to4 present-DAY rationalism 



The first was at liberty at one end, and the second at 

 the other ; by which means the two actions may be 

 performed together. The great bone which carries the 

 fore-arm may be swinging upon its hinge at the elbow, 

 at the very time that the lesser bone, which carries the 

 hand, may be turning round it in the grooves." 



According to Paley all this would be supposed to have 

 been designed by the Creator antecedently to the creation 

 of man and in anticipation of his future requirements. 

 Evolution Inverses this conception, in that no structure, 

 however much it may be exquisitely adapted to its use, 

 is ever originally begun in anticipation of its use. The 

 effort to effect some purpose calls out the responsive 

 power of protoplasm and the organ is then and there 

 originated. Then, by the effort being constantly renewed, 

 the organ is developed upon the " principle of least 

 action " ; that is to say, it somewhat exceeds rather than 

 just exactly meets the requirement ; since the use of any 

 organic structure is never absolutely the same on two 

 occasions, or the number of pounds weight represented 

 is not mathematically always the same to an ounce ; so 

 Nature takes care to supply rather more than is usually 

 required. 



A remarkable instance of a relatively quick response 

 to use occurred to a patient at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 

 London, a few years ago. A railway guard had his elbow 

 crushed. The bones at the joint were excised and he 

 subsequently returned to resume his former occupation. 

 This often necessitated his reaching his compartment 

 after the train had started. To do this he had to walk 

 along the footboard and swing himself, so to say, by 

 means of the rail on the carriage. This required a con- 

 stantly repeated bending at the elbow. Nature at once 

 responded to the action, and supplied him with a per- 



