HUXLEY'S EVASION OF THE QUESTION. 267 



is to be said on his side of the subject, and it is at any 

 rate plain and straightforward. But the treatment of 

 the subject by Mr. Huxley is perplexing in the ex- 

 treme. After setting forth the inevitable materialism 

 of the protoplasmic theory in the plainest manner, he 

 suddenly halts and declares that he is no materialist, 

 but, on the contrary, he believes that materialism in- 

 volves a grave philosophical error. In explanation, he 

 gives several pages of metapl^sical reasoning on 

 Hume's doctrine of causation and Berkeley's idealism, 

 which, it does not require Dr. Stirling's trenchant 

 criticism common sense is quite sufficient to show 

 us, leaves this matter exactly where it was. The ques- 

 tion is simply evaded. Perhaps Professor Huxley's 

 motive for this may be the natural aversion felt by 

 men of taste for bringing their religious opinions before 

 a mixed audience, and also that he is mindful of the 

 counsel of Bacon : " If we were disposed to survey 

 the realm of sacred or inspired theology, we must quit 

 this small vessel of human reason and put ourselves 

 on board the ship of the Church, which alone possesses 

 the divine needle for justly shaping the course. Nor 

 will the stars of philosophy, that have hitherto princi- 

 pally lent their light, be of further service to us ; and 

 therefore it were not improper to be silent upon the 

 subject." 



The same repugnance was felt by Fletcher, but he 

 felt also that we are reminded by a far older and wiser 

 authority than Bacon, that if there is a time to be 

 silent there is also a time to speak, and that it became 

 his duty to speak plainly. Accordingly he does not 

 hesitate to say it is materialism, absolute, blank mate- 



