206 TEAR-BOOK OP FACTS. 



Mr. Darwin. His primordial germ had not been demonstrated to 

 have existed. Man bad a power of self-consciousness — a principle 

 differing from anything found in the material world — and he did not 

 see how this could originate in lower organisms. This power of man 

 was identical with the Divine Intelligence ; and to suppose that this 

 could originate with matter, involved the absurdity of supposing the 

 source of Divine power dependent on the arrangement of matter. 

 The Bishop of Oxford stated that the Darwinian theory, when tried 

 by the principles of inductive science, broke down. The facts 

 brought forward did not warrant the theory. The permanence of 

 specific forms was a fact confirmed by all observation. The remains 

 of animals, plants, and man, found in those earliest records of the 

 human race, the Egyptian catacombs, all spoke of their identity 

 with existing forms, and of the irresistible tendency of organized 



9 to assume an unalterable character. The line between man and 

 the lower animals was distinct ; there was no tendency on the part of 

 the lower animals to become the self-conscious intelligent being, 

 man ; or in man to degenerate and lose the high characteristics of his 

 mind ami intelligence. All experiments had failed to show any 

 tendency in one animal to assume the form of the other. In the 

 great case of the pigeons, quoted by Mr. Darwin, he admitted that 

 no sooner were these animals set tree than they returned to their 

 primitive type, Everywhere sterility attended hybridism, as was 

 seen in the closely allied forms of the horse and the ass. Mr. 

 Darwin's conclusions were an hypothesis, raised most unphilosophi- 

 cally to the dignity of a causal theory. He was glad to know that 

 the greatest names in science were opposed to this theory, which he 



rod to be opposed to the interests of science and humanity. 

 Profe^ defended Mr. Darwin's theory from the charge of 



its being merely an hypothesis. He said it was an explanation of 

 phenomena in Natural History, as the undulating theory was of the 

 phenomena of light. No oneobjected to that theory because an un- 

 dulation of light had never lieen arrested and measured. Darwin's 

 theory was an explanation of facts ; and his book was full of new 

 [ on hi.s theory. Without asserting that every 

 part <>l (he theory had been confirmed, he maintained that it was the 

 of the origin of Bpeoies whioh had yet i" o f red. 



■ 1 Id the p ^etiological distinction between man and 



animals, man himself w monad — a mere atom ; and nobody 



oould say at what moment in the history of his development ho 



ily intelligent. Thequ noti > much one 



of a transmutation or | ('species, as of the production of 



which became permanent, 'thus the Bhort-legged b1 

 Ameri ta were not proi . ily, but originated in the birth of 



an original parent of the whole stock, whioh had I ip l>y a 



rigid system of artificial ideation. 



Admiral Fitaroj I the publication of Mr. Darwin's book, 



and denied Professor Huxley's statement, that it was a 



it of I'aets. 

 Dr. Ileal ■ pointed out somo of the dillicultics with which the 



