THE ORIGIN OF MAN 



You will, I am sure, forgive me if I strip from this lecture all 

 pretence of polite introduction, since the subject allotted to me 

 in this series is one which cannot be dismissed in the course of 

 an hour's lecture even when only one very limited aspect of the 

 question is passed under review. 



The problem of man's origin touches at so many points a 

 wide series of separated sciences. Evidence is to be derived 

 from the study of ethnology, of palaeontology, and other cog- 

 nate sciences, and important though this evidence is it cannot 

 properly be analysed in so brief a time ; even the evidence to 

 be derived from a study of the structure of Man, which is the 

 only aspect of the problem with which I shall deal, cannot be 

 put before you in even its most meagre outlines unless we are 

 prepared to discard all those ornaments which are regarded as 

 properly belonging to a public lecture. 



I have no new theory to put forward concerning this 

 problem, no new views to advocate, I have even no new facts 

 to record ; but nevertheless I have a very definite purpose in 

 giving this lecture. 



These are times when long - cherished ideas, and long- 

 accepted theories, are easily (perhaps at times rather too 

 easily) placed in the melting-pot, and although I am not going 

 to ask any one to sacrifice ideas to which he has long been 

 reconciled, I would urge that the question of the origin of 

 Man is certainly one concerning which it is legitimate to ask if 

 the foundations of our teaching are sound. The evolution of 

 Man is a fascinating problem ; but the evolution of our ideas 



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