TELEOLOGY AND EVOLUTION 



of each creature and each plant. The God of Science 

 moves not in erratic changes of irruptive volition, 

 but in established laws of wise prevision. To know 

 and to obey these laws is to do right ; to ignore or 

 violate them is to do wrong. The consequences of 

 wrong-doing follow, irrespective of the motive, and 

 usually carry their own punishment. 



It has pleased God to bring into existence consci. 

 ous, sentient creatures. To those first formed, with- 

 out organs or with simple and low organization, alow 

 form of consciousness was given; the power of 

 adaptation to better and more favorable conditions 

 was bestowed, and with it the internal adjustment of 

 their innate conformation in conformity thereto. Dif- 

 ferent traits inherited from their several parents in- 

 duced various lines of development. Those that 

 increased the functional capacity of certain organs, or 

 made possible the higher development of the species 

 into better forms, would be preserved, and would 

 continue still to improve; those that retained the 

 parental form in normal vigor would continue un- 

 changed ; those less fitted or unfit would die out. 

 Thus the races would advance : those well fitted to 

 lead a constant, self-adjusted life would continue as a 

 species, in which the offspring would continue to 

 reproduce the original parent traits, with but little 

 change, for generation after generation. This condi- 



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