Evolution not Irreligious 297 



world as he finds it, to study its workings, to make his gen- 

 erahzations, to test his views without going back to first 

 beginnings. 



The only doctrine of creation which comes directly 

 into conflict with the general theory of descent is that formu- 

 lated by Suarez among the theologians, and by Linnseus 

 among the naturalists. This is the doctrine that all living 

 beings were created in specific forms once and for all and 

 have remained fixed through all the generations of descent. 

 While the scientist does not presume to say anything about 

 the first creations, he does say with a great deal of assurance 

 that species today are different from the inhabitants of the 

 past; that many living forms of bygone days are completely 

 extinct; and that there are living plants and animals today 

 of a kind that did not exist in ages past. He asserts that 

 these changes have come about through the action of natural 

 forces of a kind to be seen at work today. He does not feel 

 the need of postulating successive acts of creation to account 

 for either the species that have become extinct or for the 

 species that have made their appearance within the time re- 

 corded by the earth itself. 



EvohUion not Irreligious 



Evolution is compatible with religion. This is not to 

 say, however, that the facts upon which the evolutionist 

 relies or the theories through .which he explains observed 

 happenings can be reconciled with all the specific theologies 

 and superstitions and rituals that have been accepted as part 

 and parcel of " religion." We can mean no more than this: 

 the emotional and sentimental factors of human nature 

 which go to the making of hope and aspiration, of devotion 

 and sacrifice, of wonder and worship, of humility and rever- 

 ence, of confidence and fortitude, and so on, are accepted by 

 the evolutionist as present, without prejudice either as to 

 how they have come to be or as to what use is made of them 

 by different peoples at different times. The evolutionist as 



