THE DESCENT OF MAN 83 



God created every variety of beast and plant in 

 its complete and definite form. This old theory 

 seemed so beautiful, and fitted so simply into the 

 Christian theory of life, that many believed Chris- 

 tianity must inevitably fall too, if it were under- 

 mined. 



In 1859 came the moment when a powerful 

 wave, starting from England, assailed us like a 

 deluge. It increased in strength and power until 

 the foam flecked the very pinnacles of the rock. 

 It is true that this wave no longer bears the name 

 of Darwin and of the Darwinian system in the 

 narrower sense, but it is the theory of evolution 

 which is waging war upon the theory of permanence, 

 and has hitherto been victorious in the strife, and 

 will probably remain so to the end. Are we on this 

 account to fear the downfall of the rock ? No 

 by no means. The rock of Christianity will stand 

 firm, even if the theory of evolution as a scientific 

 hypothesis triumphs over the old theory of per- 

 manence. Perhaps, after the lapse of some few 

 decades, this new wave of science will come to rest 

 peaceably at the foot of the old rock, and centuries 

 later again another stronger wave will come and 

 displace in its turn the theory of evolution, but the 

 rock of Christianity will stand firm, as it has ever 

 stood. 



I for my part am convinced that nothing can 

 shake the rock of Christianity, and my conviction 

 rests on the fact that the waves and the rock are 



