1 8 EVOLUTION OF TO-DAY. 



them to settle the method of the origin of species, 

 although mental philosophy, metaphysics, theology, 

 etc., may still dispute with science as to the inter- 

 pretation and significance of the laws discovered. 

 Evolution is held by Dana, a Congregationalist ; 

 Lecont, a Presbyterian ; McCosh, the President of a 

 Presbyterian college ; Asa Gray, an Episcopalian ; 

 Mivart, a Roman Catholic; Winchell, a Methodist ; 

 Wallace, a Christian spiritualist; by the Bishop of 

 London, and by hosts of others, ministers and lay- 

 men, whose names are enough to indicate that it is 

 no longer considered a heresy to accept evolution ; 

 and that the best thinkers recognize the fact that 

 evolution produces no discord when compared with 

 revelation. So far, then, as concerns the relation of 

 evolution to our ideas of Christianity, we may ex- 

 amine the evidence for and against the theory with 

 no prejudice, and with perfect equanimity as to the 

 results. 



Prevalence of the Evolutionary Theory. 



It may be well to say at the outset that evolu- 

 tion, as we have defined the term, is almost uni- 

 versally accepted by scientists. A very few they 

 can be counted on the fingers of one hand are still 

 inclined to withhold their acceptance. These are 

 chiefly the older scientists, who had their views 

 formulated before Darwin wrote, and their number 

 is growing less. But with these few exceptions, 

 scientists are so firmly convinced of the truth of 

 evolution, that it is always assumed as a fact, and 

 no more time is spent in discussing it. We find 



