HUXLEY 39 



It was in his view of some importance, it was of 

 perhaps of great importance, that Charles Dar- 

 win's conclusions should be generally accepted as 

 solid contributions to natural knowledge, in order 

 to increase their fruitfulness for the further 

 advance of that knowledge; and we to-day can 

 recognise how fruitful they have proved. Still 

 more important was it in his opinion that these 

 conclusions should be judged as to their 

 validity by an appeal to natural knowledge, 

 and to that alone, and not by an appeal 

 to another tribunal. The reception of Charles 

 Darwin's book was to him only an instance, 

 was only one of many signs, of an abid- 

 ing antagonism. The same thing had happened 

 again and again in the past, it must be looked for 

 again and again in the future; the fight will 

 always be going on. His attitude was not 

 changed on hearing other voices of the Church 

 declare that the origin of species, including that 

 of the human species, by selection, was not 

 destructive to the teaching of the Church, but, on 

 the contrary, was in accordance with it, and indeed 

 had in a way been anticipated by it. He was glad 

 that one cause of quarrel was out of the way ; but 

 he felt that even with these voices the potential 

 cause of quarrel still held its ground. They 

 now approved of Darwin's views ; but would they 

 approve of the next great result gained by some 

 student of natural knowledge in even the near 

 future should this seem to them to conflict with 



