DECLINING YEARS (1873-1893) 293 



The chief part of what he wrote against the 

 Evolution theory, as adopted by followers of Dar- 

 win, was published during the last twelve or fifteen 

 years of his life. His general line of argument has 

 been indicated in another section of this memoir, and 

 therefore need not be dwelt upon here. To enter 

 into the details of his combative methods would be 

 an endless task ; they are, moreover, generally well 

 known. It need here only be repeated that nothing 

 short of a positive duty would have led him to have 

 expended so much time and labour in a cause which, 

 from his point of view, he deemed to be sacred, and 

 this the more when he saw how many there were 

 who were carried away by extravagant ideas founded 

 upon theories which could not be, or at least had 

 not been, proved. One word only need here be 

 added in this connection. 



When so many of those eminent in the scientific 

 world gave their adhesion to the doctrines of Dar- 

 win, it was something of the nature of a consolation 

 to Mr. Morris to find men of such sound judgment 

 and sober sense as the late Lord Hatherley and 

 Lord Selborne (both of whom had filled the office 

 of Lord Chancellor) expressing themselves as al- 

 together on the opposite side. The former, in a 

 letter he wrote to Mr. Morris, uttered no halting 

 opinion as to what seemed to him the unphilo- 

 sophical conclusions arrived at by some of the Dar- 

 winian school. He shall speak for himself : 



