Evolution. 4 1 



of creative acts, or, abandoning them, let us 

 radically change our notions of Matter." 1 



Professor Tyndall, as is well known, adopts 

 the latter of these alternatives, and discerns in 

 Matter "the promise and potency of all terres- 

 trial life." 3 To do this, however, is, as he him- 

 self declares, to "abandon," once for all, "the 

 conception of creative acts." 



Has Mr. Darwin abandoned that conception ? 

 If he has not, then he lacks " clearness and 

 thoroughness " " father of scientific men n 

 though he be. So, at least, says Professor 

 Tyndall, and Professor Huxley goes still further. 



Mr. Huxley's utterances on this subject pos- 

 sess a special interest from the eulogy pro- 

 nounced on him as the accredited " expounder " 

 of the Darwinian doctrine. Thus, at Belfast, 

 when introducing his summary of " The Origin 

 of Species," Professor Tyndall said, 



" The book was by no means an easy one ; 

 and probably not one in every score of those 

 who then attacked it had read its pages through, 

 or were competent to grasp its significance if 

 they had. I do not say this merely to discredit 

 them ; for there were in those days some really 



1 " Address delivered before the British Association at 

 Belfast." Longmans, 1874, pp. 53, 54. 

 Ibid., p. 55. 



