Man's Place in Nature 187 



know, it is only in man that behaviour rises into 

 ethical conduct. Many animals are delightfully 

 good, but only man is moral. 



Does Resemblance Mean Rektionship ? But ad- 

 mitting that man, distinctive as he is, must be re- 

 garded as anatomically akin to the anthropoid 

 apes, is it necessary to go further and admit that 

 the homologies spell blood-relationship? Does 

 the "all-pervading similitude" imply affiliation? 

 Has there been an ascent of Man from a Simian 

 stock? The practically unanimous scientific an- 

 swer is " Yes." Before considering this answer, let 

 us ask what other interpretations are in the field. 



It has been suggested that Man is "The Great 

 Exception," that while all other creatures have had 

 a natural evolution, Man was specially created, 

 that is to say, that he arose in a manner beyond 

 the ken of science. If this answer thoroughly 

 satisfies any one and is really useful to him, he 

 should stick to it. It is not for science to say that 

 it is impossible, for the only kind of impossibility 

 which science has to protest against is a contra- 

 diction in terms. The strength of the position 

 that Man is the great exception, with a peculiarly 

 supernatural origin, lies positively in the fact that 

 Man at his best is a very wonderful creature, and 

 that even at his worst he is considerably different 

 from an animal. It is also strengthened negatively 

 by the fact that Man's origin is wrapped in ob- 



