54 



We can hardly avoid coming to the conclusion 

 that our ants are the descendants of these fos 

 sil varieties, and that they have come into be 

 ing by way of natural evolution of the race, 

 and not by way of a new creation." 



Father Wasmann does not give us the men 

 tal process by which he finds himself so con 

 strained that he "can hardly avoid coming to 

 his conclusion"; hence we must deal with his 

 argument in common with the whole argument 

 from paleontology. First, however, let us hear 

 Father Wasmann in full on this point. 



"Again if we compare the fossil termites of 

 the tertiary epoch with those now known to us, 

 we are forced to assume that the latter are 

 modified descendants of the former, and that 

 they have come into being by way of race evo 

 lution, not by way of a new creation." 



Had Father Wasmann, instead of "a new 

 creation," said "a separate creation," his mean 

 ing would have been made much clearer ; but 

 the force of his reasoning in behalf of evolution 

 would have lost half its value. 



Father Wasmann cites a third instance. He 

 says : 



