vi PREFACE. 



the narrow sense in which it is often used when ap- 

 plied to Man, plays little part in the drama outlined 

 here. So far as the general scheme of Evolution is 

 introduced — and in the Introduction and elsewhere 

 this is done at length — the object is the important one 

 of pointing out how its nature has been misconceived, 

 indeed how its greatest factor has been overlooked in 

 almost all contemporary scientific thinking. Evo- 

 lution was given to the modern world out of focus, 

 was first seen by it out of focus, and has remained 

 out of focus to the present hour. Its general basis 

 has never been re-examined since the time of Mr. 

 Darwin; and not only such speculative sciences as 

 Teleology, but working sciences like Sociology, have 

 been led astray by a fundamental omission. An Evo- 

 lution Theory drawn to scale, and with the lights and 

 shadows properly adjusted — adjusted to the whole 

 truth and reality of Nature and of Man — is needed at 

 present as a standard for modern thought ; and though 

 a reconstruction of such magnitude is not here pre- 

 sumed, a primary object of these pages is to supply 

 at least the accents for such a scheme. 



Beyond an attempted re-adjustment of the accents 

 there is nothing here for the specialist — except, it may 

 be, the reflection of his own work. Nor, apart from 

 Teleology, is there anything for the theologian. The 

 limitations of a lecture-audience made the treatment 

 of such themes as might appeal to him impossible ; 

 while owing to the brevity of the course, the Ascent 

 had to be stopped at a point where all the higher in- 

 terest begins. All that the present volume covers is 

 the Ascent of Man, the Individual, during the earlier 

 stages of his evolution. It is a study in embryos, in 



