j CHAPTER I 



HUMAN AND ANIMAL EVOLUTION CONTRASTED 



The Evolution of Man and Animals Attested by 

 THE Same Kind of Evidence 



It seems to be quite generally admitted to-day that 

 the human race was the culmination of a long series 

 of evolutionary changes. Whatever may be said of 

 his mental nature, man's body is of the earth earthy 

 and has had a history parallel to that of other ani- 

 mals. The same arguments which have led to the 

 well-nigh universal acceptance of the theory of or- 

 ganic evolution of animals apply with equal cogency 

 to the physical nature of man. The lines of argu- 

 ment which have led to the acceptance of the doctrine 

 of evolution are three : 1. The evidence derived from 

 the study of comparative anatomy. 2. The evidence 

 derived from the study of fossils. 3. The evidence 

 derived from the study of embryology. While many 

 and varied arguments have been brought forth for 

 the theory of genetic descent, they may mostly be 

 centered around these three lines of evidence. Now, 

 these three kinds of evidence apply equally to man 

 and to the lower animals. Man shows exactly the 

 same kind of anatomical similarity to the lower 

 animals that they show to each other, for, anatom- 

 ically, muscle for muscle, bone for bone, man is built 

 upon the same plan as the ape. Human fossils too, 

 though scanty, clearly tell the same story of a prog- 

 ress from lower forms. Among the few fossil 



1 



