iv Preface. 



nature of that consciousness forever unknown in its ultimate 

 essence. 



Universal in its scope, penetrating every region of thought and 

 life, it appeared to the managers of the Brooklyn Ethical Associa- 

 tion Lectures that no work could be of more general and vital in- 

 terest than that of popularizing correct views of the Evolution 

 philosophy. An advance copy of our programme sent to Mr. Her- 

 bert Spencer, elicited from him a letter of cordial commendation,* 

 in which he affirmed that "The mode of presentation described 

 seems to me admirably adapted for popularizing evolution views," 

 and expressed a hope that the lectures might be widely circulated 

 in printed form. Efforts in this direction were subsequently un- 

 dertaken. The preparation of these lectures has been a labor of 

 love, and for the most part gratuitous on the part of their authors. 

 As separately published, they have already been profitably used 

 by numerous societies and individuals engaged in this study, and 

 it is hoped that they may have a yet wider circulation in the form 

 in which they are now offered to the public. The chief hope and 

 desire of the Ethical Association, and of the authors of these lec- 

 tures, will not be met, however, unless they stimulate thought be- 

 yond their mere perusal, and prepare many minds for the sys- 

 tematic reading of the more complete expositions of the Evolution 

 philosophy in the works of Spencer, Fiske, Darwin, Haeckel, Wal- 

 lace, Huxley, Tyndall, Cope, and other recognized authorities. 

 Not merely to satisfy, but to create hunger for truth is the object 

 of these lectures. The subject is too vast to be treated completely 

 in a single volume. We are aware of imperfections — yet we trust 

 that the lectures will serve the purpose for which they are intended, 

 and thus justify the labor and devotion of those who have par- 

 ticipated in their production and publication. 



* Printed in full on page 19. 



