434 A nniversary Address. 



find themselves considerably puzzled and bewildered by 

 what they have ; and as Darwinism seems so much the 

 fashion just now, such multitudes being under its spell, they 

 believe that it must be " all right " and tacitly acquiesce in 

 it as virtually a settled aifaii*. 



Certainly, from the tone of a portion of the press, of con- 

 versation in some circles, and even of some pulpit utterances, 

 one might infer that it was ; and that we have no choice but 

 to believe, for instance, that the Cetacea, the whales, por- 

 poises, etc., are land mammals who have taken to a sea life, 

 and so on. The truth is, that though the evidence in favour 

 of Darwinism, thus far, presents many attractive features 

 and carries weight at points ; though it often has a voice 

 which seems to " charm wisely ;" though it appears to offer 

 to the puzzled naturalist a solution of many difficulties, for 

 which he is inclined to give it an eager welcome; the system, 

 on the other hand, is beset with so many and such serious 

 objections, that in the face of them it seems impossible to 

 advance it from the rank which it now holds, of a Scientific 

 Hypothesis — however clever, ingenious, captivating — to that 

 of a recognised Science. To all, therefore, who have not yet 

 shown their colours in the contending ranks, I would earn- 

 estly say, " Suspend your judgment ; do not believe that the 

 Evolutionist has yet proved his theory, or that it is within 

 measurable distance of being a settled affair." 



MAN. 



But if the contemplation of one of the simplest of Nature's 

 works, low down in the scale of Creation, lead up our 

 thoughts directly to her God, how much more the study of 

 her noblest, in the person of Man, with his complex and 

 wonderful organization, linked as he undoubtedly is, as re- 

 gards his animal nature, to the animal world, and as regards 

 his spiritual, as surely to the Great Spirit ! So, in conclusion, 

 I should like to point out clearly that it was early seen, and 

 still is well understood, that the great point of interest in 

 Darwinism, is its bearing upon the Origin of Man, and of 

 those moral issues of momentous import which are involved 



