2io Scientific Sophisms. 



, i Even this is not the worst For, he adds 

 " Unless we wilfully close our eyes, we may, 

 with our present knowledge, approximately 

 recognize our parentage." " Our present know- 

 ledge " ! Why, that is merely our present want 

 of knowledge ; for it is he himself who tells 

 us that " no one can at present say by what 

 line of descent the mammals," i.e., ourselves 

 "were derived." 



In the hands of Prof. Huxley, the specious 

 plausibilities of Mr. Darwin commonly assume 

 the form of dogmatic affirmations ; but in re- 

 lation to this matter of the Descent of Man 

 from the Ape, the cautious and conditional 

 generalisations of Mr. Huxley furnish fresh 

 proof, if fresh proof be needed, of the thoroughly 

 conjectural character of Mr. Darwin's theory. 



" If," says the learned Professor, " IF Man 

 be separated by no greater structural barrier 

 from the brutes than they are from one an- 

 other THEN it SEEMS to follow that IF any 

 process of physical causation can be discovered 

 by which the genera and families of ordinary 

 animals have been produced, that process of 

 causation is amply sufficient to account for 

 the origin of Man. In other words, IF it 

 could be shown that the Marmosets, for ex- 

 ample, have arisen by gradual modification of 



