lew (04/20/83)
One usually thinks of Creationists as opposed to Darwin, but it was actually Charles Lyell who established the modern view of the great antiquity of the earth. In "Origin of Species" Darwin explicitly states that anyone who doesn't accept Lyell's time scale "may close this volume at once." In Lyell's day, the "diluvialists" carried the creationist standard. The following excerpt, quoted from "Charles Lyell: the years to 1841" by Leonard G. Wilson, is from a letter of Lyell's to a friend. He is describing a meeting of the Geological Society of London. A splendid meeting last night. Sedgewick in chair. Conybeare's paper on valley of Thames directed against Messrs. Lyell & Murchison's former paper was read in part. Buckland present to defend the "diluvialists" as Conybeare styles his sect & us he terms "fluvialists." Greenough assisted us by making an ultra speech on the impotence of modern causes. "no river," he said, "within times of history has deepened its channel one foot!" It was great fun for he said - "Our opponents say, 'Give us Time & we will work wonders,' So said the wolf in the fable - to the lamb - 'why do you disturb the water?' - 'I do not; you are fur- ther up the stream than I.' - 'But your father did' - 'he never was here' - 'Then your grandfather did so I will murder you.' 'Give me time & I will murder you,' so say the fluvialists" Roars of laughter in which G. joined against himself. What a choice simile! M. & I fought stoutly & Buckland was very piano. Cony- beare's memoir is not strong by any means. He admits 3 deluges before the Noachian! & Buckland adds God knows how many catastrophes besides so we have driven them out of the Mosaic record fairly. This was in 1829. Lew Mammel, Jr. ihuxr!lew