24 Teachings of Thomas Huxley 



one in the opinion that he represents the highest 

 type of evolutionary development in thought, 

 feeling, and will — in other words, thai he holds 

 his place as chief of the animal tribe because 

 of his great mental endowments. In some re- 

 spects he is quite inferior to many of the lower 

 animals — be cannot soar like the bird, neither 

 can he draw heavy loads like the ox; but by 

 reason of bis great brain power he has been 

 able to overcome many of the physical forces 

 of Nature and compel them to serve his ueeds. 



For the establishment of "Man's Place," the 

 whole world is indebted to the work of Hux- 

 ley, who, in 1803, * "brought forward argu- 

 ments of the highest scientific validity in sup- 

 port of the thesis that man is descended from 

 animals, and that he is a mammal most nearly 

 related to monkeys, and among these to the 

 anthropoid apes." 



It is just here that Professor Huxley gave 

 evidence of his great ability and untiring zeal 

 as an investigator; for it was necessary in se- 

 curing data for the upholding of his arguments 

 to venture into unexplored fields of anatomy 

 and physiology, a task which he undertook with 

 the greatest boldness and carried through to 

 the most perfect consummation. As a primary 

 step he began with the study of the Neander- 

 thal Man and the Engis skull. These are the 



* Metclmikoff. The Nature of Man. 



