RATIONALISM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 864, 9 July 1910, Page 6

RATIONALISM.

Sir,—Mr. Joseph M'Cabe, the apostle of Rationalism, has amused, if he has not edified us. He believes we all had our origin in the sea. The late Professor Huxley, once believed this. He confidently declared that a ' jelly lying at the bottom of the deep sea was full of life,' and was the substance from which all life on. the earth had come. Haeckel endorsed this statement. Ultimately some of this jelly was procured, and it was found that it did' not contain one solitary germ of life. Nevertheless Huxley had not the manhood to admit that ho had discovered a mare's nest. However, 'we hoard no more about , that jelly from either Huxley or Haeckel. Mr. M'Cabo takes up what he regards as safe ground. He thinks we have evolved from sea life which existed millions' of years ago. He assures us that all scientific men are agreed upon this point. This is news. Some of us were under the belief that all scientific men were not quite in agreement upon anything. It is very gratifying to be " informed that- all scientific men are now agreed that Darwin was wrong, and that our earliest progenitors were not monkeys,but some very ancient forms of sea life—not necessarily cockles or. mussels, limpets or shrimps. Our x progression has been truly wonderful. But, according to Mr. M'G'abe, we are still very far from being perfectly formed, , for he says there are marry things in the human body which are quite unnecessary—useless relics of the dim past. _It is sad to think that after the meny. millions of years of evolution the human body should still be so far away from perfection. It is sadder, still, to be assured, by "Professor Dnimmond and other scientists, that the progress of embodies to a. still higher plane has been arrested. But in this respect we are not alone. Tho apes, Mr. M'Cabe tells us, have not made the slightest advance for thousands of. years. This is eonsolatory.

The Rationalists of the Rational Press Association are indeed great scientists. Who can wonder if there should be a hesitancy on tho part of Christian philosophers to meet any of them in public debate? The learning of Rational Press lectures is so great!—l am, etc., E. f. EVANS. Wellington, July 5, 1910.