INTBODUCTIOW. XXV. 



conscientiously and with originality, according to his lights. 

 We do not consign the heathen to hell because they do not 

 happen to know there is a true God ; but we certainly condemn 

 those men who, knowing evil, continue to preach and practice 

 that evil. So while we use all forbearance to those who have 

 been educated in a false system of science, we would unmerci- 

 fully scathe those bigoted pedants who would spurn the truth 

 when it is offered them ; who would rather continue to teach 

 false doctrine, knowing it to be false, than condescend to learn 

 a science which was true. 



We feel that we have been censorious and that we have 

 perhaps condemned the innocent with the guilty. We know 

 that we have spoken irreverently of names that do honour to 

 our race. But it is a necessity almost forced on us by the 

 nature of the work. Our object is not so much to show where 

 Newton, Herschell, Agassiz, Tyndall, Thomson and others are 

 right, but where they are wrong ; not to praise them but to con- 

 demn them where they deserve it ; for it must be admitted 

 that th6ft are few who do not deserve cens\irc. If our object 

 was to praise alone, nothing would afford us greater pleasure, 

 and we are conscious that we could find much in the life and 

 work of these men overlooked by the superficial flatterer whereby 

 to exalt and do them, honor ; but praising a man who is suc- 

 cessful, is a work which is already too well done by an army of 

 parasites and sycophants all the world over ; an army which is 

 also ready at the same time to tear to shreds the reputation of a 

 genius who stumbles in his life struggle. There is a praise 

 which degenerates into fulsomeness, and a worship which 

 degenerates into toadyism ; and while the refusal to give merit 

 to whom it is due, is bad, the over-praise of a man leading to 



