228 THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY 



Late in 189 1 thirty-eight of the clergy of the Church 

 of England issued a manifesto declaring the Bible to be 

 inspired and infallible, upon which a very lively con- 

 troversy in the Times ensued. Huxley was dragged into 

 this, and contributed four letters during the early part 

 of 1892. Of these the second (dated February 3), is 

 perhaps the most important, as bringing into sharp 

 contrast the teachings of Genesis and those of natural 

 science : — 



" I conceive the first chapter of Genesis to teach — (i) that 

 the species of animals and plants owe their origin to supernatural 

 acts of creation ; (2) that these acts took place at such times and 

 in such a manner that all the plants were created first, all the 

 aquatic and aerial animals (notably birds) next, and all terrestrial 

 animals last. I am not aware that any Hebrew scholar denies 

 that these propositions agree with the natural sense of the text. 

 Sixty years ago I was taught, as most people were then taught, 

 that they are guaranteed by Divine authority. 



" On the other hand, in my judgment, natural science teaches 

 no less distinctly — (i) that the species of animals and plants have 

 originated by a process of natural evolution ; (2) that this pro- 

 cess has taken place in such a manner that the species of animals 

 and plants, respectively, have come into existence one after 

 another throughout the whole period since they began to exist on 

 the earth ; that the species of plants and animals known to us 

 are, as a whole, neither older nor younger the one than the 

 other. . . . 



" Until it is shown that the first two propositions are not con- 

 tained in the first chapter of Genesis, and that the second pair 

 are not justified by the present condition of our knowledge, I 

 must continue to maintain that natural science and the ' Mosaic ' 

 account of the origin of animals and plants are in irreconcilable 

 antagonism." 



The controversial essays of more recent years were 

 now republished in volume form as Controverted Questions^ 

 the long " Prologue " to which, "... cost me more time 

 and pains than any equal number of pages I have ever 



