SCIENTIFIC USE OF THE IMAGINATION. 157 



to utter ; and they invite, if they do not challenge, men of 

 the most decided opinions to state and stand by those opin 

 ions in open court. Let the hardiest theory be stated only 

 in the language current among gentlemen, and they look it 

 in the face ; smiting the theory, if they do not like it, not 

 with theologicfulmination, but with honest secular strength. 

 With the country clergy I am told the case is different. It 

 is right that I should say this, because the clergy of Lon 

 don have more than once offered me the chance of meeting 

 them in open, honorable discussion. 



Two or three years ago, in an ancient London College, 

 I listened to such a discussion at the end of a remarkable 

 lecture by a very remarkable man. Three or four hundred 

 clergymen were present at the lecture. The orator began 

 with the civilization of Egypt in the time of Joseph ; 

 pointing out that the very perfect organization of the 

 kingdom, and the possession of chariots, in one of which 

 Joseph rode, indicated a long antecedent period of civili 

 zation. He then passed on to the mud of the Nile, its 

 rate of augmentation, its present thickness, and the re 

 mains of human handiwork found therein ; thence to the 

 rocks which bound the Nile valley, and which teem with 

 organic remains. Thus in his own clear and admirable 

 way he caused the idea of the world s age to expand itself 

 indefinitely before the mind of his audience, and he con 

 trasted this with the age usually assigned to the world. 

 During his discourse he seemed to be swimming against 

 the stream ; he manifestly thought that he was opposing 

 a general conviction. He expected resistance ; so did I. 

 But it was all a mistake : there was no adverse current, 

 o opposing conviction, no resistance, merely here and 

 there a half-humorous, but unsuccessful attempt to entan 

 gle him in his talk. The meeting agreed with all that 

 had been said regarding the antiquity of the earth and of 

 its life. They had, indeed, known it all long ago, and 



