396 SYMBIOGENES1S 



should be as far as possible true, and as far as possible removed 

 from error." 



Fortunately " hope springs eternal in the human breast," 

 and the world turns aside from pessimists as soon as it finds 

 out that their teachings cannot stand the tests of practice. 

 The sound instincts of (democratic) mankind turned aside from 

 "evolution by natural selection" a case of merited neglect. 

 " Quoi d'etonnant, des lors, si les partisans de la democratic 

 s'inquietent peu de ses metaphores pessimistes " ? (Bougie). 



Attention has lately been drawn in the daily press to the 

 following prophetic passage from the late George Gissing's 

 book, Henry Reyecroft, as displaying a remarkable prescience 

 in the light of recent events: 



I hate and fear science because of my conviction that for long to 

 come, if not for ever, it will be the remorseless enemy of mankind. I 

 see it destroying all simplicity and gentleness of life, all the beauty of 

 the world. I see it restoring barbarism under a mask of civilisation. 

 I see it darkening men's minds and hardening their hearts. I see it 

 bringing a time of vast conflicts which will pale into insignificance " the 

 thousand wars of old," and, as likely as not, will whelm all the laborious 

 advances of mankind in blood-drenched chaos. 



Another writer, Allen Upward, in his remarkable book, 

 The New Word (1908), says, somewhat prophetically, by way 

 of protesting against "what is falsely called Science as well as 

 against what is falsely called Religion " : 



I am looking a thousand years ahead, and watching other genera- 

 tions breaking asunder other swaddling bands. I want those bands 

 to be less hard to break. Hardmindedness is the particular shape of 

 Materialism that I dislike most, and deem to be the greatest foe to 

 happiness. 



Did not Ruskin also prophetically declare : 

 I could smile when I hear the hopeful exultation of many, at the 

 new reach of worldly science, and vigour of worldly effort ; as if we were 

 again at the beginning of days. There is thunder on the horizon as 

 well as dawn. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into 

 Zoar. 



It is clear that the appreciation and the fair fame of 

 science, like that of every other good cause, must suffer from 



