THE NEANDERTHAL SKULL. 183 



claims of " Spiritualism," in the follow- 

 ing characteristic language " If anybody- 

 could endow me with the faculty of 

 listening to the chatter of old women and 

 curates in the nearest cathedral town, I 

 should decline the privilege, having better 

 things to do." * 



In one of his " Lay Sermons," Profes- 

 sor Huxley adopts a similar tone towards 

 all who decline to accept the Darwinian 

 teaching as " infallible " as that of the 

 Pope of Home. " Everybody has read 

 Mr. Darwin's book on the Origin of Species, 

 or at least has given an opinion upon its 

 merits or demerits ; pietists, whether lay 

 or ecclesiastic, decry it with the mild 

 railing f which sounds so charitable ; bigots 

 denounce it with ignorant invective; old 

 ladies of both sexes consider it decidedly 

 a dangerous book ; and even savans^ which 

 have no better mud to throw, quote anti- 

 quated writers to show that its author is 

 no better than an ape himself ; while 



* See Appendix 0. f See Appendix P. 



