PRIMITIVE MAN. 321 



of mediate creation and his spiritual nature a direct 

 emanation from his Creator. 



The discussion of all these rival theories would 

 occupy volumes, and to follow them into details 

 would require investigations which have already 

 bewildered many minds of some scientific culture. 

 Further, it is the belief of the writer that this plung- 

 ing into multitudes of details has been fruitful of 

 error, and that it will be a better course to endeavour 

 to reach the root of the matter by looking at the 

 foundations of the genei'al doctrine of evolution itself, 

 and then contrasting it with its rival. 



Taking, then, this broad view of the subject, two 

 great leading alternatives are presented to us. Either 

 man is an independent product of the will of a 

 Higher Intelligence, acting directly or through the 

 laws and materials of his own institution and produc- 

 tion, or he has, been produced by an unconscious 

 evolution from lower things. It is true that many evo- 

 lutionists, either unwilling to offend, or not perceiving 

 the logical consequences of their own hypothesis, 

 endeavour to steer a middle course, and to maintain 

 that the Creator has proceeded by way of evolution. 

 But the bare, hard logic of Spencer, the greatest Eng- 

 lish authority on evolution, leaves noplace for this com- 

 promise, and shows that the theory, carried out to its 

 legitimate consequences, excludes the knowledge of a 

 Creator and the possibility of His work. We have, 

 therefore, to choose between evolution and creation ; 

 bearing in mind, however, that there may be a place 



Y 



