DARWIN. 117 



who would compare the teachings of Darwinism with 

 those of Christianity. Finally, he concludes that the 

 difference in mind between man and the higher animals 

 is one of degree, not of kind. " At what age does the 

 new-born infant possess the power of abstraction, or 

 become self-conscious and reflect on its own existence? 

 We cannot answer ; nor can we answer in regard to the 

 ascending organic scale." Yet that man's mental and 

 moral faculties may have been gradually evolved " ought 

 not to be denied, when we daily see their development 

 in every infant ; and when we may trace a perfect grada- 

 tion from the mind of an utter idiot, lower than that of 

 the lowest animal, to the mind of a Newton." 



The action of natural selection on the variations known 

 to occur in man, is next shown to be sufficient to account 

 for his rise from a lowly condition. Perhaps it is in dis- 

 cussing the development of the intellectual and moral 

 faculties that Darwin is least successful; more know- 

 ledge of psychology than he possessed is demanded for 

 this discussion. He gives up the problem of the first 

 advance of savages towards civilisation as "at present 

 much too difficult to be solved." He, however, 

 vigorously contests the idea that man was at first 

 civilised and afterwards degenerated ; and expresses the 

 opinion that the " highest form of religion the grand idea 

 of God hating sin and loving righteousness was un- 

 known during primeval times." Finally, after discussing 

 the steps in the genealogy of man, he comes to the con- 

 clusion that from the old-world monkeys, at a remote 

 period, proceeded man, "the wonder and glory of the 

 universe." The early progenitors of man he believes to 



