ON THE EVOLUTION MATERIALISM AND THEOLOGY. 343 



Another eminent naturalist, Professor Asa Gray, con- 

 tends that the doctrines of Darwin are compatible with 

 design and final causes, as, indeed, with the opposite 

 views. They are compatible with design, I allow ; but 

 only on condition that the Darwinian acknowledges a 

 purpose in the process of evolution, while we allow to 

 him that the meaning of the words "will," "design," 

 "purpose," "intention," are to be widened, and freed 

 from their old anthropomorphic contents. There was 

 a general intention and purpose, which is still shown 

 in the physical universe, in its rigid relations immutably 

 held since the cosmic vapour cooled and condensed into 

 suns and planets, attracting each other by mathematically 

 measurable law ; and there was intention and purpose,, 

 though not as ours, in the pow r er manifested everywhere 

 in Nature, and moving under the process of evolution to 

 reach the best that has been gained. In the organic 

 world this power, though still having its special aims 

 in each single being, nevertheless, by the very fact that 

 it has sundered itself into so many individuals, has 

 seemingly lost its unity of aim and purpose in the 

 animals and in man. But, nevertheless, it has an aim, 

 and steers for it, though in a way seemingly laborious 

 and circuitous, and in some respects clearly incompre- 

 hensible. What is it aiming at now in our species? 

 A better world on the earth, towards which so many 

 powerful tendencies point, a higher and also a happier 

 one ; of this we are sure, for these are the desires and 

 aims of men, which are amongst its chief aims, though 

 they must be realized by men's conscious efforts. In 

 conclusion, we must believe in aim, will, and purpose 

 in the universe, other than the human ; but not in the 

 old theological and anthropomorphic sense. To adhere 

 to the old conceptions of will and purpose, which were 



