154 Outlook to Nature 



conception of the " species " as something fun- 

 damental, a real entity or originally created 

 thing. There was little attempt or desire to 

 look at the external world broadly and to dis- 

 cover its method and meaning. The mind 

 rested on the objects, and naturally exalted them 

 and their direct progeny into units in the crea- 

 tion. As there was no knowledge of whence 

 and how these units came, they were conceived 

 to be the direct and immediate handiwork of 

 the Creator ; and there was therefore no occa- 

 sion for speculation or inquiry. 



This human formula of species-units was 

 projected into the Scripture record, as if that 

 record read, " Let the earth bring forth species 

 of grass," and "species of winged fowl." The 

 idea of the finished and completed species- 

 product became indelibly associated with theo- 

 logical teaching, and was and, in fact, is 

 a genuine dogma. If this species-dogma had 

 not become so intimately associated with theo- 

 logical and biological beliefs, the hypothesis 

 of evolution, when it finally came into the 

 world, would have had few combatants. 



