THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 71 



reproduces itself, can have come into being with- 

 out a Designer, without a Maker, without a Crea- 

 tor. While finite things, as we clearly know, 

 must be dependent upon external causes, He alone 

 of His very essence must be self-existent, as He is 

 immaterial, infinite, eternal. Such is the God who 

 has spoken through the prophets, who has mani- 

 fested Himself in miraculous ways that any one 

 can historically investigate, and who has lovingly 

 taught us through His Christ and through His 

 Church. 



How, in fine, the world of science is gradu- 

 ally approaching the Catholic standpoint may be 

 judged from the concluding words of the article 

 on "Evolution" in "The Encyclopedia Ameri- 

 cana," written by Kellogg himself. He there de- 

 scribes the position of Davenport, in regard to 

 the causes and fundamental control of evolution, 

 as "essentially like Nageli's vitalistic theory of 

 evolution from within, by virtue of a perfecting 

 or progressive tendency." This, he adds, "is an 

 idea that goes back to Aristotle and includes Hux- 

 ley and Bergson in its roll of adherents. In other 

 words the most modern theory in explanation of 

 evolution is essentially both anti-Lamarckian and 

 anti-Darwinian, and allies itself with that type of 

 explanation which may be called orthogenetic and 



18 "Encyclopedia Americana," ed. 1919. 



