LAW'S OF NATURE 15 



that we still stand merely on the threshold 

 of investigation, and that our insight into the 

 mighty process of evolution, which has brought 

 about the endless diversity of life upon our 

 earth, is still very incomplete in relation to 

 what may yet be found out, and that, instead 

 of being vainglorious, our attitude should be 

 one of modesty. We may well rejoice over 

 the great step forward which the dominant 

 recognition of the evolution theory implies, but 

 we must confess that the beginnings of life 

 are as little clear to us as those of the solar 

 system. But we can do this at least : we 

 can refer the innumerable and wonderful in- 

 terrelations of the organic cosmos to their 

 causes common descent and adaptation and 

 we can try to discover the ways and means 

 which have co-operated to bring the organic 

 world to the state in which we know it. ... 

 We shall see that the recognition of a 

 law-governed evolution of the organic is not 

 more prejudicial to true religion than is the 

 revolution of the earth round the sun.' 



We may learn something from this book of 



