THE SIMIAN ORIGIN OF MAN. 357 



tinued and uninterrupted guidance of the Divine 

 administration. 1 



Again, this view of the origin of man's body may 

 be regarded as conformable with the teachings of the 

 Angelic Doctor from another standpoint. As all 

 who are familiar with the scholastic philosophy are 

 aware, St. Thomas, in common with the School 

 generally, teaches that there is a true development 

 in animated nature, a veritable ascent of life from 

 lower to higher forms. There is, he tells us, a suc- 

 cession of vital principles in the organic world, supe- 

 rior principles superseding those which are inferior. 

 In the development of man, as in that of the lower 

 animals, there is an ascending succession of substan- 

 tial forms, by means of which that which is destined 

 to become a human body, acquires a proper struc- 

 ture and receives the necessary disposition for be- 

 coming the receptacle of a rational soul. First the 

 embryo is animated by the vegetable soul ; subse- 

 quently it is informed by a more perfect soul, which 

 is both nutritive and sensitive. This is what is 

 known as the animal soul. In man this is succeeded 

 by the rational soul ab extrinseco immissa, says the 

 Angelic Doctor a soul specially created and infused 

 into the human body by God Himself. 1 



1 " Augustinus enim vult," writes the Angelic Doctor, " in ipso 

 creationis principle, quasdam res per species suas distinctasfuisse 

 in natura propria, ut elementa, corpora ccelestia et substantias 

 spirituales; alia vero in rationibus seminalibus tantum, ut ani- 

 inalia, plantas et homines, quae omnia postmodum in naturis 

 propriis producta sunt." "Sentent," lib. II, dist. I2 a , qusest. 

 i ma , art. n. 



2 The following passage is sufficient to exhibit the Angelic 

 Doctor's teaching in this matter : " Quanto igitur aliqua forma 



