FUNDAMENTAL RELATIONS OF ANIMALS. 13 



there is between the facts ascertained by scientific inves- 

 tigation, and the discussions now carried on respecting 

 the origin of organized beings. And, though I know those 

 who hold it to be very unscientific to believe that think- 

 ing is not something inherent in matter, and that there is 

 an essential difference between inorganic and living and 

 thinking beings, I shall not be prevented, by any such 

 pretensions of a false philosophy, from expressing my 

 conviction that, as long as it cannot be shown that matter 

 or physical forces do actually reason, any manifestation of 

 thought is to be considered as evidence of the existence 



o 



of a thinking being as the author of such thought, and 

 that an intelligent and intelligible connection between the 

 facts of nature must be looked upon as a direct proof of 

 the existence of a thinking God, 1 as certainly as man ex- 

 hibits the power of thinking when he recognises their 

 natural relations. 



As I am not writing a didactic work, I will not enter 

 here into a detailed illustration of the facts relating to the 

 various subjects submitted to the consideration of my 



1 T am well aware that even the either by the fear of being supposed 



most eminent investigators consider to share clerical or sectarian preju- 



the task of science at an end, as soon dices, or because it may be dangerous 



as the most general relations of natu- for them to discuss freely such ques- 



ral phenomena have been ascertained, tions without acknowledging at the 



To many the inquiry into the prirni- same time the obligation of taking 



tive cause of their existence seems the Old Testament as the standard 



either beyond the reach of man, or as by which the validity of their results 



belonging rather to philosophy than is to be measured. Science, however, 



to physics. To these the name of can only prosper when confining itself 



God appears out of place in a scien- within its legitimate sphere; and no- 



tific work ; as if the knowledge of thing can be more detrimental to its 



secondary agencies constituted alone true dignity than discussions like 



a worthy subject for their investiga- those which took place at the last 



tions, and as if nature could teach meeting of the German Association 



nothing about its Author. Many, of Naturalists in Gottingen, and which 



again, are no doubt prevented from have since then been carried on in 



expressing their conviction that the several pamphlets in which bigotry 



world was called into existence and vies with personality and invective, 

 is regulated by an intelligent God, 



