96 OBaANIC EVOLVTION CONSIDERED 



that have been assumed in order to explain the 

 absence of intermediate forms? 



If the theory of evolution is true, then in these 

 Tertiary rocks where the record is " continuous for 

 hundi - eds of feet," the slow transition of the many 

 species was taking place, and the countless multitudes 

 of connecting links must have left their remains in 

 these rocks, so that we might well expect that their 

 remains would be found mingled with those of the 

 species that they connect. It is not surprising that 

 Mr. Darwin should acknowledge that the absence of 

 these connecting links presses hardly on his theory. 



The natural conclusion drawn from their absence, 

 under the circumstances, is that the connecting links 

 did not exist. It should be borne in mind that con- 

 necting forms assumed to be lost are probably thou- 

 sands of times as numerous as the known species, so 

 that the theory of evolution not only assumes that 

 the first half of the whole record — namely, that prior 

 to the Primordial — is wholly lost, but at every step in 

 every age and in every class of animals we must grant 

 that probably 999 out of every 1,000 forms are hope- 

 lessly lost. 



The evolutionist not only assumes that the 999 are 

 lost, but that if they could be found they would go to 

 prove the truth of his theory. 



As to whether forms constitute species or varieties 

 is, in this connection, not a matter of importance — 

 this is simply a question of names. 



The real question is, Do the transitional forms 

 exist? If they do, then evolution is true; if not, then 

 the theory fails. 



That they have not been found all admit. The only 

 question that remains is, Can their absence be satis- 

 factorily explained if they once existed? I think not. 



I admit that there are many animals whose remains 



