124 THE HUMAN SKULL 



the imperfect medium of which that soul strives 

 to make itself known. It is no part of my intention 

 to discuss this matter from its biological, its philo- 

 sophical, still less from its theological aspect, but 

 to occupy myself with a much less extensive tract 

 of country. In a word, I propose to examine the 

 craniological question and the views of experts 

 upon it ; and having brought forward these state- 

 ments which bear most weightily upon it, to con- 

 sider what light they shed on this particular 

 question. I do not intend to discuss the larger 

 question. I propose to ask myself simply, " How 

 far do the facts which we have before us here 

 and now bear upon the question ? Are they for 

 or against the probability of the evolution of man's 

 body ? Or do they, as far as they go, leave the matter 

 in a wholly undecided condition ? J: Father 

 Gerard, S.J., in an article in The Month on the sub- 

 ject of " Free-Thought," says that his opposition 

 to the Darwinian theory, as commonly accepted, 

 is on scientific grounds, because, as it seems to 

 him, the evidence is all against it. And he goes on 

 to add : " I have no antecedent quarrel with it, 

 and am ready to accept it at once if it can only 

 be shown to explain the facts. There can be no 

 philosophical or theological objection to it which 

 I can imagine." What we want, as Fr. Gerard says, 

 is a sifting of the facts. We have had a terrible lot 

 of theory-spinning of late, justifiable much of it, 

 at least to a large extent, but I think it is time to 

 cry out for a halt for the examination of spoils and 

 the estimation of their real value. We are accus- 

 tomed to have it dinned into our ears, often by 



