ON CREATION OK EVOLUTION. 179 



burial within the former British Hnes, the conquerors turned 

 their hostile fire into the minute-guns of respect for a noble 

 foe. It was so, when not only liis allies in great numbers, 

 but such opponents as Lord Salisbury, Lord Kelvin, Mr. 

 Balfour, gathered to do honour to the memory of Professor 

 Huxley, that doughtiest champion of evolution, who had 

 actually died Avith his severe criticism of Mr. Balfour in hand. 



The occasion of the article by Dr. Elani was a striking one. 

 Professor Huxley had recently proclaimed at the Royal 

 Listitution, on the occasion of the " coming of age " of The 

 Origin of Species, that evolution was " no longer an hypo- 

 thesis but an historical fact."' The vast inheritance of the 

 heir of all the ages of thought seemed to be resting at last 

 on sufficiently secure title deeds. It is true that evolution at 

 that time did not generally and publicly claim more than 

 the origin of all terrestrial life from a few primordial forms : 

 the doctrines foreshadoAved by Democritus, Empedocles, and 

 Lucretius were the possession of the few: ]\Iore recently this 

 theory " rightly conceived," under the improving care of 

 its trustees, has felt called upon to annex the universe. 



If the theory of evolution has become more ambitious and 

 has widened its claim over the territory of thought, how comes 

 it that of late, except for an occasional dropping fire from 

 the citadel of faith from Sir Richard Owen, Mr. Gladstone, Sir 

 William Dawson, Dr. Wace, Lord Salisbury or Mr. Balfour, 

 directed against some one or other of the divisions of the 

 hivestiug host, good-natured indifference, on the Avhole, 

 marks the prevailing attitude of orthodox men of science 

 and men of faith toAvards this remarkable theory? 



Further, though it is not denied that the majority of 

 biologists accept this theory in some form or other, is there 

 anything more to be said after seventeen years than Avhat 

 Dr. Elam so well said for that theory, older by some three 

 thousand fiA^e hundred years than its rival ? 



It may be here acknoAvledged that the theories of creation 

 and CA-olution, logically pursued, are directly opposed. The 

 former stands or falls Avith the theory of design, the latter 

 relies solely upon natural causation, dispensing Avith super- 

 natural intelligence and action. 



The term creation implies tAVo conceptions, original 

 creation of the universe, and Go-called "special creation " in 

 successiA^e stages, of plants and animals, up to its culmination 

 in the creation of man. There are doubtless certain ca^oIu- 

 tionists Avho look upon CA^olution as a form of mediate creation, 



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