Scientific Sophisms. 235 



18. "In the first place, it is manifest that 

 man, the apes, and the half-apes cannot be 

 arranged in a single ascending series, of which 

 man is the term and culmination. 



" We may indeed, by selecting one organ or 

 one set of parts, and confining our attention 

 to it, arrange the different forms in a more or 

 less simple manner. But if all the organs be 

 taken into account, the cross relations and inter- 

 dependencies become in the highest degree com- 

 plex and difficult to unravel." l This indeed is 

 generally admitted, but still the theory pro- 

 pounded by Mr. Darwin, and widely accepted, 

 is that "the resemblances between man and 

 apes are such that man may be conceived to 

 have descended from some ancient members of 

 the broad-breastboned group of apes," and of 

 all existing apes, the gorilla is regarded as 

 standing towards him in closer relationship 

 than any other. 



But what evidence of common origin is 

 afforded by community of structure? "The 

 human structural characters are shared by so 

 many and such diverse forms, that it is impos- 

 sible to arrange even groups of genera in a 

 single ascending series from the aye-aye to man 



1 "Lessons from Nature," p. 174. By Prof. Mivart 

 (Murray, 1876.) 



