CHAP. VI.] MAN. 129 



Tellus appeared the great solid nucleus of encircling crystal 

 spheres existing only for its sake, began the vigorous prose 

 cution of the physical sciences the investigation of nature 

 external to man. This investigation having reached a stage 

 rendering possible the exposition of all non-human pheno 

 mena as the multifold co-ordinated and harmonised manifesta 

 tions of one great process a theory of evolution ; the universal 

 adequacy of that theory must be tested by its application to 

 the phenomena presented to us by man both in his highest 

 existing condition, and also as the wild tenant of the forest 

 the Homo sylvaticus. If all the phenomena which human life 

 presents are capable of being brought under the laws which 

 regulate inferior organisms, it is hardly possible to exaggerate 

 the amount of support which would thereby be given to the 

 universality of the evolutionary theory. Moreover, it is plain 

 that in such a case all those who deem the theory of evolution 

 sufficient to account, for the origin of all other animals, must 

 logically admit it to be sufficient to account for the origin of 

 man also. 



At present there are two very distinct views as to the 

 origin of the animal population of this planet. Twoconflict- 



I. The first of these views the monistic hypothe- theses - 



sis asserts that one uniform law has presided over the whole, 

 since all such creatures are distinguished from one another by 

 differences which are differences of degree only, and not of kind. 



II. The other of these views the dualistic hypothesis 

 asserts that man (whatever may have been the case with 

 brute animals) must have originated in some special manner, 

 since the difference between him and brutes is a difference 

 of kind, and not one merely of degree he embodying a 

 distinct principle not present in brute animals. 



A supporter of the monistic hypothesis must maintain that 

 man at his first appearance was literally in the lowest and 

 most brutal stage of his existence, whence he has gradually 

 ascended to his present condition by a process of progressive 

 development attended with only exceptional and relatively 

 insignificant processes of retrogression and degradation. He 



K 



