CONCLUSION. 171 



the world of life what the geologists had 

 done for the world of matter. As geologists 

 had demonstrated that our world had been 

 evolved from chaos by natural forces, in the 

 course of millions of years, so Darwin, it was 

 thought, had shown how its present inhabit- 

 ants had been evolved from simple forms by 

 natural forces, operating through very ex- 

 tended periods of time. The evidence might 

 not as yet be complete, but further research 

 would doubtless fully establish the new hypo- 

 thesis. 



But this expectation has not been fulfilled. 



The generation that has passed away since 

 Darwin's death has added little to his facts or 

 arguments, and now a critical examination of 

 the theory must lead to the conclusion that 

 it is wholly based on inference, and is not 

 supported by substantial evidence. 



The intellectual anomaly involved in the 

 ready acceptance of Darwin's hypothesis by 

 men who had criticised and discredited the 

 Mosaic narrative, is not without precedent. 

 In times past some of the best intellects of 

 their day were beguiled from the direct path 

 to knowledge by vain disputations on the 

 properties of angels, or by profitless search 

 for the philosopher's stone, or by the hope of 

 squaring the circle, and it is not improbable 



