124 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



we have here some confusion of ideas, and that 

 Father Wasmann probably intended to pronounce 

 this assumption incompatible with scientific con- 

 cepts. We can think of many things of which we 

 can form no definite concept billions and millions, 

 for example. Thus we cannot imagine what is 

 eternal or infinite, but we are quite able to think 

 of it. In the same way as we are unable to form a 

 concept of the infinity of space or of the indestructi- 

 bility of matter, we are unable to imagine scienti- 

 fically any origin of matter out of nothing. We 

 cannot advance on these lines.' 



Professor Dahl's first objection rests upon a 

 misunderstanding on his part, as a reference to 

 my second lecture (pp. 27-33) will show. I 

 rejected the theory that matter always existed 

 as being incompatible with scientific thought ; 

 I made no reference to scientific imagination, 

 for it is obvious that we can only think of what 

 is eternal and infinite, and cannot imagine it. 

 On this subject see my closing address. 



Professor Dahl went on to mention some real 

 divergencies between my views and his own. 



' Father Wasmann believes that God intervened 

 three times in the course of the Creation. He first 

 created matter, then He created life upon the earth, 

 and lastly He created man. I will refer to man 

 first. Father Wasmann tells us that we cannot 



