82 THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES OF 



proportion between the evidence of and the 

 warrant for the proposition which the theory 

 states ; and if gauged by this simple rule the 

 warrant for accepting the theory of evolution is 

 now estimated by the judgment of all scienti- 

 fically trained minds as so high, that by no 

 additional evidence could it be placed higher 

 without becoming a full demonstration. Or, 

 otherwise stated, as a theory the doctrine of 

 descent is now in the topmost position of proba- 

 bility, so that by no amount of additional 

 evidence could it be raised higher without 

 ceasing to be a probability and becoming a 

 certainty. That is to say, we do not need any 

 more evidence in any of the lines of evidence to 

 add to the strength of our belief in, as distin- 

 guished from our knowledge of, the truth of 

 evolution. For the strength of our conviction 

 could not be increased by the discovery of any 

 additional number of connecting links among 



