Evolution: The Quest of Truth 139 



short, that the burden of disproving the organic 

 evolution hypothesis no longer rests on the 

 theologians. 



It would seem as if many people assume that 

 there is a wicked cabal of evolutionists that 

 hang together for the purpose of foisting their 

 schemes on the public; but everyone ought 

 now to know that evolutionists are themselves 

 the most critical of every phase and item of the 

 hypothesis, seeking always how they may prove 

 and disprove and thereby discover the ultimate 

 truth. Such antagonists seem to have no con- 

 ception of the enormous literature of evolution, 

 or of the multitudes of investigations by some 

 of the most careful and conscientious workers 

 in the world, or that our present evolution con- 

 ceptions are the results of sharp conflict of 

 opinion and long years of discussion and not of 

 any agreement to agree. The ease with which 

 this stupendous body of research is thrown 

 aside by one stroke of persons whose arguments 

 show that they are not within sight of the sub- 

 ject is cause only for amusement so far as the 

 discussion touches evolution; but it may be 



