THE SCIENCE OF PALAEONTOLOGY 7 



been classed, a few generations ago, as a branch of 

 " Natural Philosophy." The desire to find out truth, in 

 so far as it can be determined, is inherent in all human 

 minds save those that have degenerated into the hope- 

 lessness of despair or the coma of satisfaction. All 

 active brains are directed towards the endeavour to 

 " see the wheels go round " ; the same desire is there 

 whether the wheels are those of a watch or of Fate. 

 Acquisition of knowledge on any subject must add to 

 the breadth of view of the successful seeker, and modify 

 and extend his philosophy. Although it is true that a 

 man may fashion his mode of life in defiance of his 

 belief, it is self-evident that without some knowledge he 

 could not formulate a substantial hypothesis whereby to 

 steer his course. The quest for " knowledge for its own 

 sake " appeals to some minds, but is difficult to justify 

 outside the walls of a monastery. But when that know- 

 ledge is regarded as a contribution towards a better 

 understanding of the forces and materials that surround 

 and influence all living things, it appears not merely 

 interesting or useful, but the one thing needful a 

 necessary precursor of the right and intelligent ordering 

 of human existence. Viewed as a branch from the 

 evergreen tree of Natural Philosophy, whose roots are 

 Truth, Palaeontology seems no less fertile than its com- 

 panion sciences. Its fruit may not be golden, but it has 

 the compensating merit of being digestible and refreshing. 

 Secondly, Palaeontology is an indispensable ally of 

 Stratigraphical Geology. Sedimentation, physiography 

 and climate vary from place to place and from time to 

 time, but the ordered sequence of organic evolution 

 passes steadily forward. Local conditions may induce, 

 or at least encourage, small modifications of structure in 

 the organisms concerned, but the main current of racial 

 life flows along its appointed course. Greater knowledge 



