16 FIFTY YEARS OF DARWINISM 



ist found comfort in the perfectly logical con- 

 clusion that: — 



" Any breach in the circular course of nature could 

 be conceived only on the supposition that the object 

 created bore false witness to past processes, which had 

 never taken place." ^ 



Thus the divergence between the literal inter- 

 pretation of Scripture and the conclusions of ■ 

 both geologist and evolutionist were for this re- 

 markable man reconciled by the conviction: — 



" That there had been no gradual modification of the 

 surface of the earth, or slow development of organic 

 forms, but that when the catastrophic act of creation 

 took place, the world presented, instantly, the structural 

 appearance of a planet on which life had long existed." ^ 



Philip Gosse could not but believe that the 

 thoughts which had brought so much comfort to 

 himself would prove a blessing to others also. 

 He offered Omphalos " with a glowing gesture, 

 to atheists and Christians alike. . . , But, 

 alas! atheists and Christians alike looked at it 

 and laughed, and threw it away." ' Charles 

 Kingsley expressed the objection felt by the 

 Christian when he wrote that he could not " be- 

 lieve that God had written on the rock one enor- 

 mous and superfluous lie." * 



About twenty years ago I was present when 

 precisely the same conclusion was advanced by a 

 high dignitary of the English Church. He 

 argued that even if the history of the Universe 



» Father and Son, pp. 120, 121. ' L. c, p. 130. 



• L. c, p. 122. • Ibid. 



