ON THE HUMAN ORGANISM 3 



containing areas of which he may figuratively be said to 

 be thrice enfolded, the last fold being regarded as his 

 distinguishing characteristic, and altogether entitling him to 

 be regarded as sui generis. 



Man, therefore, embodies in himself vital and structural 

 characteristics in common with or common to the vege- 

 table and animal kingdom, indicating the action and 

 necessitating the possession of common formative energies 

 and common plasmic constituent materials, the vegetable 

 being represented by the foundation or pre-embryonic 

 as well as fecundated ovular substances, and the original 

 non-nervous structures so called of the fully developed 

 organism, and the peculiarly animal, by the systemic nerve 

 inspired or innervated texture succeeding the differentia- 

 tion of the sympathetic and systemic nervous systems. 

 When this, however, has been said and admitted, we are 

 brought face to face with the untouched fact that we have 

 not by this generalisation reached his higher and highest 

 mental and moral nature or characteristics, which are only 

 existent in the merest rudiments in the very highest ranges 

 of the pre-human animal kingdom, and which in the lowest 

 members of the human race exist only in embryo. Such 

 a wide generalisation will, therefore, warrant us in accept- 

 ing, and compels us to claim, the aid of that admirable 

 working hypothesis the " law of evolution " in following 

 out the scientific lines of research involved in the solution 

 of such problems as the " descent of man," while it will, 

 at the same time, bid the religionists in earnest with their 

 work to take courage, because the improvement of the 

 race is stamped on every page and stage of its history, 

 written and unwritten, at once affording a foundation 

 for their faith, and calling aloud to them to pursue 

 unweariedly their benign work, while purging it of all 

 influences which can clog and hinder it, whether in 

 method or manner, in teaching or dogma, copying thus 

 their co-scientific workers, who have to change their 

 standpoints of belief day by day as fresh light is thrown 

 by the progress or the march of truth. 



" Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," 

 so far as it is attainable, is, or should be, the common 

 goal of all, of whatever " light and leading " they may be, 



