Home Versus Darwin: a Judicial Examination of Statements Recently Published by Mr. Darwin Regarding "The Descent of Man.".

HENRY BLACKLOCK & co.,

PRINTERS,

ALLEN STREET, GOSWELL ROAD, LONDON E.C.

PREFACE.

ERRATA.

Page 135 line 5 for So read To

Page 135 line 6 for man. read man,

Page 143 line 23 for changes, read changed,

men or systems, defeated in the dust.

The work at length appeared, and was eagerly read by thousands throughout our land. There is no difficulty in getting through the two volumes of which it is composed, for they abound in facts gathered from that most interesting field of enquiry-Natural History; and where facts fail him, Mr. Darwin is able, in their stead, to present suppositions quite as interesting, and perhaps even more startling.

But to the mind of a serious reader this is all that can be obtained from its perusal, for Mr. Darwin's style of

reasoning is eminently unsatisfactory. One by one, with cool indifference, he throws overboard, not only Christianity, but also the tried and sure methods of the inductive philosophy of Bacon, which would have sunk his light craft-and along with these the first axioms of logic and common sense.

As a remonstrance against this unwarrantable outrage on religion and philosophy, as well as on true science, the present volume has been penned. The writer has presented his thoughts on the main questions raised by Mr. Darwin in the form of a judicial enquiry, in order thus, more clearly, and in a more lively manner, to put before his readers the important points at issue, and also to bring Mr. Darwin face to face with those well-known and acknowledged principles of investigation which he is. only too ready to ignore.

September 27th, 1871.

NOTE TO THE SECOND EDITION.-A fresh illustration of the argument, derived from the differences that exist between different species, in the blood and in the minute structures of the body, will be found in pages 154-156 of the present edition.

January 30th, 1872.

CONTENTS.

The Case is referred for arbitration to Lord C.
FIRST DAY'S SITTING.-Opening of the Case.

Homo states his ground of complaint-Mr. Darwin
traces man's pedigree from the tadpole-like offspring of
ancient Ascidians through fishes, amphibians, reptiles,
and the lower mammals, to Old World monkeys; from
thence, through a long series of now vanished forms, to
man-Ascidians and their larvæ-All intermediate forms
between ape and man extinct Professor Huxley
knows of no new species having been originated by
selection-Mr. Darwin's former belief in the possibility
of black bears being changed into creatures like whales
-The historic period refuses its help to Mr. Darwin-
Geology unable to supply him with the missing links...
SECOND DAY'S SITTING.-Mr. Darwin's Defence.

...

PAGE

9-32

32-58

Discussion on evidence adduced by Mr. Darwin of
man's descent from some lower form-Bodily structure—
Embryology-Rudiments-The panniculus-The external
ear-M.B. ears-The third eyelid Sense of smell-How
man has ceased to inherit the hairy coat of his pro-
genitors
THIRD DAY'S SITTING.-Mr. Darwin's Defence. (Cont.)
Discussion on rudiments continued-Occasional long
hairs of the eyebrow-Lanugo-Wisdom teeth-The
great canine teeth of our progenitors used for tearing
their enemies-Mr. Darwin's mistakes-How did man
lose his tail?-Has a Creator never intervened?

...

59-76

FOURTH DAY'S SITTING.-Mr. Darwin's Defence. (Cont.)
Mr. Darwin's account of the way in which an ape-like
creature may change insensibly into man-It lives less
on trees and more on the ground-Finds it convenient
to become biped and erect-Hands suitable for climbing
trees, not suitable for hurling stones or spears-Hence
an ape's hands change in the human direction, and also
its feet-Africa, the supposed country of man's pro-

...

PAGE

77-88

genitors, abounds with dangerous beasts-How man's
progenitors may have escaped them when losing their
brute-like powers-They may, however, have inhabited
some safer country-The brain of man in comparison
with the brain of the ape
FIFTH DAY'S SITTING.-Close of Mr. Darwin's Defence.
Man's mental and moral powers-The lowest savages

resemble us in the mental faculty-Points on which man

is said to differ essentially from the lower animals—

Capacity for progressive improvement-The manufacture

of tools-The use of fire-The orang's first step in archi-

tecture-Language-General ideas, abstraction, &c.—

Sense of beauty-Belief in God-Religion-Reasoning

power of Mr. Darwin's dog-Can a dog distinguish

between moral right and wrong ?-Mr. Darwin's views

of conscience and the moral sense-The new and

strange morality to which his principles lead-How

family murder might have been a sacred duty-

Sympathy for the weak and helpless causes a degene-