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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



mon people ; and the ' liberal ' pulpit is be- 

 coming fervent and attractive in its efforts to 

 show how the Gospel can be and should be 

 accommodated to Spencerianism, and how 

 this system furnishes the best philosophy 

 of religion. Practically, therefore, it is not 

 to be ignored and pooh-poohed, or treated 

 with indifference by the evangelicals, as 

 some of them affect to do. Never was 

 thought so active as it is to-day, and never 

 was there so large a number of great and 

 cultured and eminently virtuous and dis- 

 passionate minds who doubt or disbelieve 

 the existence of a personal Deity. Whither 

 are these facts pointing ? " 



The author thus explains the origin of 

 his work : 



" This book was at first designed only as 

 a brief essay, as a private discussion with a 

 friend, and it originated as follows : Con- 

 versing with Prof. B., of Theological 



Seminary, I asserted that the orthodox do 

 not understand their opponents, that in the 

 present state of philosophy Evolution can 

 be rigidly maintained and triumphantly vin- 

 dicated against all the assaults of Theism, 

 and that the latter will have to adopt an en- 

 tirely new method of defense and attack ; 

 and, as the professor disputed this, I prom- 

 ised to prove it in a short article, which now 

 turns out to be a book. The object, there- 

 fore, of this volume is complex first, to 

 show to the orthodox that they stand on 

 slippery places, that their philosophy and 

 logic can afford them no legitimate aid 

 and comfort ; second, to show to the quasi- 

 evolutionists that there is no medium be- 

 tween atheism, or non-theism, and the re- 

 jection of their own principles of science 

 and philosophy ; third, to show to the thor- 

 ough naturalistic evolutionists that there is 

 at least one man among the orthodox who 

 thoroughly understands them knows them 

 better even than they know themselves 

 and who grants them all their principles, 

 better expounded, and admits their legiti- 

 mate consequences ; and, fourth, that there- 

 fore the author must accept not only these 

 principles, but also these consequences, un- 

 less he can furnish a new philosophy which 

 shall use these acknowledged principles in 

 combination with others, and thus attain 

 other, or, rather, higher results. This the 

 author believes to be possible, and that he 

 is called to attempt it." 



In conclusion, Mr. Gill says : 



" We by no means consider the doctrine 

 of Evolution, even in the most advanced 



philosophical state in which it has been pre- 

 sented, to be an all-comprehending philo- 

 sophical ultimatum. We hold that it is just 

 in its conclusions from its premises, and 

 that its premises are indisputable. But 

 there are broader and profounder truths 

 yet undeveloped, which are partially and 

 falsely discerned, and ignored or rejected ; 

 truths which, when fully expounded in their 

 legitimate connections, will show that Evolu- 

 tion, instead of being the ultimate philos- 

 ophy of the universe as it now appears, is 

 infinitely subordinate ; and these truths will 

 introduce and demonstrate an infinitely sub- 

 limer theory, which will comprise Evolution 

 as a vast temple comprises each cf its most 

 miniature figures, or as the material universe 

 comprises each of its countless atoms. 



" The theory of Evolution contains a 

 body of facts, of deductions, of inductions, 

 and of generalizations, so irrefragably true 

 that, though they may be subsequently cov- 

 ered by further discoveries of facts and by 

 deductions and inferences and broader gen- 

 eralizations, they cannot be overthrown ; 

 or, in other words, they may be absorbed, 

 but cannot be refuted. We propose to cover 

 and absorb them. . . . 



" The absolute unity of the known uni- 

 verse is no longer to be questioned, and as 

 now conceived it precludes a personal Deity 

 and our personal immortality. Now the 

 great problem is : Can we expound this 

 unity so as to prove a personal Deity and 

 our personal immortality ? With emphasis 

 I answer Yes." 



Animal Mechanism. A Treatise on Terres- 

 trial and Aerial Locomotion. By E. J. 

 Marey, Professor of the College of 

 France. Profusely illustrated. 283 pages. 

 Price $1.75. D. Appleton & Co. No. 

 XI. International Scientific Series. 



The author of the present work, it is 

 well known, stands at the head of those 

 physiologists who have investigated the 

 mechanism of animal dynamics ; indeed, we 

 may almost say that he has made the sub- 

 ject his own. By the originality of his 

 conceptions, the ingenuity of his construc- 

 tions, the skill of his analysis, and the per- 

 severance of his investigations, he has sur- 

 passed all others in the power of unraveling 

 the complex and intricate movements of 

 animated beings. We last month gave an 

 exemplification of his method in the case 

 of human locomotion, and in the present 

 number of the Monthly we continue the 



