December 16th, 1884. 



The second meeting was held in the Council Chamber. The 

 attendance was very good, but rather smaller than usual owing to 

 a grand concert in the adjoining large room. A Discussion on 

 Dabwinism was commenced by tlie Secretary reading the following, 

 short plain and unbiassed account of the theory : — 



— DEVELOPMENT. — 



It is of the highest importance, before commencing a discussion, 

 that we should understand clearly and exactly what we are to 

 discuss. It is especially so with respect to our subject to-night ; 

 because, on no other point connected with science has there ever 

 been such ignorance displayed and such nonsense written by the 

 disputants on both sides. Many a man has spoken and written 

 against Darwin without having ever read his books ; many a so- 

 called Darwinian has from his own point of view attacked the views 

 of religious men without knowmg at all Avhat religion teaches that 

 has any bearing on the subject. The adherents of Darwin are 

 often more Darwinistic in their ideas than their master, rushing 

 into extreme views, and adopting a style of argument that would 

 never have been countenanced by him — verifying an old adage 

 about the caution of angels and the temerity of other forms of 

 existence, not angelic. And on the other hand the opponents of 

 the great theorist have frequently, and with great ability, argued 

 against what Darwin never advanced, or intended to advance. 



Darwin never tauglit that man was descended from a gorilla (as 

 many people imagine he did) or from any of the present race of 

 quadrumana. And Darwin was no atheist (as many people affirm); 

 he distinctly refers to the acts of the Creator in producing life on 

 the earth. 



Again, we must, by way of caution, remember that Development 

 is not a proved fact (as many Darwinians hold) ; it is onh/ a theory, 

 an apparently reasonable mode of accounting for certain phenomena 

 in Nature ; one which seems to clear away many otherwise inex- 

 plicable difficulties ; one which certainly opens up grander views 

 of God's power and mode of working than man has ever before 

 been able to experience. But for all that — only a theory ; no more 

 an ascertained fact tlian the existence of atoms. 



I know that Darwin's disciples (I say again) have gone much 

 farther than he, who knew so much more than they, could go ; 

 that one constantly refers to Development as " an established 

 fact " ; another affirms that it ought to be tauglit in schools as a 

 scientific truth ; one puts it forth in as offensive a manner as he 



