The infant, at birth, is merely a living creature without any physical qualities, characteristics or traits peculiar to itself; nor has it any mental qualities, characteristics nor traits, whatever. In fact, it has scarcely any intellect, at all. It follows that most of the physical qualities and characteristics of each person are acquired; and that all of the mental qualities, characteristics and traits of every one are acquired, they being the result of education, association and environment. No doubt most of the resemblance between a child and its parents are caused by education, imitation and association.
The evolutionist has invented divers theories to account for, and explain the phenomena of reproduction on material and mechanical principles, without the aid of any supernatural psychic or creative force. For example, Darwin invented the theory of “gemmules” and “pangenesis;” Spencer advanced the hypothesis of “physiological units” or “constitutional units,” “structural proclivity,” or “proclivity towards the organic form of the species;” Cope suggested “bathmism (go-ism)” “simple growth-force,” “grade-growth-force” and “excess-growth;” Weismann invented the “continuity of germ-plasm,” “ids,” “iddants” and “determinants.” But none of these words or phrases explain anything. If there is anything in nature corresponding to these words none of these writers ever saw them, nor did they know anything about them. These “gemmules,” “units,” “proclivities,” “ids,” “bathmisms,” etc., are purely hypothetical—mere figments of the imagination. Every body has rejected Darwin’s theory of “gemmules,” and “pangenesis;” no one but Spencer ever adopted his hypothesis of “physiological units” and “proclivities;” Cope was the only man that over used “bathmism,” etc.; Spencer, Romanes and others gave many reasons why Weismann’s “continuity of germ-plasm,” “ids,” “iddants” and “determinants” were absurd and impossible. No two of them agreed on anything, except the supposed fact of organic evolution. Spencer, somewhere says, in substance, that there is a general belief that organic evolution has occurred; but great diversity of opinion as to the manner in which it has been effected.
The theory of the evolutionist is that the genital organs of a man generate spermatozoä, with all their properties and potentialities, spontaneously and automatically, without the aid of any extraneous, psychic or creative force, and that those of a woman produce ova in the same manner. He maintains that a spermatozoön and an ovum unite and fuse into a germ-cell (fertilized ovum) and that this cell (germ) then becomes, automatically, a living being; that it develops and grows spontaneously and automatically, to be a man or a woman, without the aid or guidance of any extraneous psychic or creative force, whatever.
As a fact the fertilized ovum does not develop into a man or woman at all, but a vast number of daughter-cells are produced from it, which are metamorphosed and molded by the Creator into a man or woman. The evolutionist holds that the fertilized ovum inherits all its properties and potentialities from its parents. In other words, he contends that the germ-cell develops and grows as it does because its father and mother developed and grew in the same manner. Is there any apparent reason why the germ-cell should develop and grow at all? Why should it develop and grow, spontaneously and automatically, as its father and mother grew? The germ-cell is a new combination of the atoms of which it is composed; the embryo is built up of new materials; wholly different from those which compose the bodies of its parents; and by new forces and motions, altogether different from those which built up the bodies of its parents. How could the mode, in which the bodies of the father and mother developed and grew, possibly affect the development and growth of the child?
The fact that each normal body develops and grows in the same manner that the bodies of its parents grew, and as every other normal body grows, is conclusive evidence that the development and growth of each human body is caused, guided and controlled by an extraneous supernatural psychic and creative force, which is ubiquitous, all over the earth. No other hypothesis can explain the uniform mode of development and growth, which we observe, among all the mammals in every age and country.
The fact that the child resembles its father or mother, or both of them, is strong evidence that the same creative force made all three of them. We cannot believe that the blind, unthinking cells, which build up the body of the child, automatically, group themselves in such a manner as to make the child in the image of the father or mother.
Everyone knows that each human body is built of atoms and cells, which are assembled and grouped into certain chemical combinations and mechanical arrangements by force and motion, and that there cannot be any such thing as force and motion without, at least two physical bodies, the one to transmit the force and the other to move. The word, “heredity,” does not denote a physical body nor a physical force. It is a mere name for a group of vital phenomena. How could heredity bring two or more atoms or cells together? Such a suggestion is too absurd even for the imagination.
Perhaps the orthodox churchman would maintain that the Creator endowed Adam’s genital organs with the power to generate spermatozoä; and also endowed those of Eve with the power to produce ova; that He endowed these spermatozoä and ova with the power to produce new men and woman, automatically; and that He ordained that they should have the power to produce new spermatozoä and new ova, with the same properties and potentialities that were possessed by the original spermatozoä and ova, that were generated in the bodies of Adam and Eve and so on forever.
This brings us back to the proposition that every human body is a compound physical structure, composed of atoms and cells, which are grouped into certain chemical combinations and mechanical arrangements; and that intellect, memory, will-power, force and motion are necessary to make these combinations and arrangements. To do this work, automatically, these atoms and cells must be endowed with divine intellect, memory, will-power and creative force; and this is equivalent to a special creation. So if it be said that each fertilized ovum is endowed with the power to produce a new man or woman, the answer is that this endowment is equivalent to a special creation.
The reader may argue that the Creator endowed Adam’s spermatozoä and Eve’s ova with the power to develop men and women, who were endowed with the power to produce new spermatozoä and new ova, with the same properties and potentialities that were possessed by those of Adam and Eve and so on forever to the nth. generation.