The fables of the creation of nature and man by various fantastic and
ridiculous means, which have, for thousands of years, found favour with
the unthinking multitudes inhabiting the earth, and which even now
are, one or other, firmly believed by the large majority of both the
Eastern and Western populations, must, ere long, gradually give way to
the truer and grander theory of Evolution, resulting from the study
of the natural sciences. Priests, monks, and other interested people,
backed up by the enormous wealth which has accumulated to the various
religious creeds during the past centuries of darkness, ignorance, and
gross credulity, will, no doubt, oppose all their tremendous forces
against the new philosophy, thus, for a while, delaying the inevitable
result. But this condition of things cannot last long. Education is
doing, and will continue to do, its work, until, at length, falsehood
and slavery will give place to truth and liberty.
In order to discover the origin of man, it is necessary to carry the
mind back to a very remote period, and observe the mode of development
of our planetary system; for, according to the theory of Evolution,
there were no starting points for particular forms in nature, the whole
universe consisting of one continuous unfolding of phenomena.
The modern theory of the mode of development of our earth, as also
of all other planets and suns, is the one known as the “Nebular
Hypothesis,” which is the prelude to the great theory of Evolution, and
which teaches us that the earth, the sun, the moon, the planets, and
all the heavenly host are the effects or results of the condensation of
a nebulous vapour, which took place many millions of years ago, after
having been diffused for an incalculable period of time throughout
the illimitable expanse of space. The cause of this nebulous vapour,
or attenuated matter, is unknown to us, and will probably ever remain
enshrouded in the profound mystery which at present envelopes it.
Beyond this limit all is mere speculation or hypothesis; and the
Agnostic philosopher and the man of science, humbly acknowledging
their complete inability to solve this mighty problem of ultimate
causation, are content to leave further speculation in this direction
to metaphysicians and poets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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