288 BRITISH ASSOCIATION, MEETING AT EXETER. 
beware of placing them prematurely in the rank of ascertained truths, 
and building further conclusions on them as if they were. 
When from the pheuomena of life we pass on to those of mind, we 
enter a region still more profoundly mysterious. We can readily 
imagine that we may here be dealing with phenomena altogether tran- 
scendiug those of mere life, in some such way of those of life transcend, 
as I have endeavoured to infer, those of chemistry and molecular 
attractions, or as the laws of chemical affinity in their turn transcend 
those of mere mechanics. Science can be expected to do but little to 
aid us here, since the instrument of research is itself the object gf in- 
vestigation. It can but enlighten us as to the depth of our ignorance, 
and lead us to look to a higher aid for that which most nearly concerns 
our well-being. 
In the Biological Section the following papers have been read :— 
* Man and the Animals, being a counter-theory to Mr. Darwin as to 
the Origin of Species." By Archdeacon Freeman. ‘The author said, 
“ This question was one of the widest interest, and had become the 
battle-field of nations. In England opinion was divided. France was 
generally against the theory, and Germany in its favour. The only 
way to reply to Darwinism satisfactorily was to assert a counter- 
theory. It was suicidal to ignore in this inquiry the statements of the 
Bible. Mr. Darwin's theory was, that uuity of type was explained by 
uuity of descent, and that all living creatures had. graduated one from 
another, and probably from one parent. Natural selection was only 
one means by which he believed this had been brought about. But 
had the plau of the universe aim or eause? Why should all the 
higher animals be so closely allied? Why should the beast have so 
many correspondences in structure with man? To these questious the 
Biblical record supplied an answer. According to the account given 
there, no sooner was the creation over and the Fall accomplished, than 
there appeared on the scene mysterious beings—the cherubim, whose 
name signified forms and figures. Now either these were made after 
the six days’ creation in imitation of the animals, or, what was more 
probable, the animals were formed in imitation of them. To believe 
that all creatures were formed after pre-existent ideas in the divine 
mind was largely entertained by Plato. Thus, then, Seripture was 
seen to anticipate the conclusion of science, and to establish the pro- 
SPP TUA 
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