OEIGIN OF MAN. 7 



about the animal descent of man. The courageous but 

 cautious naturalist was at that time purposely silent on the 

 subject, for he anticipated that this most important of all 

 the conclusions of the Theory of Descent was at the same 

 time the greatest obstacle to its being generally accepted 

 and acknowledged. Certain it is that Darwin's book would 

 have created, from the beginning, even much more opposi- 

 tion and offence, if this most important inference had at 

 once been clearly expressed. It was not till twelve years 

 later, in his work on " The Descent of Man, and Selection 

 in Eelation to Sex," that Darwin openly acknowledged that 

 far-reaching conclusion, and expressly declared his entire 

 agreement with those naturalists who had, in the mean- 

 time, themselves formed that conclusion. Manifestly the 

 effect of this conclusion is immense, and no science will be 

 able to escape from the consequences. Anthropology, or the 

 science of man, and consequently all philosophy, are thereby 

 thoroughly reformed in all their various branches. 



It will be a later task in these pages to discuss this 

 special point. I shall not treat of the theory of the animal 

 descent of man till I have spoken of Darwin's theory, and 

 its general foundation and importance. To express it in 

 one word, that most important, but (to most men) at first 

 repulsive, conclusion is nothing more than a special deduc- 

 tion, which we must draw from the general inductive law 

 of the descent theory (now firmly established), according to 

 the stern commands of inexorable logic. 



Perhaps nothing will make the full meaning of the theory 

 of descent clearer than calling it " the non-miraculous 

 history of creation." I have therefore chosen that name 

 for this work. It is, however, correct only in a certain 



