XII.] THEOLOGY AND EVOLUTION. 289 



"If speciCvS do not exist at all, as tlic snpporlcrs of tlic 

 Irniismutation theory maintain, liow can they. vary ? and if 

 individuals alone exist, how can the difTcrcnccs which may 

 be observed among them prove the variability of species? " 



But the supporter of "evolution" need only maintain 

 that the several "kinds" become manif(»stcd p^radnallv by 

 slight differences among the various individual embodi- 

 ments of one specific idea. He might reply to the dilem- 

 ma by saying, species do not exist as species in the sense 

 in which they are said to vary (variation applying only to 

 the concrete embodiments of the specific idea), and the 

 evolution of species is demonstrated not by individuals as 

 individuals^ but as embodiments of difi'erent specific ideas. 



Some persons seem to object to the term " creation " 

 being applied to evolution, because evolution is an "ex- 

 ceedingly slow and gradual process." Now, even if it were 

 demonstrated that such is really the case, it may be asked, 

 what is "slow and gradual ?" The terms are simply rela- 

 tive, and the evolution of a specific form in ten thousand 

 years would be instantaneous to a being whose days were 

 as hundreds of millions of years. 



There are others, again, who are inclined absolutely to 

 deny the existence of species altogether, on the ground 

 that their evolution is so gradual that if we could see all 

 the stages it would be impossible to say wJien the manifesta- 

 tion of the old specific fonn ceased. and that of the new one 

 began. But surel}' it is no approach to a reason against 

 the existence of a thing that we cannot dctennine the ex- 

 act moment of its first manifestation. When watching 

 " dissolving views," who can tell, while closely observing 

 the gradual changes, exactly at what moment a new ])ic- 

 ture, say St. Mark's, Venice, can be said to have com- 

 menced its manifestation, or have begun to dominate a 

 preceding representation of "Dotheboys Hall?" That, 

 however, is no reason for denying the complete difTcrcnce 

 13 



