270 THE LESSON OF EVOLUTION 



earth, and which we can only conceive as a further 

 development of psychological evolution when mind is 

 freed from matter. 



It will be objected that we cannot even imagine a 

 spiritual life unconnected with any material sub- 

 stance. That is quite true, but it proves nothing. 

 As I have just said, we know that physical evolution 

 prepared the way for life, and that biological evolu- 

 tion prepared the way for the development of mind. 

 In each case the evolution had a prospective purpose, 

 which could not have been predicted by an intelli- 

 gent onlooker. Indeed, the intelligent onlooker 

 might have been sufficiently self-confident to affirm 

 at each stage that no further evolution was possible. 

 And it seems to me highly probable that psychological 

 evolution on the earth may also have a prospective 

 purpose ; that it also will lead to a further evolution, 

 which we cannot even imagine, but which must be 

 connected with a spiritual existence beyond the 

 grave. 



And thus, at the dawn of the twentieth century, 

 we come back to the old belief, held by the rude men 

 who inhabited Europe in the neolithic age, that man's 

 spirit does not die with his body. But we hope 

 that we have surer grounds for that belief than had 

 our ancient ancestors ; who, as I have already pointed 

 out, founded their opinion solely on their dreams. 



