Daniel Henry Chase an Ernst Haeckel, Middletown, 22. Dezember 1902
Middletown, Con., U. S. A. Dec. 22, 1902.
Professor Ernst Haeckel;
It has struck midnight I have wound my faithful clock, arranged my coalfire and now seat myself to write to you again. A cold rain has fallen all day, making all out door cheerless, a contrast with the comfort indoors. The wind has risen during the night and the rain is heavier.
My thoughts have been of you and your last work during the past ½ hour, hence I write to say that I fully believe you owe the world one more brief book which can accomplish more good to mankind than all your past life-labors, I beg your careful attention.
You have taught atheism and evolution, yet I see and have seen numberless proofs of the existence of a Divine Designer during my long life of nearly 89 years. Insectivorous plants, mines of coal, metals, &c, teeth and fruits, sex, eyes, the tarantula & white winged wasps, and numberless other facts proves wise design and a wise Designer. ||
Star-dust is dead, unconscious; natural laws are also unconscious. They can plan nothing whatever. They cannot create life from death, not even into plasm to say nothing of man’s monstrous brain which gives him intelligence, conscience, worship, affections, passions, will. These traits are not evolved from died nebula by unconscious laws. Your body is infinitely more complex than you watch and you know that is full of design and had & killed designers. Were I to assure you that your watch and yonder whizzing locomotive had no more intelligent designers you would „laugh me to score“. An insectivorous plant is more wisely adapted to its work than is your watch to its.
Your atheism is wholly unworthy of your intelligence and I hope you will soon bless the world with one more brief [?] treatise.
Yours very respectfully, Daniel H. Chase.