl " Tho Trial for Blasphomy . " Let us at oneo introduce Awttos , tho rospoctablo loathor-cuttcr : In Athens , Anutos , tho Iciiihor-oultor , In bia back-shop did wrathful purpose mutlor . " Monml tho rank I hold quito underrating , This Socrates my shop IVoqucntH ; nnd prating . Aa if I wore not * by , or in our Demos llo'd ohoso to slight , tho plnoo wherein ostoom us All who enn worth discern j tho olnss roepeetocl , The won of mibatanuo , who lmvo not neglected Properly , nor tukon . up witli notions ^ Tlvut lend low poonlo on to make commotions . AnuloH then recollects tho father of BooratoH , who wns cuiilont to gain a living by mending of btatuuH ; und lio farther tnkp * orodit lumsolf for being willing to undertake any job that might bo offered , and for adroitness in tlio niunngyiiu-nt ol duhmioh . s . AnutoM then roours , with a wort ol' pity , to ttoonih'H : All not aliko nro giftod for oontrivin / i , _ , ^' ot in BOino humbler way lnigbf ; now ho llii'jving HoomtM . Though porlmpo ! o trndij ""! wnflnntf , Or sharp onough his brnin , yet ho « t touching Might Homothing do . Vox- cliillnrds tli'it vocation 1 s suitublo i nnd if 11 ' (^ J ^' P < lio il > a ( ' ttl 0 " ( " mdc-aicntt < " ) , » y Joftcph lljimUlclon . Koul ana i o .
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 10, 1860, page 927, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2373/page/7/
-