laws of nature, unless there was antecedent life. But there must have been an original life; and that original, or first life could not have been begotten, from the want of any preexisting life to beget it; and hence we are forced to the conclusion that this original life was self-existent.

Advocates of the spontaneous generation theory, however, try to avoid this last conclusion by assuming that “ spontaneous generation" existed in the early ages of the earth; and they assume this without definite evidence that such a thing ever existed, and against what appears to be almost conclusive evidence that it has no present existence.

Now let some one show that, from the nature of the case, there could not be an original, self-existent, living, intelligent being, and then I will confess the reasonableness of the wildest scepticism concerning a belief in an original selfexistent creator. But in default of this, I must insist that it is reasonable to believe that all the life of which we see the manifestations is derived from a self-existent fountain of life, and is produced through infinite creative power.

How life comes into existence through secondary causes and is developed through the laws of nature will be considered in other chapters.

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CHAPTER IV.

DEVELOPMENT THEORIES.

In a previous chapter I inquired respecting the origin of life, and it is now proper to examine various theories concerning development of life; for some biologists assert that all present living beings have descended from one common

ancestor.

One of these theories is known as the hypothesis of Lamarck; another, the Darwinian, improvement upon Lamarck's.

a great advance and Some who advocate these

or like theories think they see a complete chain of life from the lowest to the highest types.

There is a common tendency among many who advocate radical development theories to accuse such as cannot see the consistency of extreme theories of lacking intelligence, or in effect saying that the reason why some men do not understand and fully accept these theories is because of their ignorance, or want of logical power.

It is well known that Sir Charles Lyell, the eminent geologist, came reluctantly to agree to a part of Darwin's theories. In commenting upon this reluctance, Prof. Allen, in his biographical sketch of Lyell in "Popular Science Monthly," March, 1882, writes: "I have illustrated this matter thus fully because it is one which very clearly shows the weak side of Lyell's intellect. With all his breadth of mind and freedom from prejudice, he was not ever one of those who really get to the deepest bottom of things. His tendencies were all in the

right direction, and his instinct always inclined him to the true solution; but he did not build himself up a set of first principles to start with, firmly based upon a philosophical foundation, and make these the fixed criteria of his judgments throughout.

In Mr. Allen's article I find no other facts stated which indicate any lack of deep reasoning, except this one, viz., that it did not comport with Lyell's judgment to readily and fully embrace the popular development theories, including the supposed descent of man from ape-like mammals.

I mention this instance-by no means an uncommon onefrom the fact that I have been particularly struck with the number of statements which occur in the writings of certain authors charging a lack of intelligence against those who do not accept doctrines of radical evolutionists.

That all life on the earth is modified by, or made to conform to, external as well as internal conditions is so perfectly natural that it was impressed upon the writer's mind before he has any recollection of learning that it was taught by men of science. If we vary the conditions surrounding us, whether in regard to climate, light, heat, or moisture, those very changed conditions must modify the physical systems of men, and with these physical modifications will come somewhat analogous mental changes. For instance, the reason that most of the inhabitants of Africa are negroes is not necessarily because they originally sprung from black progenitors, but rather because of the physical character

1 David Hume would hardly agree with Mr. Allen in regard to making a set of "first principles "fixed criteria of judgments throughout." He says (Essays, p. 93), "When a philosopher has once laid hold of a favorite principle which perhaps accounts for many natural effects, he extends the same principle over the whole creation, and reduces to it every phenomenon, though by the most violent and absurd reasoning."

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istics of that continent taken in connection with habits of living through many generations. These peculiar characteristics, however, originated anterior to any historical records. When European nations have colonized tropical countries, the descendants of these colonists have not taken on the peculiar characteristics of negroes, but generally, after a few generations, these descendants have ceased to produce offspring, and hence the races have run out. This fact strikingly shows how necessary certain environments are to the very existence of any race. Had these descendants been able to continue through many generations, perhaps some traits of negroes might have appeared in them.

Different races of animals and men live on the earth because the earth is fitted to be their place of residence, and not because they were first made to live whether their physical surroundings were suitable or not. Make the physical changes in the character of the earth great enough, and not a human inhabitant could exist upon it. Doubtless evolution through natural selection has had an immense influence in shaping the character and kinds of life, but it is doubtful whether it has done all that the ardent advocates of the doctrine believe it has.

Guyot teaches that even the mountains and the sound of the winds of a country will cause harshness or melody in the sounds of human language. To a certain extent man must be dependent upon physical environments; and whatever doctrines we may advocate concerning the origin and descent of species, and however great or however little stress we may lay upon the laws of heredity, natural selection, or any other theory of evolution, we must admit that the operations of laws of evolution go far beyond mere animals and plants. They probably extend even to the formation of worlds; and

yet no man ever saw any one race of beings transformed into another distinct race.

The general positions of evolutionists are probably correct, yet it does not necessarily follow that all their assumptions are correct. Among those which may be fairly considered of doubtful character may be mentioned that of the supposed development of the human race from a catarrhine species of apes.

It may be asked, why, if the writer is inclined to think that the theory of the descent of men from animals somewhat resembling apes may be shown to be probably true, he does not say so, and let the matter rest there?

He does not desire to express any decided opinion concerning the actual scientific value of this hypothesis; but the conviction is forced on his mind that, whether the hypothesis is correct or incorrect, it is put forth by radical evolutionists with a greater degree of positiveness than our present knowledge on the subject justifies. But this theory now seems to be making strong headway, and carries before it most of those who do not stop to question the validity of widely prevalent ideas, and it has all the advocates it needs. The danger now is that important facts which appear to point in another direction may be overlooked.

If, however, the writer must choose between the old belief in several universal cataclysms, by which all the animals which have inhabited the earth at certain geological periods have been suddenly swept entirely off and a new set of animals suddenly created by successive almighty fiats, and the doctrine that the various species of animals which now inhabit the earth have been developed by infinitesimal and almost imperceptible accretions through immense ages from previously existing varieties, and these from one or more