16 SPECIAL CREATION 



"Creator" nor "Soul" in the index to his Principles 

 of Biology; but after discussing the theory of special 

 creation at length, he says : 



"The hypothesis of special creation turns out to 

 be worthless by its derivation; worthless in its inco- 

 herence ; absolutely without evidence ; worthless as 

 not supplying an intellectual need, worthless as not 

 supplying a moral want.' (Principles of Biology 1, 

 p. 430.) 



This quotation is full of bosh and nonsense. For 

 example: In the same book (pp. 415-416), referring 

 to the hypothesis of special creation and to that of 

 evolution, Spencer says : 



"Both hypotheses imply a cause. The last, cer- 

 tainly as much as the first, recognizes this cause as 

 inscrutable. The point at issue is, how this inscruta- 

 ble cause has worked, in the production of living 

 forms. This point, if it is to be decided at all, is to 

 be decided only by examination of evidence.' 



The word "inscrutable' is synonymous with 

 "impenetrable,' "undiscoverable,' "incomprehensi- 

 ble,' "unsearchable,' "mysterious.' (Cent. Die. 4, 

 p. 3114.) 



Now, if the Cause which produces animals and 

 plants is impenetrable, incomprehensible, etc., Spen- 

 cer could not possibly know whether each animal and 

 plant is directly and specially made by the Creator 

 or not; nor could he say, logically, that there is no 

 evidence of special creation ; for he admits that the 

 Cause is "inscrutable' to him. But there is abun- 

 dant evidence that each animal and plant is a new 

 direct and special creation, for the obvious reason 



