150 TENANTS OF AN OLD FA RM. 



developed tsiicli destruetive habits, perliaps from luck 

 of opportunity. " 



"Well, well," cried the Doctor, "I quite join you in 

 declaring this a most extraordinary creature. These 

 are Avondiirful resemblances to exist in animals so widely 

 separated as a cricket and a mole — an insect and a 

 vertebrate. '' 



"Perhaps," I suggested, tlnnking to draw the Doc- 

 tor's theological fire, " the insect is a far-away ancestor 

 of the vertebrate ? At least, an evolutionist might 

 have no difficulty in accovniting for such resemblances 

 by some application of his theory." 



The Doctor glanced slily at me, smiled, and answered : 

 "Ah! you shall not disturb my equanimity so. Evo- 

 lution is no tlieological hete noir to me. ISTot that I be- 

 lieve it, at all ; on the contrary, I think it is yet an un- 

 proved hypothesis. But, considered as a vuthnd of 

 creation simply, I am willing to leave it wholly in the 

 hands of the naturalists and philosophers. Of course, 

 that materialistic view of evolution, which dispenses 

 with a Divine Creator as the First Cause of all things, 

 has no place in my thought. That is not for a moment 

 to be tolerated ; but, as for the rest, why should Chris- 

 tian people disturb themselves ? Science has not yet 

 .said her last word, by any means, and wc can well 

 aflford to wait. The only absolute condition that I 

 name is, that evolutionists shall still heart il}- join us in 

 the opening sentence of the Creed : ' I believe in God, 

 the Father Almighty, ISIaker of Heaven and Earth.'' 

 But, Mr. Maylield, we are not driven of necessity (o 



