have set down all or most of the arguments brought to 

 bear against Christianity, and especially against our 

 religion, by their scientific adversaries, together with the 

 answers to the same, .of one who shows himself well able to 

 give a good account of himself and his opinions in the 

 fray. So much for the discussion, the report of which 

 forms the larger part of this book. We may now turn to a 

 consideration of the lectures themselves. The first is di 

 rected to the study of two important questions, namely: 

 What is the scientific value of the Evolution theory? and 

 Is that theory necessarily anti-Christian? 



In discussing these points the author very clearly points 

 out what the evolution theory h and what it is not. It is 

 &quot; not its object to explain the origin of life upon this 

 earth &quot; (p. 6), and it is &quot; not an experimental science* and 



* Italics throughout are those of the author. 



never can be one. It is essentially a theory based upon a, 

 group of hypotheses which are in harmony with one 

 another, and afford the most probable explanation of the 

 origin of organic specie?.&quot; (p. 7.) But according to our 

 author the monophyletic view of development cannot be 

 satisfactorily proved, in fact it is &quot; a delightful dream 

 without any scientific support &quot; (p. 14). This is, as all will 

 agree, a very highly controversial position for the writer 

 to take up, but it must be admitted that he advances very 

 powerful scientific argument;, in support of his thesis. 

 Moreover, he is supported in it by other scientific men, 

 notably by that most distinguished man, Professor Oskar 

 Hertwig (not, we believe, a Catholic) who, in the last 

 edition of his most admirable Handbook on evolution, com 

 mits himself to the opinion trnt &quot; Evidence of the mono 

 phyletic development of different races is altogether 

 wanting, and we are forced more and more to accept the 

 theory of development from a variety of stocks.&quot; Other 

 most distinguished men, such ao Boveri, v. Wettstein and 

 Steinmann have adopted the same standpoint, so that to 

 say that the Jesuit has done GO because the Church has 

 compelled him, is obviously ignorant or malicious, or 

 both. Finally, so far as this lecture is concerned, the 

 writer states, &quot; Personally I am firmly convinced that the 

 doctrine of evolution, considered as a scientific hypothesis and 

 theory, is not at variance with the Christian theory of life, 

 although the contrary is often asserted &quot; (p. 18). The 

 second lecture deals with Theistic and Atheistic Evolution 

 and the relation between Evolution and Darwinism. In 

 this discourse, which is a most valuable contribution to 

 the subject, the moni tic theory is subjected to a search 

 ing examination which nr.y be most fully commended 

 to the reader, thoueh the argument is much too close to 



