Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/284

280 evolutionists agree that these islands must have obtained their populations from continental bodies. If then the island species are identical with those of the continent from which they have been derived, there is no reason to believe that evolution has taken place; if, however, they are different, the degree of difference should be an exact measure of the amount of evolutionary change that has taken place. What are the facts? Practically all species of animals inhabiting oceanic islands are types that are capable of transportation in the air during storms or on floating debris. All species belong to the faunistic groups characteristic of the most available continent, but the species are for the most part peculiar, that is, different from species anywhere else. They may belong to the same genus or family as do those of the continent, but they are at least specificially, frequently generally, different from the latter. Such being the case, we are forced to conclude that new species have originated under island conditions. The extreme case is that of the island of St. Helena, 1,100 miles from Africa. On this little body of land there are 129 species of beetles, all but one of which are peculiar. The species belong to thirty-nine genera, of which twenty-five are peculiar. There are twenty species of land snails, of which seventeen are peculiar. Of twenty-six species of ferns seventeen belong to peculiar genera. The Azores, Bermudas, Galapagos islands, Sandwich islands, all tell much the same story, but their populations are not quite so peculiar.

Genetics may be defined as to the experimental and analytical study of variation and heredity, the two primary causal factors of organic evolution. As such, genetics aim not so much at furnishing evidence of the fact of evolution as at discovering its causes. Incidentally, however, man takes a hand in controlling evolutionary processes and actually observes new heredity types taking origin from old, he is observing at first hand the actual processes of evolution. We shall merely say that the geneticist is an eye-witness of present-day evolution and is able to offer the most direct evidence that evolution is a fact.

All of the lines of evidence presented point strongly to organic evolution, and none are contrary to this principle. Most of the facts, moreover, are utterly incompatible with the only rival explanation, special creation. Not only do these evidences tell a straightforward story of evolution, but each one is entirely consistent with all of the others. Furthermore, each line of evidence aids in an understanding of the others. Thus embryology greatly illuminates comparative anatomy and classification; geographic distribution is aided by paleontology, and vice-versa; blood tests and classification throw mutual light the one upon the other. The evolution principle is thus a great unifying and integrating scientific conception. Any conception that is so far-reaching, so consistent, and that has led to so much advance in the understanding of nature, is at least an extremely valuable idea and one not lightly to be cast aside in case it fails to agree with one's predjudicesprejudices [sic].

The Court—Send for the jury.

Mr. Hays—May I have the consent of the other side to fix my record later and see that they are properly marked and introduced?

Mr. Darrow—Your honor, before you send for the jury, I think it my duty to make this motion. Off to the left of where the jury sits a little bit and about ten feet in front of them is a large sign about ten feet long reading, "Read Your Bible," and a hand pointing to it. The word "Bible" is in large letters, perhaps a foot and a half long, and the printing—

The Court—Hardly that long I think, general.

Mr. Darrow—What is that?

The Court—Hardly that long.

Mr. Darrow—Why, we will call it a foot.