230 Thomas Henry Huxley 



Since these words were written the reasons for Huxley's 

 " philosophic faith" have been strengthened by later 

 discoveries, and perhaps a majority of biologists would 

 take the view that except for practical purposes there 

 is no sound reason for placing living and inorganic 

 aggregations of matter in totally different categories. 

 But even if the main outline of the theory of evolution 

 were proved beyond the possibility of doubt, if we 

 could trace existing plants and animals backwards with 

 the accuracy of a genealogist and find that they had 

 been developed, under purely physical " laws " from a 

 few simple forms, and if we could understand exactly 

 how these few simple forms of living matter took origin 

 from non-living matter, we would not, if we followed 

 Huxley, be able to rest in a purely materialistic posi- 

 tion. As he, in different words, repeatedly said : 



" It is very desirable to remember that evolution is not an 

 explanation of the cosmos, but merely a generalised statement 

 of the method and results of that process. And, further, that, 

 if there is any proof that the cosmic process was set going by 

 any agent, then that agent will be the creator of it and of all 

 its products, although supernatural intervention may remain 

 strictly excluded from its further course." 



The doctrine of evolution was, for him, no attempt 

 to reinstate the ' ' old pagan goddess, Chance. ' ' Darwin 

 had again and again explained, and Huxlej'' again 

 and again had called attention to the explanation, that 

 when words like " chance " and " spontaneous " were 

 used, no more was intended to be implied than an ig- 

 norance of the causes. In the true sense of the word 

 " chance " did not exist for Huxley and Darwin. So 

 far as all scientific and common experience goes, every 

 event is connected with foregoing events in an orderly 

 and inevitable chain of sequences, — a chain that could 



