38o A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



I may do so without giving offence to any one, that I prefer the 

 child-like attitude of former naturalists to the childish guesses of 

 those of the Darwinian school. Mr. Trimen, if I understand him 

 rightly, gives this (may I call it a dream ?) as a supposition only. 

 Mr. Bates, in his address as President of the Entomological 

 Society, speaks of it as an established fact." 



I have constantly endeavoured to oppose the theory of evolu- 

 tion which is now so widely accepted, and for this reason — that 

 while there are some who, believing in revelation, consider evolu- 

 tion to be one of the natural laws ordained by the Creator, there 

 are others who uphold the theory in order to throw back the idea 

 of creation to an immeasurable distance, and thus, even if they 

 dp not go so far as disbelieving in a Supreme Being, prepare the 

 way for the denial of a personal God Who in any way influences 

 the present order of Nature, and of Whom, therefore, we are 

 individually independent. This destroys all the foundations of 

 personal religion. 



There is a God. He has given us two Books. He reveals 

 Himself to the spiritual part of our nature in His Word, and to 

 our bodily and intellectual capacities in His Works — in Nature. 

 The two revelations coming from one source must agree. 



There is, however, nowadays an infinite number of shades of 

 opinion on these subjects, and there is also a conflict between 

 science and religion, which is most deplorable, especially as it has, 

 I fear, driven many into unbelief, or at least into honest doubt ; 

 and while it is very easy to explain the origin of the evil, it is more 

 difficult to correct it. 



Whereinsoever scientific men have attempted to disprove cer- 

 tain spiritual truths or doctrines, such as the efficacy of prayer, 

 the possibility of miracles, etc., they have dealt with things out- 

 side their province. Mathematics, physics, biology, do not afford 

 an explanation of the spiritual world. The finite mind cannot 

 comprehend the Infinite, but it may apprehend it by accepting 

 revealed truth. 



On the other hand, whereinsoever ecclesiastical dogmatism 

 has decreed certain explanations of phenomena or conditions of 

 the natural world, which explanations have been proved to be 

 contrary to fact by scientific discoveries ; therein such dogmas are 



