February, 1928 



EVOLUTION 



Page Nine 



What Caused Noah's Flood? 



CONGRATULATIONS 



By Dr. J. Leon Williams 



In a discussion on evolution which 

 took place in New York between the Rev. 

 Dr. Straton, Fundamentalist leader, and 

 Rev. Mr. Potter, the latter was evidently 

 surprised and somewhat discomfited by a 

 very adroit manoeuvre on the part of Dr. 

 Straton during his speech. 



He said that an eminent scientist, a 

 "professor in one of the great institutions 

 of learning in Nebraska,'' had ivritten a 

 book called "The New Geology" which sent 

 all previous works on the subject and the 

 theory of evolution into the lumber-room 

 of discarded things. Mr. Potter was un- 

 able to make any reply to this and, in 

 the opinion of the judges, he lost the de- 

 bate. The morning after the discussion I 

 visited several of the largest bookstores in 

 New York in the effort to procure this 

 wonderful new work on geology. But no 

 one consulted had even heard of it. But 

 it really was in existence, and I eventu- 

 ally secured the intellectual treasure. The 

 eminent scientist from the great institution 

 of learning turned out to be a teacher in a 

 small sectarian college. I found that the 

 author had taken his stand squarely on 

 the Bible story of the Flood (or, at least, 

 this was what he pretended) and the cause 

 of the Food as the explanation of the 

 more important geological changes on the 

 surface of the earth. But, appreciating 

 the difficulties of the Bible account of the 

 causes of the Deluge, the author of "The 

 New Geology" has apparently invented a 

 theory of his own. He surmises that a 

 huge meteorite or asteroid, or something 

 of like character, came from somewhere 

 in space and struck the earth and gave it 

 such a shock that it set it badly wobbling 

 and changed the inclination of its axis. 



But we will let Mr. Price tell his story 

 in his own words. He says that "the 

 hypothesis of a world catastrophe deals 

 with the world as a whole, that is, it 

 deals with the world in its planetary as- 

 pects; and therefore this catastrophe must 

 have been of an astronomical character. . . 

 But the only astronomical cause which 

 we can readily imagine as competent to 

 bring about such results would be some- 

 thing of the nature of a jar or shock from 

 the outside, which would produce an ab- 

 normal tidal action, resulting in great 

 tidal waves sweeping twice daily around 

 the earth from east to west, this wave 

 traveling 1,000 miles an hour at the equa- 

 tor." And then, after mentioning the ''in- 

 conceivable amount of geological work" 

 which this shock would produce, Mr. Price 

 adds this: "In the meantime, the surface 

 of the earth would be shattered and dis- 

 located beyond all description; and twice 

 each day, the oceans would sweep a mighty 

 tidal wave around the world, attaining a 

 maximum, every 150 days, of about six 

 miles in height at the equator." Accom- 

 panying the event were "storms such as 

 the world has never since witnessed." 



There is not a single item in this 

 theory of the cause of the Deluge which 



corresponds to the account given in the 

 Bible, and yet these Fundamentalist stick- 

 lers for a rigid adherence to the literal 

 words of the Bible, as all divinely inspired, 

 welcome, with every evidence of great joy, 

 this new and purely imaginary theory of 

 the cause of the Flood. The followers of 

 Mr. Bryan are never weary of heaping 

 scorn on what they call the "theories", 

 "hypotheses" and "guesses" of evolution, 

 but they will swallow whole, without a 

 wince, an insane absurdity like this, for 

 which there is not the slightest trace of 

 evidence and in face of the fact that it con- 

 tradicts the Bible story in every particular. 

 Of course, no geologist of reputation will 

 waste his time in any detailed attention 

 to this travesty of science called "The 

 New Geology." But I may permit myself 

 one comment. When we contemplate the 

 spectacle of Noah guiding that box with- 

 out sail or rudder, through the most awful 

 storms the world has ever known, climbing 

 those mountainous waves six miles high 

 and running 1,000 miles an hour, I am 

 lost in admiration for the most consum- 

 mate seamanship that has ever been ex- 

 hibited in the history of navigation. Truly, 

 there were sailors in those days! 



Sir Arthur Keith 



whose ringing declaration for Danvinism 

 as President of the British Association 

 for the Advancement of Science at the 

 recent congress in Leeds was heard around 

 the world, sends us the following:- 





My dear -Sir, 





3rd January, 1928. 



May T C(5ngi-H tulate you on the outstnnding inei-lts of 

 the firet number of "Evolution?" With a gfllaxy of tal'jnt, 

 which nomprises Starr Jordan, W.K.Gregory, Henshaw War.i, 

 A.G.IngallR, Maynard Shipley and many other nen who are 

 recognised In all lands ap; leaders of taought, it could 

 not be otherwise. I wish your venture, which Is a mission- 

 ary enterprl.se of the highest Importance, every suoces,") . 

 What effort deserves better than that which "I pads men and 

 women to seek the truth - be the cost what It may- 



In your fir.st number you have laid hold of the one 

 essential:- we must have liberty to pursue the truth. Be- 

 yond doubt there Is with us as with you men so little 

 with science and its ways that they would willingly re- 

 sort to the old methods of the Snanish Inquisition for 

 its suppression. For my part we have to fight not with 

 arg\iments begotten of e-iotlo'n, pre.ludice and passion - 

 hut .just the still small voice of truth telling how and 

 why we have searched the world of life and what we have 

 found there , 



you might send copies of "ivolution" to the Kditcr 

 of Nature and to the Editor of the Lancet - both In 

 London, enclosing a note to them to the effect that I 

 would be glad to write short notices for their paners 

 so that your .journal ma.y become known in England, 



'.Vith very best wishes. 



Believe me 



Yours sincerely, 



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