第1章

byThomasHenryHuxleyIncontroversy,asincourtship,thegoodoldruletobeoffwiththeoldbeforeoneisonwiththenew,greatlycommendsitselftomysenseofexpediency。And,therefore,itappearstomedesirablethatIshouldprefacesuchobservationsasImayhavetoofferuponthecloudofarguments(therelevancyofwhichtotheissuewhichIhadventuredtoraiseisnotalwaysobvious)putforthbyMr。GladstoneintheJanuarynumberofthisreview,<1>byanendeavourtomakecleartosuchofourreadersashavenothadtheadvantageofaforensiceducationthepresentnetresultofthediscussion。

Iamquiteawarethat,inundertakingthistask,Irunalltheriskstowhichthemanwhopresumestodealjudiciallywithhisowncauseisliable。ButitisexactlybecauseIdonotshunthatrisk,but,rather,earnestlydesiretobejudgedbyhimwhocomethafterme,providedthathehastheknowledgeandimpartialityappropriatetoajudge,thatIadoptmypresentcourse。

Inthearticleon\"TheDawnofCreationandWorship,\"itwillberememberedthatMr。Gladstoneunreservedlycommitshimselftothreepropositions。Thefirstisthat,accordingtothewriterofthePentateuch,the\"water—population,\"the\"air—population,\"

andthe\"land—population\"oftheglobewerecreatedsuccessively,intheordernamed。Inthesecondplace,Mr。

Gladstoneauthoritativelyassertsthatthis(aspartofhis\"fourfoldorder\")hasbeen\"soaffirmedinourtimebynaturalscience,thatitmaybetakenasademonstratedconclusionandestablishedfact。\"Inthethirdplace,Mr。Gladstonearguesthatthefactofthiscoincidenceofthepentateuchalstorywiththeresultsofmoderninvestigationmakesit\"impossibletoavoidtheconclusion,first,thateitherthiswriterwasgiftedwithfacultiespassingallhumanexperience,orelsehisknowledgewasdivine。\"Andhavingsettledtohisownsatisfactionthatthefirst\"branchofthealternativeistrulynominalandunreal,\"

Mr。Gladstonecontinues,\"SostandsthepleaforarevelationoftruthfromGod,apleaonlytobemetbyquestioningitspossibility\"(p。697)。

Iamasimple—mindedperson,whollydevoidofsubtletyofintellect,sothatIwillinglyadmitthattheremaybedepthsofalternativemeaninginthesepropositionsoutofallsoundingsattainablebymypoorplummet。Stillthereareagoodmanypeoplewhosufferunderalikeintellectuallimitation;and,foronceinmylife,IfeelthatIhavethechanceofattainingthatpositionofarepresentativeofaverageopinionwhichappearstobethemodernidealofaleaderofmen,whenImakefreeconfessionthat,afterturningthematteroverinmymind,withalltheaidderivedfromacarefulconsiderationofMr。

Gladstone’sreply,Icannotgetawayfrommyoriginalconvictionthat,ifMr。Gladstone’ssecondpropositioncanbeshowntobenotmerelyinaccurate,butdirectlycontradictoryoffactsknowntoeveryonewhoisacquaintedwiththeelementsofnaturalscience,thethirdpropositioncollapsesofitself。

Anditwasthisconvictionwhichledmetoenteruponthepresentdiscussion。Ifanciedthatifmyrespectedclients,thepeopleofaverageopinionandcapacity,couldoncebegotdistinctlytoconceivethatMr。Gladstone’sviewsastothepropermethodofdealingwithgraveanddifficultscientificandreligiousproblemshadpermittedhimtobaseasolemn\"pleaforarevelationoftruthfromGod\"uponanerrorastoamatteroffact,fromwhichtheintelligentperusalofamanualofpalaeontologywouldhavesavedhim,Ineednottroublemyselftooccupytheirtimeandattention[167]withfurthercommentsuponhiscontributiontoapologeticliterature。ItisforotherstojudgewhetherIhaveefficientlycarriedoutmyprojectornot。

ItcertainlydoesnotcountformuchthatIshouldbeunabletofindanyflawinmyowncase,butIthinkitcountsforagooddealthatMr。Gladstoneappearstohavebeenequallyunabletodoso。Hedoes,indeed,makeagreatparadeofauthorities,andIhavethegreatestrespectforthoseauthoritieswhomMr。Gladstonementions。Ifhewillgetthemtosignajointmemorialtotheeffectthatourpresentpalaeontologicalevidenceprovesthatbirdsappearedbeforethe\"land—population\"

ofterrestrialreptiles,Ishallthinkitmydutytoreconsidermyposition——butnottillthen。

ItwillbeobservedthatIhavecautiouslyusedtheword\"appears\"inreferringtowhatseemstometobeabsenceofanyrealanswertomycriticismsinMr。Gladstone’sreply。ForI

musthonestlyconfessthat,notwithstandinglongandpainfulstrivingsafterclearinsight,IamstilluncertainwhetherMr。

Gladstone’s\"Defence\"meansthatthegreat\"pleaforarevelationfromGod\"istobelefttoperishinthedialecticdesert;orwhetheritistobewithdrawnundertheprotectionofsuchskirmishersasareavailableforcoveringretreat。

Inparticular,theremarkabledisquisitionwhichcoverspages11

to14ofMr。Gladstone’slastcontributionhasgreatlyexercisedmymind。SocratesisreportedtohavesaidoftheworksofHeraclitusthathewhoattemptedtocomprehendthemshouldbea\"Delianswimmer,\"butthat,forhispart,whathecouldunderstandwassogoodthathewasdisposedtobelieveintheexcellenceofthatwhichhefoundunintelligible。

InendeavouringtomakemyselfmasterofMr。Gladstone’smeaninginthesepages,IhaveoftenbeenovercomebyafeelinganalogoustothatofSocrates,butnotquitethesame。

ThatwhichIdounderstandhasappearedtomesoverymuchthereverseofgood,thatIhavesometimespermittedmyselftodoubtthevalueofthatwhichIdonotunderstand。

InthispartofMr。Gladstone’sreply,infact,Ifindnothingofwhichthebearinguponmyargumentsiscleartome,exceptthatwhichrelatestothequestionwhetherreptiles,sofarastheyarerepresentedbytortoisesandthegreatmajorityoflizardsandsnakes,whicharelandanimals,arecreepingthingsinthesenseofthepentateuchalwriterornot。

IhaveeveryrespectforthesingeroftheSongoftheThreeChildren(whoeverhemayhavebeen);Idesiretocastnoshadowofdoubtupon,but,onthecontrary,marvelat,theexactnessofMr。Gladstone’sinformationastotheconsiderationswhich\"affectedthemethodoftheMosaicwriter\";nordoIventuretodoubtthattheinconvenientintrusionofthesecontemptiblereptiles——\"afamilyfallenfromgreatness\"(p。14),amiserabledecayedaristocracyreducedtomere\"skulkersabouttheearth\"

ibid。)——inconsequence,apparently,ofdifficultiesabouttheoccupationoflandarisingoutoftheearth—hungeroftheirformerserfs,themammals——intoanapologeticargument,whichotherwisewouldrunquitesmoothly,isineverywaytobedeprecated。Still,thewretchedcreaturesstandthere,importunatelydemandingnotice;and,howeverdifferentmaybethepracticeinthatcontentiousatmospherewithwhichMr。

Gladstoneexpressesandlamentshisfamiliarity,intheatmosphereofscienceitreallyisofnoavailwhatevertoshutone’seyestofacts,ortotrytoburythemoutofsightunderatumulusofrhetoric。Thatismyexperienceofthe\"ElysianregionsofScience,\"whereinitisapleasuretometothinkthatamanofMr。Gladstone’sintimateknowledgeofEnglishlife,duringthelastquarterofacentury,believesmyphilosophicexistencetohavebeenroundedoffinunbrokenequanimity。

Howeverreprehensible,andindeedcontemptible,terrestrialreptilesmaybe,theonlyquestionwhichappearstometoberelevanttomyargumentiswhetherthesecreaturesareorarenotcomprisedunderthedenominationof\"everythingthatcreepethupontheground。\"

Mr。GladstonespeaksoftheauthorofthefirstchapterofGenesisas\"theMosaicwriter\";Isuppose,therefore,thathewilladmitthatitisequallypropertospeakoftheauthorofLeviticusasthe\"Mosaicwriter。\"WhethersuchaphrasewouldbeusedbyanyonewhohadanadequateconceptionoftheassuredresultsofmodernBiblicalcriticismisanothermatter;but,atanyrate,itcannotbedeniedthatLeviticushasasmuchclaimtoMosaicauthorshipasGenesis。Therefore,ifonewantstoknowthesenseofaphraseusedinGenesis,itwillbewelltoseewhatLeviticushastosayonthematter。Hence,IcommendthefollowingextractfromtheeleventhchapterofLeviticustoMr。

Gladstone’sseriousattention:——



Andthesearetheywhichareuncleanuntoyouamongthecreepingthingsthatcreepupontheearth:theweasel,andthemouse,andthegreatlizardafteritskind,andthegecko,andthelandcrocodile,andthesand—lizard,andthechameleon。Thesearetheywhichareuncleantoyouamongallthatcreep(v。29—3l)。



ThemerestSunday—schoolexegesisthereforesufficestoprovethatwhenthe\"Mosaicwriter\"inGenesisi。24speaksof\"creepingthings,\"hemeanstoincludelizardsamongthem。

Thisbeingso,itisagreed,onallhands,thatterrestriallizards,andotherreptilesalliedtolizards,occurinthePermianstrata。ItisfurtheragreedthattheTriassicstrataweredepositedafterthese。Moreover,itiswellknownthat,evenifcertainfootprintsaretobetakenasunquestionableevidenceoftheexistenceofbirds,theyarenotknowntooccurinrocksearlierthantheTrias,whileindubitableremainsofbirdsaretobemetwithonlymuchlater。Henceitfollowsthatnaturalsciencedoesnot\"affirm\"thestatementthatbirdsweremadeonthefifthday,and\"everythingthatcreepethontheground\"onthesixth,onwhichMr。Gladstonerestshisorder;

for,asisshownbyLeviticus,the\"Mosaicwriter\"includeslizardsamonghis\"creepingthings。\"

PerhapsIhavegivenmyselfsuperfluoustroubleintheprecedingargument,forIfindthatMr。Gladstoneiswillingtoassume(hedoesnotsaytoadmit)thatthestatementinthetextofGenesisastoreptilescannot\"inallpointsbesustained\"(p。16)。Butmypositionisthatitcannotbesustainedinanypoint,sothat,afterall,ithasperhapsbeenaswelltogoovertheevidenceagain。AndthenMr。Gladstoneproceedsasifnothinghadhappenedtotellusthat——



Thereremaingreatunshakenfactstobeweighed。First,thefactthatsucharecordshouldhavebeenmadeatall。



Asmostpeopleshavetheircosmogonies,this\"fact\"doesnotstrikemeashavingmuchvalue。



Secondly,thefactthat,insteadofdwellingingeneralities,ithasplaceditselfunderthesevereconditionsofachronologicalorderreachingfromthefirstnisusofchaoticmattertotheconsummatedproductionofafairandgoodly,afurnishedandapeopledworld。



This\"fact\"canberegardedasofvalueonlybyignoringthefactdemonstratedinmypreviouspaper,thatnaturalsciencedoesnotconfirmtheorderassertedsofaraslivingthingsareconcerned;andbyupsettingafacttobebroughttolightpresently,towit,that,inregardtotherestofthepentateuchalcosmogony,prudentsciencehasverylittletosayonewayortheother。



Thirdly,thefactthatitscosmogonyseems,inthelightofthenineteenthcentury,todrawmoreandmoreofcountenancefromthebestnaturalphilosophy。



Ihavealreadyquestionedtheaccuracyofthisstatement,andI

donotobservethatmererepetitionaddstoitsvalue。



And,fourthly,thatithasdescribedthesuccessiveoriginsofthefivegreatcategoriesofpresentlifewithwhichhumanexperiencewasandisconversant,inthatorderwhichgeologicalauthorityconfirms。



Bycomparisonwithasentenceonpage14,inwhichafivefoldorderissubstitutedforthe\"fourfoldorder,\"onwhichthe\"pleaforrevelation\"wasoriginallyfounded,itappearsthatthesefivecategoriesare\"plants,fishes,birds,mammals,andman,\"which,Mr。Gladstoneaffirms,\"aregiventousinGenesisintheorderofsuccessioninwhichtheyarealsogivenbythelatestgeologicalauthorities。\"

Imustventuretodemurtothisstatement。Ishowed,inmypreviouspaper,thatthereisnoreasontodoubtthattheterm\"greatseamonster\"(usedinGen。i。21)includesthemostconspicuousofgreatseaanimals——namely,whales,dolphins,porpoises,manatees,anddugongs;<2>and,astheseareindubitablemammals,itisimpossibletoaffirmthatmammalscomeafterbirds,whicharesaidtohavebeencreatedonthesameday。Moreover,IpointedoutthatastheseCetaceaandSireniaarecertainlymodifiedlandanimals,theirexistenceimpliestheantecedentexistenceoflandmammals。

Furthermore,Ihavetoremarkthattheterm\"fishes,\"asused,technically,inzoology,bynomeanscoversallthemovingcreaturesthathavelife,whicharebiddento\"fillthewatersintheseas\"(Gen。i。20—22。)Marinemollusksandcrustacea,echinoderms,corals,andforaminiferaarenottechnicallyfishes。Buttheyareabundantinthepalaeozoicrocks,agesuponagesolderthanthoseinwhichthefirstevidencesoftruefishesappear。Andif,inageologicalbook,Mr。Gladstonefindsthequitetruestatementthatplantsappearedbeforefishes,itisonlybyacompletemisunderstandingthathecanbeledtoimagineitserveshispurpose。Asamatteroffact,atthepresentmoment,itisaquestionwhether,onthebareevidenceaffordedbyfossils,themarinecreepingthingorthemarineplanthastheseniority。Nocautiouspalaeontologistwouldexpressadecidedopiniononthematter。But,ifwearetoreadthepentateuchalstatementasascientificdocument(and,inspiteofallproteststothecontrary,thosewhobringitintocomparisonwithsciencedoseektomakeascientificdocumentofit),then,asitisquiteclearthatonlyterrestrialplantsofhighorganisationarespokenofinverses11and12,nopalaeontologistwouldhesitatetosaythat,atpresent,therecordsofseaanimallifearevastlyolderthanthoseofanylandplantdescribableas\"grass,herbyieldingseedorfruittree。\"

Thus,although,inMr。Gladstone’s\"Defence,\"the\"oldorderpassethintonew,\"hiscaseisnotimproved。Thefivefoldorderisnomore\"affirmedinourtimebynaturalscience\"tobe\"ademonstratedconclusionandestablishedfact\"thanthefourfoldorderwas。Naturalscienceappearstometodeclinetohaveanythingtodowitheither;theyareaswrongindetailastheyaremistakeninprinciple。

Thereisanotherchangeofposition,thevalueofwhichisnotsoapparenttome,asitmaywellseemtobetothosewhoareunfamiliarwiththesubjectunderdiscussion。Mr。Gladstonediscardshisthreegroupsof\"water—population,\"\"air—

population,\"and\"land—population,\"andsubstitutesforthem(1)fishes,(2)birds,(3)mammals,(4)man。Moreover,itisassumed,inanote,that\"thehigherorordinarymammals\"alonewereknowntothe\"Mosaicwriter\"(p。6)。Nodoubtitlooks,atfirst,asifsomethingweregainedbythisalteration;for,asI

havejustpointedout,theword\"fishes\"canbeusedintwosenses,oneofwhichhasadeceptiveappearanceofadjustabilitytothe\"Mosaic\"account。Thentheinconvenientreptilesarebanishedoutofsight;and,finally,thequestionoftheexactmeaningof\"higher\"and\"ordinary\"inthecaseofmammalsopensuptheprospectofahopefullogomachy。ButwhatisthegoodofitallinthefaceofLeviticusontheonehandandofpalaeontologyontheother?

As,inmyapprehension,thereisnotashadowofjustificationforthesuggestionthatwhenthepentateuchalwritersays\"fowl\"

heexcludesbats(which,asweshallseedirectly,areexpresslyincludedunder\"fowl\"inLeviticus),andasIhavealreadyshownthathedemonstrablyincludesreptiles,aswellasmammals,amongthecreepingthingsoftheland,Imaybepermittedtosparemyreadersfurtherdiscussionofthe\"fivefoldorder。\"

Onthewhole,itisseentoberathermoreinconsistentwithGenesisthanitsfourfoldpredecessor。

ButIhaveyetafreshordertoface。Mr。Gladstone(p。11)

understands\"themainstatementsofGenesisinsuccessiveorderoftime,butwithoutanymeasurementofitsdivisions,tobeasfollows:——

1。Aperiodofland,anteriortoalllife(v。9,10)。

2。Aperiodofvegetablelife,anteriortoanimallife(v。11,12)。

3。Aperiodofanimallife,intheorderoffishes(v。20)。

4。Anotherstageofanimallife,intheorderofbirds。

5。Anotherintheorderofbeasts(v。24,25)。

6。Lastofall,man(v。26,27)。

Mr。Gladstonethentriestofindtheproofoftheoccurrenceofasimilarsuccessioninsundryexcellentworksongeology。

Iamreallygrievedtobeobligedtosaythatthisthird(orisitfourth?)modificationofthefoundationofthe\"pleaforrevelation\"originallysetforth,satisfiesmeaslittleasanyofitspredecessors。

For,inthefirstplace,IcannotaccepttheassertionthatthisorderistobefoundinGenesis。WithrespecttoNo。5,forexample,Ihold,asIhavealreadysaid,that\"greatseamonsters\"includestheCetacea,inwhichcasemammals(whichiswhat,Isuppose,Mr。Gladstonemeansby\"beasts\")comeinunderheadNo。3,andnotunderNo。5。Again,\"fowl\"aresaidinGenesistobecreatedonthesamedayasfishes;thereforeI

cannotacceptanorderwhichmakesbirdssucceedfishes。

Oncemore,asitisquitecertainthattheterm\"fowl\"includesthebats,——forinLeviticusxi。13—19weread,\"Andtheseshallyehaveinabominationamongthefowls……theheronafteritskind,andthehoopoe,andthebat,\"——itisobviousthatbatsarealsosaidtohavebeencreatedatstageNo。3。Andasbatsaremammals,andtheirexistenceobviouslypresupposesthatofterrestrial\"beasts,\"itisquiteclearthatthelattercouldnothavefirstappearedasNo。5。Ineednotrepeatmyreasonsfordoubtingwhethermancame\"lastofall。\"

AsthelatterhalfofMr。Gladstone’ssixfoldorderthusshowsitselftobewhollyunauthorisedby,andinconsistentwith,theplainlanguageofthePentateuch,Imightdeclinetodiscusstheadmissibilityofitsformerhalf。

ButIwilladdoneortworemarksonthispointalso。DoesMr。

Gladstonemeantosaythatinanyoftheworkshehascited,orindeedanywhereelse,hecanfindscientificwarrantyfortheassertionthattherewasaperiodofland——bywhichIsupposehemeansdryland(forsubmergedlandmustneedsbeasoldastheseparateexistenceofthesea)——\"anteriortoalllife?\"

Itmaybeso,oritmaynotbeso;butwhereistheevidencewhichwouldjustifyanyoneinmakingapositiveassertiononthesubject?Whatcompetentpalaeontologistwillaffirm,atthispresentmoment,thatheknowsanythingabouttheperiodatwhichlifeoriginated,orwillassertmorethantheextremeprobabilitythatsuchoriginwasalongwayantecedenttoanytracesoflifeatpresentknown?Whatphysicalgeologistwillaffirmthatheknowswhendrylandbegantoexist,orwillsaymorethanthatitwasprobablyverymuchearlierthananyextantdirectevidenceofterrestrialconditionsindicates?

IthinkIknowprettywelltheanswerswhichtheauthoritiesquotedbyMr。Gladstonewouldgivetothesequestions;butI

leaveittothemtogivethemiftheythinkfit。

IfIventuredtospeculateonthematteratall,Ishouldsayitisbynomeanscertainthatseaisolderthandryland,inasmuchasasolidterrestrialsurfacemayverywellhaveexistedbeforetheearthwascoolenoughtoallowoftheexistenceoffluidwater。And,inthiscase,drylandmayhaveexistedbeforethesea。Astothefirstappearanceoflife,thewholeargumentofanalogy,whateveritmaybeworthinsuchacase,isinfavouroftheabsenceoflivingbeingsuntillongafterthehotwaterseashadconstitutedthemselves;andofthesubsequentappearanceofaquaticbeforeterrestrialformsoflife。

Butwhetherthese\"protoplasts\"would,ifwecouldexaminethem,bereckonedamongthelowestmicroscopicalgae,orfungi;oramongthosedoubtfulorganismswhichlieinthedebatablelandbetweenanimalsandplants,is,inmyjudgment,aquestiononwhichaprudentbiologistwillreservehisopinion。

IthinkthatIhavenowdisposedofthosepartsofMr。

Gladstone’sdefenceinwhichIseemtodiscoveradesigntorescuehissolemn\"pleaforrevelation。\"Butagreatdealofthe\"ProemtoGenesis\"remainswhichIwouldgladlypassoverinsilence,weresuchacourseconsistentwiththerespectduetosodistinguishedachampionofthe\"reconcilers。\"

Ihopethatmyclients——thepeopleofaverageopinions——havebythistimesomeconfidenceinme;forwhenItellthemthat,afterall,Mr。Gladstoneisofopinionthatthe\"Mosaicrecord\"

wasmeanttogivemoral,andnotscientific,instructiontothoseforwhomitwaswritten,theymaybedisposedtothinkthatImustbemisleadingthem。ButletthemlistenfurthertowhatMr。Gladstonesaysinacompendiousbutnotexactlycorrectstatementrespectingmyopinions:——



Heholdsthewriterresponsibleforscientificprecision:Ilookfornothingofthekind,butassigntohimastatementgeneral,whichadmitsexceptions;popular,whichaimsmainlyatproducingmoralimpression;summary,whichcannotbutbeopentomoreorlessofcriticismofdetail。Hethinksitisalecture。Ithinkitisasermon\"(p。5)。



Inote,incidentally,thatMr。Gladstoneappearstoconsiderthatthedifferentiabetweenalectureandasermonis,thattheformer,sofarasitdealswithmattersoffact,maybetakenseriously,asmeaningexactlywhatitsays,whileasermonmaynot。Ihavequiteenoughonmyhandswithouttakingupthecudgelsfortheclergy,whowillprobablyfindMr。Gladstone’sdefinitionunflattering。

ButIamdivergingfrommyproperbusiness,whichistosaythatIhavegivennogroundfortheascriptionoftheseopinions;andthat,asamatteroffact,Idonotholdthemandneverhaveheldthem。ItisMr。Gladstone,andnotI,whowillhaveitthatthepentateuchalcosmogonyistobetakenasscience。

Mybelief,onthecontrary,is,andlonghasbeen,thatthepentateuchalstoryofthecreationissimplyamyth。Isupposeittobeanhypothesisrespectingtheoriginoftheuniversewhichsomeancientthinkerfoundhimselfabletoreconcilewithhisknowledge,orwhathethoughtwasknowledge,ofthenatureofthings,andthereforeassumedtobetrue。Assuch,Iholdittobenotmerelyaninteresting,butavenerable,monumentofastageinthementalprogressofmankind;andIfinditdifficulttosupposethatanyonewhoisacquaintedwiththecosmogoniesofothernations——andespeciallywiththoseoftheEgyptiansandtheBabylonians,withwhomtheIsraeliteswereinsuchfrequentandintimatecommunication——shouldconsiderittopossesseithermore,orless,scientificimportancethanmaybeallottedtothese。

Mr。Gladstone’sdefinitionofasermonpermitsmetosuspectthathemaynotseemuchdifferencebetweenthatformofdiscourseandwhatIcallamyth;andIhopeitmaybesomethingmorethantheslownessofapprehension,towhichIhaveconfessed,whichleadsmetoimaginethatastatementwhichis\"general\"but\"admitsexceptions,\"whichis\"popular\"and\"aimsmainlyatproducingmoralimpression,\"\"summary\"andthereforeopento\"criticismofdetail,\"amountstoamyth,orperhapslessthanamyth。Putalgebraically,itcomestothis,x=a+b+c;alwaysrememberingthatthereisnothingtoshowtheexactvalueofeithera,orb,orc。

Itistruethataiscommonlysupposedtoequal10,butthereareexceptions,andthesemayreduceitto8,or3,or0;

balsopopularlymeans10,butbeingchieflyusedbythealgebraistasa\"moral\"value,youcannotdomuchwithitintheadditionorsubtractionofmathematicalvalues;calsoisquite\"summary,\"andifyougointothedetailsofwhichitismadeup,manyofthemmaybewrong,andtheirsumtotalequalto0,oreventoaminusquantity。

Mr。GladstoneappearstowishthatIshould(1)enteruponasortofessaycompetitionwiththeauthorofthepentateuchalcosmogony;(2)thatIshouldmakeafurtherstatementaboutsomeelementaryfactsinthehistoryofIndianandGreekphilosophy;

and(3)thatIshouldshowcauseformyhesitationinacceptingtheassertionthatGenesisissupported,atanyratetotheextentofthefirsttwoverses,bythenebularhypothesis。

Acertainsenseofhumourpreventsmefromacceptingthefirstinvitation。IwouldassoonattempttoputHamlet’ssoliloquyintoamorescientificshape。ButifIsupposedthe\"Mosaicwriter\"tobeinspired,asMr。Gladstonedoes,itwouldnotbeconsistentwithmynotionsofrespectfortheSupremeBeingtoimagineHimunabletoframeaformofwordswhichshouldaccurately,or,atleast,notinaccurately,expressHisownmeaning。Itissometimessaidthat,hadthestatementscontainedinthefirstchapterofGenesisbeenscientificallytrue,theywouldhavebeenunintelligibletoignorantpeople;buthowisthemattermendedif,beingscientificallyuntrue,theymustneedsberejectedbyinstructedpeople?

Withrespecttothesecondsuggestion,itwouldbepresumptuousinmetopretendtoinstructMr。GladstoneinmatterswhichlieasmuchwithintheprovinceofLiteratureandHistoryasinthatofScience;butifanyonedesirousoffurtherknowledgewillbesogoodastoturntothatmostexcellentandbynomeansreconditesourceofinformation,the\"EncyclopaediaBritannica,\"

hewillfind,undertheletterE,theword\"Evolution,\"andalongarticleonthatsubject。Now,Idonotrecommendhimtoreadthefirsthalfofthearticle;butthesecondhalf,bymyfriendMr。Sully,isreallyverygood。HewilltherefinditsaidthatinsomeofthephilosophiesofancientIndia,theideaofevolutionisclearlyexpressed:\"Brahmaisconceivedastheeternalself—existentbeing,which,onitsmaterialside,unfoldsitselftotheworldbygraduallycondensingitselftomaterialobjectsthroughthegradationsofether,fire,water,earth,andotherelements。\"Andagain:\"InthelatersystemofemanationofSankhyathereisamoremarkedapproachtoamaterialisticdoctrineofevolution。\"WhatlittleknowledgeI

haveofthematter——chieflyderivedfromthatveryinstructivebook,\"DieReligiondesBuddha,\"byC。F。Koeppen,supplementedbyHardy’sinterestingworks——leadsmetothinkthatMr。SullymighthavespokenmuchmorestronglyastotheevolutionarycharacterofIndianphilosophy,andespeciallyofthatoftheBuddhists。Butthequestionistoolargetobedealtwithincidentally。

And,withrespecttoearlyGreekphilosophy,<3>theseekerafteradditionalenlightenmentneedgonofurtherthanthesameexcellentstorehouseofinformation:——

TheearlyIonianphysicists,includingThales,Anaximander,andAnaximenes,seektoexplaintheworldasgeneratedoutofaprimordialmatterwhichisatthesametimetheuniversalsupportofthings。Thissubstanceisendowedwithagenerativeortransmutativeforcebyvirtueofwhichitpassesintoasuccessionofforms。Theythusresemblemodernevolutionistssincetheyregardtheworld,withitsinfinitevarietyofforms,asissuingfromasimplemodeofmatter。