A CONCLUSIVE INSTANCE G3 



The only other conceivable explanation is, as 

 ■was suggested to Huxley, that these fossil remains 

 are special creations intended to test our faith 

 in Holy Writ. Between this inference and that 

 already drawn, the reader will judge. 



This chapter must not conclude without the 

 recording 1 of an event which I regard as not without 

 historic interest. At the Royal Institution of Great 

 Britain there have been delivered, during the 

 Christmas holidays of many past decades, a series 

 of lectures "adapted to a juvenile auditory." The 

 lecturer for the Christmas of 1903 was Professor 

 Ray Lankester, and his subject "Extinct Animals." 

 In point of fact, these lectures consisted of a most 

 complete marshalling of all the evidence afforded 

 by palaeontology in favour of the theory of organic 

 evolution. But the title sounded innocent enough, 

 and the famous theatre was daily filled with chil- 

 dren. Professor Lankester naturally devoted a large 

 measure of his time to a discussion of the history of 

 the horse. I was struck by the consideration that 

 many of the little boys who listened to and honoured 

 with their applause the distinguished lecturer, will, 

 in a few years, qualify themselves for entrance to 

 the University of Cambridge by reading the works 

 of Dr. Paley, who died four years before the publi- 

 cation of Lamarck's great work. The question one 

 asks is as to the consequences which may ensue 

 in these young minds, many of which are doubtless 

 destined to take a large share in the direction of 

 this people in coming years, when the arguments 

 of the learned exponent of Creative Design are 

 met by the memories of Professor Ray Lankester's 



