DESIGN IN NATUKE 253 



substance, whatever might be its chemical compo- 

 sition, could shew the phenomena of life outside 

 those limits of temperature. Also water will evapor- 

 ate if the air surrounding it is dry, so that to prevent 

 a living substance from drying up, it is necessary 

 that the atmosphere should contain moisture. This 

 moisture in the atmosphere can only be kept up by 

 there being large reservoirs of water on the surface 

 of the planet on which living organisms exist. Con- 

 sequently living organisms, whether they consist of 

 protoplasm or of some other substance, cannot exist 

 on any heavenly body which is too hot, or too cold, 

 or too dry, for water to remain in the liquid state. 



We have therefore, in the composition, size, and 

 position of the earth overwhelming evidence of de- 

 sign. And as we can prove that carbon existed in 

 the Archean era before life appeared, and that gold, 

 iron, and copper existed long before man, we must 

 also allow that the results of evolution had been fore- 

 seen and provided for. 



Next let us examine the principal concatenation of 

 events which led up to the production of civilised 

 man. The human hand and foot were developed 

 from organs adapted for climbing trees ; and it was 

 necessary that the early Primates should take to 

 trees at once, before their limbs became specialised 

 for terrestrial life. To induce them to climb trees, 

 fruit and birds must have been in existence ; for 

 succulent fruits have been developed through the 

 agency of birds. So that the previous existence of 

 birds and flowering plants, which alone form succu- 

 lent fruits , was necessary for the development of the 



