Sophisms. 95 



evidence in its favour, Professor Haeckel denies 

 the possibility of disproving it, and points out 

 that the assumption that it has occurred is a 

 necessary part of the doctrine of evolution." 

 So be it. A more complete confirmation of 

 what has been already said on this subject it 

 would be impossible to desire. Evolution now, 

 of necessity, rests on "spontaneous generation:" 

 while spontaneous generation is at best an 

 " assumption " of which its most uncompromis- 

 ing advocate admits that " there is no experi- 

 mental evidence in its favour." So much the 

 worse for "the doctrine of Evolution." 



The position assumed by Mr. Huxley himself 

 in reference to this subject is peculiar; so pecu- 

 liar, indeed, that it had better be stated in his 

 own words. In his Presidential Address to 

 the British Association for the Advancement 

 of Science (1870), he discusses the conflicting 

 claims of Biogenesis and Abiogenesis, in one of. 

 the ablest and most lucid expositions ever given 

 of that problem. By the former term he de- 

 notes "the hypothesis that living matter always 

 arises by the agency of pre-existing living 

 matter;" the latter term denotes the contrary 

 doctrine that living matter may be produced 

 by matter not living. 



The first distinct enunciation of the hypo- 



