14 UNIVERSAL EVOLUTION 



has formulated a theory of "a change of forms through 

 the production of new configurations." Herbert Spen- 

 cer's definition is "Evolution is the integration of mat- 

 ter and the concomitant dissipation of motion, during 

 which the matter passes from an indefinite, incoherent 

 homogeneity to a definite, coherent heterogeneity; and 

 during which the retained motion undergoes a parallel 

 transformation." In this definition there is no mention 

 of his "Unknowable Absolute." There is no teleology, 

 nor finality. Therefore it is not the definition of an 

 idealist. We will discover later on the reason why an 

 idealist objects to it. 



All history reveals, that thoughtful men have, for 

 centuries, pondered upon the origin of the universe, but 

 especially upon the solar system, the earth, and its as- 

 tonishing variety of organic forms. The account in 

 Genesis was written by a very able observer. Consider- 

 ing the probable want of scientific knowledge, at that 

 period of man's development, that solution of the difficult 

 problem is the best that could be expected. It attributes 

 the origin of everything visible to a creative power, and 

 that, at first, "the earth was without form and void." 

 The word "void" is not now used by scientists, but ac- 

 cording to the nebular theory the earth and all bodies 

 were without form. 



DEFINITION OF EVOLUTION. The theory of evolution 

 grew out of the observations of a number of able students 

 of natural phenomena. Their studies convinced them 

 that matter and motion could not be rationally traced 

 to any origin, but that the globes of space, and the or- 

 ganic forms of the earth, as well as, those of other 

 globes, if any, had their origin, by the method of the 

 apparent laws of all matter and motion, by the con- 

 densation of matter, from attenuated nebulas. The 



