ORGANIC E VOL UTION. 77 



can study the many and important lines of 

 evidence all converging on the central truth 

 that evolution has been the law of organic nature, 

 and still fail to perceive the certainty of that 

 truth, then I say that that man — either on ac- 

 count of his prejudices, or from his inability to 

 estimate the value of evidence — must properly 

 be regarded as a weak-minded man. Or, to 

 state the case in another way, if such a man 

 were to say to me, — Notwithstanding all your 

 lines of evidence, I still believe in special design 

 manifested in creation ; I should reply, — And in 

 this I fully agree with you ; for if, notwith- 

 standing these numerous and important lines of 

 evidence, the theory which they substantiate is 

 false, then to my mind we have the best con- 

 ceivable evidence of very special design having 

 been manifested in creation — the special design, 

 namely, to deceive mankind by an elaborate, 

 detailed, and systematic fraud. For, if the 



