CHAPTER XI 



Science and the Book 



We of the twentieth century have an overwhehii- 

 ing desire to be up to the times. Nothing but the 

 latest news on any subject will completely satisfy. 

 We are more anxious for late information than for 

 accurate information. We have an almost uncon- 

 querable feeling that if it is late it must be accurate. 

 All of us are sensitive to being thought behind the 

 times. We feel that no stigma can be more invidious 

 in the intellectual world than the stigma of being out 

 of date. This pervades the masses quite as strongly 

 as it does the more cultured classes. Under these 

 conditions everybody wants to know the latest theory 

 that science has to offer concerning anything that 

 can be brought within the range of their interests. 

 As a result everybody would like to know about evo- 

 lution, were it not for the fact that a great mass of 

 people have been brought to believe that there is 

 something inherently irreligious in the idea. Our 

 people have a saving sense of the value of religion. 

 Denominational control may set lightly upon them. 



274 



