STONE, S. J. The First Problem: The Soliloquy of A Rationalistic Chicken.

Which Came First, the Chicken or Evolution?

STONE, S. J. The First Problem: The Soliloquy of A Rationalistic Chicken. (London: James Nisbet & Co., ca. 1870s) One sheet, folded. (213 x 169 mm.)   With a large black & white illustration of newly hatched chicks.  Creased down the center, a couple short tears along the folds, light foxing, but in good condition with no major issues. 

A witty satire rebuking perceived trends toward secularization and scientific belief over church doctrine and religious faith.

Although we purchased it solely for the great title, this poem, as we discovered, seems to have caused a small sensation when it was published. Told from the perspective of a newly hatched chick who simply cannot fathom how they came from something as paltry as an egg, our rationalistic chicken declares, "What I can't see, I never will believe in!" A contemporary article in Harper's New Monthly Magazine noted that "It has had great currency in England among the clergy, many of whom have assisted in spreading it abroad; and even secularists have found it passable--as a caricature." Despite its popularity and having been reprinted numerous times in the form of "penny sheets," we find surprisingly few copies in institutions and no copies currently in the trade.  (1107)