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Show I One of the saddest events in the history of the B. Y. U. Look place a tew (lays ago when Prof. Joseph Peterson handed in his resignation as teacher in that grand institution. He is a scholar of the age and illumined his class rooms with eternal truths, but apparently made a very great mistake in teaching "Evolution" "Evo-lution" and " Higher Criticism" in a church school in place of the accepted accept-ed Mormon doctrine. Mr. Peterson is a psychologist of no small reputation in the United States and to see him take such a stand naturally attracts the sympathy of his beloved students. Two other teachers of the same institution in-stitution will more than likely follow Prof. Peterson's example, as Prof Henry Peterson and W. H. C. Chamberlain Chamber-lain are bsth gjitty of the same thing. Complaints first came from the parents par-ents of students in the B. Y. U. to Supt. Horace Cummings, who reported the matter to the church board. A meeting of the board was held and a committee appointed to investigate the matter and report. Supt. Cummings being a member of the chosen committee reported after a thorough investigation and the three teachers were asked for an explanation and their ideas were sent forth in a number of issues of the News and Her-ald-Republicen. It was then they discovered that Higher Criticism and Mormonism were two different things and accordingly the promulgators were asked to cease teaching teach-ing the evolution theory or give up their work in the institution. This much in brief is the history of the trouble of the B. Y. U. teachers and the church board. The following will give an idea of what is meant by Higher Criticism and Evolution. Evo-lution. It is a discussion of evolution taken from the article in a recent issue of the News: "The burden of Prof. Chamberlain's article, briefly expressed, is this that the theory of evolution is scientifically demonstrated, though there are many things the evolutionists cannot fathom. This thought is illustrated by reference to the position of the electrician, who turns electricity to practical purposes without knowing what electricity is, or the inventor who makes the law of gravitation serve him, without knowing what it is; or the philologist who studies the laws of language without reference to the intelligence that underlies the various forms in which it exists. "A detailed analysis of the article is not attempted in these lines, but we desire de-sire to emphasize one fact, which we consider is of the utmost importance to remember in the discussion of this subject, sub-ject, and that is this that the doctrine of evolution is not scientifically demonstrated. demon-strated. To doubt it is not to reject scientifically established facts. Evolution Evolu-tion is a theory by which some students of nature believe they ca.i account for the origin of worlds, and forms of life, out of an original world ether. But it is no more than a theory. And its truth depends, in the first place, upon whether all the fact3 necessary for its construction construc-tion are known; and, secondly, whether the inferences drawn from the facts are correct. If all the facts are not known, there is this possibility that some fact may yet be discovered which will upset the whole theory, and if the inferences drawn are not infallible, the theory is equally insecure. "For instance, they tell us that the embryo of man and an anmial are, at first, absolutely alike. Is that a fact, or a mere assumption? They may look alike- even when seen through the microscope, but what about the atomic structure that no human eye can see? Is it due only to surroundings that one tiny egg develops into a human being and another into a frog? Reason protests pro-tests against such an assumption. If all the facts relating to the beginning of forms of life were known, the theory of evolution might have to be modified, because different facts would compel different conclusions. "We have endeavored to point out that history does not support the evolutionary evolu-tionary theory, and we claim that history his-tory has as much right to be heard as biology, for instance. If there 13 a discrepancy between it and history it cannot be true, no matter how well it seems to explain the facts ascertained by biologists. If it is true it must harmonize with every other truth, and if it does not, there is something wrong somewhere. Now the facts of history disprove the claims of evolutionists most decidedly. Is it not a little too ; much to ask students to accept a theory I against the testimony of history?" j In the past week the excitement in Mexico has been grewtly increased, ' and it begins to look as though Uncle j Sam is thoroughly aware of the danger, i The Mexican government resembles ! ours in a grert many respects. It has ! a president and cabinet, congress, legis-' legis-' latures in the various states, etc. The ! president instead of being chosen as ours is chosen by electors who are chosen of the people. The country is divided into twenty-seven states y.nd two territories. The official designation of the Republic i is ''Estados Unidos Mexicans" and in each state is vested the government. The states are divided into districts similar to our counties and are governed govern-ed by jifeproliticos. The ejercito or Mexican army is composed com-posed of regular forces and a reserve. The standing army numbers 30,000 and the strength of the reserve limited by law is 28,000 and the second reserve is is 150,000. There are in time of war 3,500 officers, 120,000 infantry, 20,000 cavelary and 6,000 artillery. Although, seemingly, the liberal government gov-ernment is broad enough for any liberty 'living people, slavery has existed for many years, due probably to the ignorance ignor-ance of the people regarding their own rights. They have been a long time learning that they have rights equal to any liberty-living people and are now beginning to assert tnemselves. They are asking for a greater representation in legislative and judicial affairs, and if this right were given them much trouble would be avoided. The spirit of unrest which has terminated termi-nated in a rebellion was at first but a rumbling in the remote districts, but the red spark was fostered and fed until it broke into a live flame. American Ameri-can interests were materially injured in-jured and United State citizens were endangered. Nor was that all, English interests were injured, as well, some of the industries have been dorment for two months, property is in jeopardy and subject to the merciless hands of the crazed revolutionists. The Monroe doctrine, we must remember, re-member, informs the world that it is not to interfere with the western- con- i tinents. What was there left for Uncle Sam to do? Should England have attempted at-tempted to protect her interests, it could only have been done by violating the Monroe decree and a worse trouble would have been. i It has been proven beyond a doubt, I that the Mexican government has failed j to protect these interests and it looks ' as though they are inadaquat. This be- i ing the case it appears that Uncle Sam j will have to take a hand in the game. President Diaz has adopted a new policy commissioning congress to authorize author-ize setting aside, of constitutional guarantees for six months. Foreigners will be treated the same as natives, j The government will resume a form ! similar to martial law and anyone found j destroying public property, shooting or j throwing stones at railroads, cutting 1 wires or anything of this nature will be ! shot down. Uncle Sam's warships are to patrol both coasts of Mexico while 25,000 regular soldiers are now on the border awaiting orders, and in addition to this 2,000 U. S. merines have been ordered ready for duty. The near future will give us a better idea of the termination of the affair. A great many think Uncle Sam is doing do-ing something he has no business to do but we see it in the light of a nasty duty. There are those among us, probably, who do not appreciate the vast extent of arid lands and the great amount of wealth that would be added to our county coun-ty and state by means of public reservoirs, reser-voirs, wells and good roads. By investing invest-ing in such projects the state could soon build its capitol building from the income in-come without incurring debt. The people in the several counties can do but little without the assistance of either the state or capitalists. The soil was given of God to man, as his inheritance, and the best way to increase the wealth of Utah is to develope its natural resource by using the appropriations appropria-tions that are commonly made for things that are luxuries but not necessities. neces-sities. The state capitol, for example, is a luxury and not a necessity. Why should the state indulge in such luxuries when it has so many embarassing necessities neces-sities staring it in the face? Good roads between centers of industry in-dustry would do much toward the development de-velopment of the country. More products pro-ducts of the soil would be produced because be-cause freighting would be easier, and markets would be easier reached. The state is strong enough to take this mat-j mat-j ter up, and should do so, then capitalists capital-ists seeing her ambition would take hold and give us a lift. When a new railroad rail-road is proposed the question is always asked, "what will the people do?" Its a fact that the old saying is true "God helps those who help themselves," but he isn't much interested in a proposition proposed by the people of this state that the state itself is not interested in. Scientists tell us that this arid country coun-try was once fertile and that rain that fall in forests is largely absorbed into the earth to water the roots, or is retained re-tained by the leaves, or evaporated into the air thus cooling the earth with clouds and showers. But bare hills denuded of forests permit the water to run off into the streams causing thousands thous-ands of dollars damages by floods.' Palestine is one of the worst instances. The "good land'? of biblical times, that flowed with milk and honey, because it j was covered with the cedars of Lebanon, with balsam and myrrh trees, and was filled with fountains that sprung from the depths of the valleys and hills, is now a waste, because its forests were not replenished. But it is when we remember re-member Babylon, Nineveh, and all the cities off the coast of Asia Minor as they were even a thousand years ago, and I compare their present barren, desolate condition, that the full meaning of mountain forests becomes clear. If we ever expect to make this a great country this matter should be taken into consideration. Where trees are felled for fuel or building timber a new forest ought to spring up, and if we do not plant ve cannotjhope to reap. Its true that in our day we could only realize a comparatively sm dl portion of the benefit but even that would pay us abundantly for our efforts. I i 1 j There is a splendid opportunity in our own commonwealth for constructive ' statesmanship in the reclamation of the J semi-arid lands. This has been the j main work of Utah people in the past, j and the work is only just begun. Spain and Mexico afford to us abundi-jit and impressive warnings of the fate of countries coun-tries that do not plant trees, or that remove re-move their forests without replacing them. Will not our lawmakers grasp the situation and the opportunity before be-fore them? We hope that we shall not have to await the coming of wiser men who know that great forests are necessary neces-sary on all waste land and barren places if we are to become a large population or if we are to become a wealthy state filled with a healthy people. |
