194 THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY 



find it permissible to iiatc ; and though, it may be, that some of 

 tlie organizations, which arrogate to themselves the Christian 

 name, have richly earned a place in the category of hateful 

 things, that ought to have nothing to do with one's estimation of 

 the religion which they have perverted and disfigured out of all 

 likeness to the original ... it was the dominant ecclesiasticism 

 of my early days, which, as I believe, without any warrant from 

 the Bible itself, thrust the book in my way." 



Then follow justifications of the controversy on the 

 Mosaic record, and that on the miracle of the herd of 

 swine which followed later : the agnostic attitude is 

 defended. The Preface closes thus : — 



*' Those who are of the opinion that the historical realities at 

 the root of Christianity lie beyond the jurisdiction of science, 

 need not be considered. Those who are convinced that the 

 evidence is, and must always remain, insufficient to support any 

 definite conclusion, are justified in ignoring the subject. They 

 must be content to put up with that reproach of being mere 

 destroyers, of which Strauss speaks. They may say that there 

 are so many problems which are and must remain insoluble that 

 the ' burden of the mystery ' ' ot all this unintelligible world ' is 

 not appreciably affected by one more or less. 



" For myself, I must confess that the problem of the origin 

 of such very remarkable historical phenomena as the doctrines, 

 and the social organization, which, in their broad features, certainly 

 existed, and were in a state of rapid development, within a 

 hundred years of the crucifixion of Jesus ; and which have 

 steadily prevailed against all rivals, among the most intelligent 

 and civilized nations in the world ever since, is, and always has 

 been, profoundly interesting ; and, considering how recently the 

 really scientific study of that problem, and how great the 

 progress made during the last half century in supplying the 

 conditions for a positive solution of the problem, I cannot doubt 

 that the attainment of such a solution is a mere question of time. 



" I am well aware that it has lain far beyond my powers to 

 take any share in this great undertaking. All that I can hope 

 is to have done somewhat towards ' the preparation of those who 

 have ceased to be contented with the old and find no satisfaction 

 in half measures ' : perhaps, also, something towards the lessening 



