The Hurbicide Guru

Notions of a special creation theory or any altogether exceptional fashion of earth’s origin is without a shred of evidence! Special creation theory is declared to apply to the more complex species in addition to to the species of a genus, and even Mr. Darwin’s toughest critics dare to indicate that the primaeval bird, reptile, or fish must have been “specially created.” And this enormous, this entirely unprecedented change in public belief has been the effect of the study of one man, and was brought about in only twenty years! This is the solution to those who persist in to maintain that the “origin of species” was not yet ascertained. We may admit all of this, just as we might admit that there are large difficulties in the means of a realized understanding of the source and nature of all the parts of the solar system and of the stellar universe. Yet we acknowledge Darwin as the Newton of natural history, just so surely as we assume that the uncovering and presentation by Newton of the law of gravity made order in place of chaos and positioned a sure basis for all future study of the universe, so certainly has Darwin, by his discovery of the law of natural selection and his demonstration of the great rule of the conservation of usable variations in the struggle for existence built a firm origination for all emerging study of nature.

It is significant to point out the position Darwin took of his work, and what it was that he alone postulated to have accomplished, the following passage of the introduction to the Origin of Species ought to be carefully counted. “Although much remains obscure, and will long remain vague, I can hold no doubt, after the most deliberate and dispassionate judgment of which I am capable, that the view which most naturalists until recently harboured and which I formerly entertained namely, that each species has been independently created is mistaken. I am fully convinced that species are not changeless; but that those belonging to what are called the same genera are direct descendants of some other and generally extinct species, in the same fashion as the accepted varieties of any one species are the descendents of that species. Furthermore, I am certain that Natural Selection has been the most important, but not the only, process of modification.”

The artwork by Michelangelo of Adam and God certifies to the genius emergent in the evolution of art and science.

What does one do with a degree from Harvard University? Harvard graduates have blazed amazing paths through history from politics to philosophy. Many early Harvard graduates became ministers. Today most Harvard graduates become leaders in business and science. Here are three Harvard University graduates who went on to publish books in diverse fields of study.

Edwin Diller Starbuck may have a familiar sounding name but he had nothing to do with coffee. Starbuck was an early pioneer in the field of “The Philosophy of Religion”. Starbuck’s Harvard studies combined psychology, philology, and religion. He graduated with an A.M. from Harvard University in 1895 and subsequently earned his Ph.D. from Clark University. Starbuck’s first book, The Psychology of Religion, was the first text of its kind and it launched a revolution in the scientific study of religion.

Geoffrey Edmund Fox is a sociologist who graduated from Harvard University in 1963 and went to work in Latin America, especially Venezuela. He eventually moved to Spain and launched a Spanish-language blog. Geoffrey’s books include Hispanic Nation: Culture, Politics and the Constructing of Identity, The Land and People of Argentina, and The Land and People of Venezuela (among others). His first and longest-lasting project was to help locals in Venezuela build a stairway for their shanty town.

Another Harvard University graduate, Bruce Wasserstein, published Big Deal: Mergers and Acquisitions in the Digital Age. Although the title implies the subject matter is confined to the late 20th and early 21st centuries, he takes the reader back to the 1800s and forward through five “waves” mergers that changed the scope of American business and politics: railroad mergers, 1920s industrial mergers, 1960s “conglomerate” mergers, the hostile takeovers of the 1980s, and the current wave of buyouts and mergers.

Harvard University graduates have distinguished themselves in more fields than this article can do justice. They have left their marks in the sands of foreign nations, in the hearts and souls of generations, and in the economic times in which they thrived. The insights Harvard graduates share through their books are based upon keen understanding, practical experience, and lifetimes of rewarding engagement.

One of Baltimore’s staple attractions, the Walters Art Museum kicked off with William and Henry Walters’ collection of different art items - paintings, sculptures, and other artifacts, all totaling to 22,000. The father-and-son tandem begun to gather pieces of artwork during the 19th and 20th century. Their collection included masterworks from famed European painters, Greek and Roman antiques, and ceramics and porcelain from the Far East.

Following Henry Walters’ death in 1931, the city administration of Baltimore proposed to open a public museum that will house the artifacts left by the Walters. The museum opened in 1934 and was named the Walters Art Gallery. Apart from the 22,000-item collection of the Walters, the then newly-revamped Walters Art Gallery showcased mummies, jewelries, and medieval armaments.

In 2000, in an effort to project the establishment’s public image, the museum was renamed to the Walters Art Museum. After a 3-year renovation on some sections of the museum, the Walters Art Museum opened its largest building in 2001. One of its main attractions is the Archimedes Palimpsest.

Currently, the museum is running 2 separate exhibitions: the Salviati and Antique; and The Special Dead: A Medieval Reliquary Revealed. The Salviati and Antique showcases different glass and ceramic works that were made in the later part of the 19th century. The Special Dead exhibition, on the other hand, features a replica of an ancient reliquary that houses the remains of St. Amandus. The Salviati and Antique will run until November 2, 2008 while the exhibition of The Special Dead: A Medieval Reliquary Revealed will end on January 18, 2008.

Just recently, the Walters Art Museum has announced that the admission to the said institution is free.

Alice Walton, philanthropist and patron of the arts, founded the Crystal Bridges Museum.

Alice Walton to unveil museum in the state of Arkansas.

Learn more about Alice Walton and the Walton Family Foundation.