CHAPTER IV 



Adaptation for the Individual 



Among the standard books of the classical curricu- 

 lum in the denominational college of thirty years ago 

 was a volume which I suppose has practically disap- 

 peared from such courses. It delighted many of its 

 students for a reason entirely different from that 

 which the author meant should be its taking feature. 

 It was Paley's "Natural Theology." The author 

 started with a story of a watch found by a savage. 

 This child of nature was supposed to examine its 

 mechanism and to infer that the watch was made for 

 a definite purpose. As I remember, he was even sup- 

 posed to discover that its purpose was to mark time. 

 It was at least to become clear to his savage mind that 

 this was no chance object, but was the definite product 

 of a designing mind. Having brought this hypotheti- 

 cal savage to these conclusions, the author turned him- 

 self to savages nearer home who fail to see design in 

 nature. The book takes up a great many cases of in- 

 teresting facts in animals and plants as clearly show- 

 ing evidences of design as did the watch our savage 

 picked up. But the inference we were expected to 



87 



