William Jennings Bryan Quote

The first objection to Darwinism is that it is only a guess and was never anything more. It is called a hypothesis, but the word hypothesis, though euphonioous, dignified and high-sounding, is merely a scientific synonym for the old-fashioned word guess. If Darwin had advanced his views as a guess they would not have survived for a year, but they have floated for half a century, buoyed up by the inflated word hypothesis. When it is understood that hypothesis means guess, people will inspect it more carefully before accepting it.

William Jennings Bryan 'God and Evolution', New York Times (26 Feb 1922), 84. Rebuttals were printed a few days later from Henry Fairfield Osborn and Edwin Grant Conklin.