150 MR. DARWIN'S CRITICS v 



to follow reason and fact in singleness and honesty 

 of purpose, wherever they may lead, in the sure 

 faith that a hell of honest men will, to him, be 

 more endurable than a paradise full of angelic 

 shams. 



Mr. Mivart asserts that " without a belief in a 

 personal God there is no religion worthy of the 

 name." This is a matter of opinion. But it may 

 be asserted, with less reason to fear contradiction, 

 that the worship of a personal God, who, on Mr. 

 Mivart's hypothesis, must have used language 

 studiously calculated to deceive His creatures and 

 worshippers, is " no religion worthy of the name." 

 "Incredible est, Deum illis verbis ad populum 

 fuisse locutum quibus deciperetur," is a verdict in 

 which, for once, Jesuit casuistry concurs with the 

 healthy moral sense of all mankind. 



Having happily got quit of the theological 

 aspect of evolution, the supporter of that great 

 truth who turns to the scientific objections which 

 are brought against it by recent criticism, finds, to 

 his relief, that the work before him is greatly 

 lightened by the spontaneous retreat of the enemy 

 from nine-tenths of the territory which he occu- 

 pied ten years ago. Even the Quarterly Reviewer 

 not only abstains from venturing to deny that 

 evolution has taken place, but he openly admits 

 that Mr. Darwin has forced on men's minds " a 

 recognition of the probability, if not more, of 



