THE first edition of the " Lesson of Evolution " was 

 published by Messrs. Duckworth and Co. in 1902. 

 The following year rny husband had a serious illness, 

 from which, however, he recovered sufficiently to 

 resume his work, and in his leisure he occupied 

 himself by correcting and enlarging the book. In 

 1905 he went to England on a visit, but a recurrence 

 of the illness from which he had suffered terminated 

 fatally when he was returning to this Colony. He 

 died at sea, October 27th, 1905. Although con- 

 fined to his couch practically the whole time of his 

 stay in England, his mind was* clear and active, 

 and the last thing he wrote was a contribution to 

 the " Hibbert Journal " for October, 1905, "What 

 is Life ?" It is in the belief that his latest and most 

 matured thoughts on this subject are contained in 

 the present volume, that it has been printed for 

 private circulation. 



A. G. BUTTON. 

 Christchurch, 



New Zealand. 

 July, 1907. 



