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EVOLUTION 



June, 1937 



THREE OF EVOLUTION'S most ardent supporters 

 whose names appeared on the editorial masthead, have 

 died since the last issue appeared: Dr. Martin Dewe\', 

 former President of the .American Dental .Association. 

 Maynard Shipley. President of the Science League of 

 .America, and Dr. Elihu Thomson, Research Ph\'sicist of 

 the General Electric Company. All three were valiant 

 champions of popular enlightenment. Let their memories 

 encourage us to carry through to ultimate triumphant 

 success the cause they served so well. 



WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE that Dr. Oscar 

 Riddle of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Station 

 for Experimental Evolution, joins the Scientific .Advisory 

 Board of EVOLUTION. We think our readers will agree 

 that "The Confusion of Tongues" is a real classic in this 

 struggle for Science Freedom. 



Miss Lucy Orenstein. a hiolog)' teacher in E\'ander 

 Childs High School. New York City, becomes one of our 

 contributing editors. She has an intense personal interest 

 in evolution, and knows how to convey this interest to 

 beginning students. Her first contribution to our columns 

 is this month's "Question Box." 



WHAT'S IN A NAME? 



SOME WELL .MEANING FRIENDS have advised 

 that it would be easier to make a commercial success of 

 this journal if we changed EVOLUTION to some 'less 

 offensive" name. If we were ever to make this change, 

 the logical time was with this first issue after suspension. 



It is true that some who now refuse might subscribe 

 for EVOLUTION under some other name, and advertisers 

 might be induced to pay for space. But if we yielded to 

 this commercial pressure to change the name, the pressure 

 would become even greater to leave out the subject matter 

 too. to become merely another journal dealing with nature's 

 ■"'beauties" and "marvels" and sidestepping all such "con- 

 troversial" subjects as evolution and its implications. The 

 problem would not be solved short of surrender. 



No. there is already an ample parade of pussyfooting 

 in this land, without our joining the procession. We be- 

 lieve that there is real need for a popular journal that re- 

 fuses this compromise with error, that will not equivocate 

 b\- withholding facts or misusing words to hide their real 

 meaning. It is not our purpose to discover some camou- 

 flage that will enable us to exist while leaving superstition 

 to flourish, but to eliminate it from the human mind by 

 helping to spread the light of science. 



We have full sympathy with the lone biolog\' teacher, 

 who has to manage the subject under the nose of some ig- 

 norant politician-principal and harrassed by a funda- 

 mentalist school board. But it would be an ill service to 

 this teacher if we acted as though evolution is something 



sinister, something to be ashamed of, that must not be 

 mentioned. In the long run we shall serve even this 

 teacher best by coming out boldly with the fact of 

 evolution. If we stand up, others also will find courage to 

 make the stand. So we'll hold the banner high. 



In a way, the ver\' suggestion to change the nam.e of 

 EVOLUTION proves the need for this journal. Some pro- 

 fessors, sheltered in cloistered college halls, may think that • 

 "every intelligent person accepts evolution" and popular 

 education isn't needed, but they are wrong. We hope to 

 carry on until the humblest teacher in the most backward 

 school district has complete freedom to convey to inquir- 

 ing )outh the full meaning of all that science learns re- 

 garding Man's place in Nature. 



In this endeavor we invite not merelv the sufferance 

 but the active co-operation of every reader. — L.E.K. 



A PERSONAL WORD 



AS I'VE MET A .^LAJ0R1T\• of our 7,700 EVOLU- 

 TION subscribers face to face I'll address you personally. 



First I wish to express appreciation for the courtesy 

 with which you received me, the confidence you showed in 

 me, a stranger who came to your door, and the patience 

 with which you have awaited the appearance of EVO- 

 LUTION. 1 hope _\ou will deem it worth while. 



During the five years since the last issue of EVOLU- 

 TION appeared I have canvassed for it in practically 

 every city of over 100,000 in the United States and a great 

 many smaller communities, all the larger colleges and 

 universities, and hundreds of high schools in 43 States and 

 in Canada. In securing over four thousand subscribers 

 personally I probably talked about EVOLUTION with 

 over 20,000 persons, traveled 30,000 miles by bus and 

 train, walked at least 12,000 miles and rode an equal 

 distance by street buses and cars. And I am more con- 

 vinced that there is a need and a real field for EVOLU- 

 TION than I was before I started. 



.Although I did not succeed in finding an "angel" for 

 this enterprise, 1 now feel that through this field-work a 

 sufficient foundation has been laid to justify resuming pub- 

 lication. Nearly a thousand new subscribers have prom- 

 ised to remit after receipt of the first number; several 

 hundred have told me that they would try to secure 

 additional subscribers; others pledged donations for the 

 Library and Sustaining Fund; manv teachers will offer 

 E\'0LUT10N for sale to students; over a hundred editors 

 have promised reviews of this issue in their journals; a 

 large number of eminent research scientists, writers and ^ 

 teachers have promised material for articles; literally 

 thousands now understand what EVOLUTION hopes to 

 do. wish it well, and will further its work. — L.E.K. 



EVOLUTION. June. 1937. Vol. IV, No. I. CWhole No. 20) Published monthly except July and August by EVOLUTION PUB- 

 LISHING CORPORATION, 7T Albemarle Ave., Hempstead. N. Y., Single Subscription .$2.00 a year; additional subscriptions 

 $1.00 each ; Single copy 20c ; bundles of 10 or more, 10c per copy. 



