INTRODUCTION 



The consequence of this ruling tendency in our 

 author appears, in the " Cosmic Philosophy/' in 

 the prominence there given to the problems of 

 human development, — to the laws of history, 

 to the evolution of doctrine, and to religious 

 issues. It is also exemplified by his own princi- 

 pal contribution to evolutionary theory, viz. the 

 doctrine of the significance of the prolongation 

 of the period of infancy as a factor in the evo- 

 lution of mankind. The same ruling tendency 

 determines the prominence of historical writing 

 in all the periods of his literary activity, and is 

 above all responsible, as we shall see, for the di- 

 rection finally taken by his thought concerning 

 the teleological interpretation of the process of 

 evolution. 



7. Thus far, we have learned something of 

 the way in which our author came to write his 

 book, and of the spirit that guided him in ap- 

 proaching the task. We have now to con- 

 sider what is most characteristic about his mode 



lows : ** We have here, not the work of a naturalist or bio- 

 logist, but rather of a literary writer, a student of history, 

 philosophy, and theology, who, without presuming to speak 

 with authority on matters of physical science, has still acquired 

 an extensive familiarity with the methods upon which sound 

 scientific conclusions are reached, and has derived from the 

 various departments of natural knowledge no inconsiderable aid 

 in forming and verifying his theory of things.*' 



xli 



