PREFACE 



the majority of those who glance at the title of 

 this book, it may appear that I have undertaken 

 a useless labour in writing it. But no one willingly 

 or intentionally sets himself to the task of writing a 

 book which he is not himself convinced will serve 

 some useful purpose. They tell me that the theory 

 which has become the creed of Science having 

 obtained the general consensus of the civilised world 

 and in view of its long undisputed acceptance, it is 

 much too late in the day to examine into its founda- 

 tions and place them under critical review. What, 

 however, encourages me to think that I have not 

 been too late in entering upon this field of inquiry, 

 and of subjecting what Science calls its creed to a 

 critical investigation, is my perception of the fact that 

 no one, so far as I am aware, has ever before inquired 

 into and examined the fundamental principles of the 

 Darwinian Theory. This may seem, at this time of 

 day, to be a most extraordinary statement to make, 

 but it is one which, I am assured, will be found, when 

 due consideration is given to it, to be absolutely true. 

 Even when the conflict raged at its hottest betwixt 

 Darwin and the opponents of Evolution, the latter, 



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