498 Edward Liviiigstoyi Youmans. 



It is worthy of note that the most retrograde position was 

 taken by a distinguished man of science. Dr. Dawson, the 

 geologist, proposed to relegate the question to scriptural de- 

 cision. Theologians no longer claim for the Bible the charac- 

 ter of an infallible scientific text-book ; Dr. Dawson avowed 

 it as his authority in biology. He is reported to have said 

 that '' as regards varieties Darwin is well enough, but as 

 regards species I don't believe in it, because it comes in 

 conflict with the Bible." President Anderson was willing 

 to admit Darwinism, not as an established fact but as a 

 working hypothesis, which of course implied that it co- 

 ordinated the facts and expressed the truth more perfectly 

 than any other view. He said : " If a man talks to me about 

 evolution and believes in a God that unrolls the magnifi- 

 cent plan of the universe, I humbly thank God for such a 

 doctrine. When a development is put before me that ex- 

 cludes God, I don't believe a word of it." 



We certainly cannot complain that the theologians view 

 the subject in a theological light, but they should be care- 

 ful that it is not a false light. What would Dr. Anderson 

 think of one who should annex the condition he proposes 

 to the acceptance of the law of gravitation or the atomic 

 theory ? The question of evolution is to be first settled by 

 evidence as true or false, and this, as Dr. McCosh admits, 

 it belongs to science alone to determine. If it be rejected 

 by science, there is an end of it for everybody ; if it be es- 

 tablished, nothing remains for theologians but to adjust it 

 in their system and put it to its proper theological uses. 

 We are here, however, chiefly concerned to note the regis- 

 ter of advancing liberality among the evangelicals, as in- 

 dicated by the discussion. They defer to science, and do 

 not shrink from the most obnoxious theories, as research 

 shows them to be true. They are to be congratulated on 

 their own development, which is so marked as to lend no 

 small support to the hypothesis. Twenty years ago Dr. 



