THE NEANDERTHAL SKULL. 55 



of creation, and there I saw a socket where 

 an eye should have been, and I heard the 

 shriek of a fatherless world." 



Do not, Gentlemen, suppose for a 

 moment, that I mean to impute any such 

 profane folly to your distinguished Natu- 

 ralist, Charles Darwin. He was an eminent 

 man, a modest man, and a Christian man ; 

 a daring Atheist is necessarily the reverse 

 of all three. But now I must ask your 

 attention to what Darwin taught in his 

 second great work on the origin of the 

 human race, entitled The Descent of Man. 

 Here the doctrine of EVOLUTION is stated 

 with great plainness of speech, with charm- 

 ing illustrations of some of your early 

 ancestors, and if it failed in carrying 

 conviction to the wisest and greatest 

 minds of the 19th century, it is not for 

 want of skill in the treatment of the subject 

 by its able and most noted advocate. 



The following are Mr. Darwin's con- 

 firmed views expressed in his own words : 

 He commences with this frank and candid 

 admission, which does so much honour to 



