58 EVOLUTION AND SOCIAL PROGRESS 



existence; and by a philosophical corollary, the same direct 

 act of creation must be performed to produce the soul of each 

 subsequent human being, while the body is being produced by 

 natural generation.' 



It can be seen that where Father Hull de- 

 mands a twofold specific act of creation, respec- 

 tively, in regard to plant and animal life, Was- 

 mann, without denying this principle, is content 

 with postulating, for the simplification of his ar- 

 gument, at least one single creative act for life in 

 general. Aside from this slight distinction there 

 is substantial agreement on all these points, which 

 philosophy lays down as incontrovertible accord- 

 ing to the principles of sound thought and logic, 

 without making any reference here to the teach- 

 ing of religion and the Scriptures. 



As in regard to the origin of matter, so in 

 regard to the origin of life, science has nothing 

 to teach us. It is in no sense any part of the 

 scientific theory of evolution to explain the origin 

 of life. No scientific data exist or can ever be 

 obtained which will give us the slightest aid to- 

 wards the solution of the question: "How did 

 the first organisms come into being?" It is a 

 question purely philosophical, if for the present 

 we prescind from its religious aspects. Science 

 merely informs us, according to the common con- 

 sent of practically all authorities, that of the two 

 possible ways, spontaneous generation or else a 



'Ibid., March 13, 1920. 



