12 The Common Sense of the Evolution Question 



duced their seeds in turn, and have died. The blossoms on 

 the trees are not the ones you saw. Those have long since 

 disappeared, and these were not even " in the bud " when 

 you went away. Millions of flies and mosquitoes flew up 

 from manure piles or water puddles, lived their little day and 

 passed on. 



With the changing seasons, nay, with the coming of 

 day and night, all things about us change: men and women 

 and children, all living things and things not living, the 

 things of nature and the work of man's hands. If you stay 

 in one place, and do about the same work day after day, 

 you may not notice that things are constantly changing. Yet 

 whenever you see a person after a separation of some time, 

 you are struck by the changes that have taken place. When 

 you take leave of your companions, and hope to meet them 

 again at some future time, you know in your heart. 



Ne'er the self -same men shall meet; 

 The years will make us other men. 



It is common sense to recognize that things are con- 

 stantly changing. We may not know just how it is that 

 night gives way to day, but we know that it does. We may 

 not understand exactly how it is that the seasons follow 

 in their regular succession, but we know that they do. We 

 may not know just how a person grows up and becomes day 

 by day a different person, although always recognizable as 

 the same, and how he finally declines and dies; but we cannot 

 live long in this world without discovering that such changes 

 do actually take place. 



Evolution an Ancient Conception 



The earliest philosophers were impressed with growth, 

 change, decay. Aside from any belief we may have as to 

 what it is that brings about growth and change, there ought 

 to be general agreement that " all things flow " — unless we 

 declare that all is illusion. 



