96 



FACTS AND FANCIES 



Further, if only an individual man originated 

 in the first instance, and if he were not pro- 

 vided with a suitable spouse, he might have 

 intermarried with the unimproved anthropoids, 

 and the results of the evolution would have 

 been lost. Such considerations should have 

 weighed with Haeckel in inducing him to speak 

 more respectfully of Adam's rib, especially in 

 view of the fact that in dealing with the hard 

 question of human origin the author of Genesis 

 had not the benefit of the researches of Baer 

 and Haeckel, He had, no doubt, the advantage 

 of a firm faith in the reality of that Creative 

 Will which the monistic prophets of the nine- 

 teenth century have banished from their calcu- 

 lations. Were Haeckel not a monist, he might 

 also be reminded of that grand doctrine of the 

 lordship and superiority of man based on the 

 fact that there was no " help meet for him ;" 

 and the foundation of the most sacred bond 

 of human society on the saying of the first 

 man : ** This is now bone of my bones, and flesh 

 of my flesh." But monists probably attach 

 little value to such ideas. 



It may be proper to add here that in his ref- 

 erences to Adam, Haeckel betrays a weakness 

 not unusual with his school, in putting a false 



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