The Destiny of Man. 707 



from which every vestige of strife, and the 

 modes of behaviour adapted to ages of 

 strife, shall be utterly and forever swept 

 away. Through misery that has seemed 

 unendurable and turmoir that has seemed / 

 endless, men have thought on that gracious 

 life and its sublime ideal, and have taken 

 comfort in the sweetly solemn message of 

 peace on earth and good will to men. 



I believe that the promise with which I 

 started has now been amply redeemed. I 

 believe it has been fully shown that so far 

 from degrading Humanity, or putting it on 

 a level with the animal world in general, 

 the doctrine of evolution shows us dis- 

 tinctly for the first time how the creation 

 and the perfecting of Man is the goal to- 

 ward which Nature's work has been tend- 

 ing from the first. We can now see clearly 

 that our new knowledge enlarges tenfold 

 the significance of human life, and makes 

 it seem more than ever the chief object of 

 Divine care, the consummate fruition of 

 that creative energy which is manifested 

 throughout the knowable universe. 



