THE LESSON OF EVOLUTION 25 



was abundant, while iron would be equally useless if 

 it was as rare as gold. But we know that these, as 

 well as the other substances, exist in their right 

 proportion. 1 



We cannot believe that all these various and com- 

 plicated adjustments were brought about by a fortui- 

 tous concourse of meteorites. When a writer of 

 stories wrecks his hero on an uninhabited island, on 

 which, from time to time, he finds everything he 

 wants to make himself comfortable, we think, as we 

 read, that the story cannot be true, because all these 

 useful things could not possibly have come to the 

 island by chance. It is just the opposite with the 

 story of the earth. In this case we know that the 

 statements are true. We know that all these useful 

 things were found when they were wanted. First the 

 silica and alumina for the earth's crust. Then the 

 carbon, nitrogen, and other materials for the proto- 

 plasm. Then copper, iron, and gold for man. Here 

 also we say that this cannot be due to chance, and the 

 only alternative is design. 



It is possible that in the meteoritic hypothesis we 

 may find an explanation of the relations between the 

 size of the earth, its internal temperature, and its 

 distance from the sun ; although this is not likely, as 

 there is no uniform gradation among the planets in 

 these matters. But, even if the temperatures of the 

 surface and of the interior of the earth were neces- 

 sarily well adapted for the development of life, still 

 the proportions between land and water might have 



1 Gold is the most suitable substance in the earth for coinage, as it 

 does not oxidise. Iron is the most suitable substance for the manu- 

 facture of tools, for it can be hardened. 



