62 Dr J. W. Dawson on the Antiquity of Man. 



stated, those geologists wlio hold that we must reason in- 

 flexibly on rates of change indicated by modern causes, will 

 necessarily, on the evidence as it now stands, maintain that 

 the human race, though recent geologically, is of very great 

 antiquity, historically. 



We must now shortly consider our third question, as to 

 the bearing of these facts and doctrines on our received 

 views of human chronology, derived from the Hol}^ Scrip- 

 tures and the concurrent testimony of ancient monumental 

 and traditional history. It is certain that many good and 

 well-meaning people will, in this respect, view these late 

 revelations of geology with alarm ; while those self-com- 

 placent neophytes in biblical learning who array themselves 

 in the cast-off garments of defeated sceptics, and, when 

 treated with the contempt which they deserve, bemoan 

 themselves as the persecuted representatives of free thought, 

 will rejoice over the powerful allies they have acquired. 

 Both parties may however find themselves mistaken. The 

 truth will in the end vindicate itself ; and it will be found 

 that the results of such careful scrutiny of nature as that to 

 which naturalists now devote themselves, are not destined 

 to rob our race either of its high and noble descent, or its 

 glorious prospects. In the mean time, those who are the 

 true friends of revealed truth will rejoice to give free scope 

 to legitimate scientific investigation, trusting that every 

 new difficulty will disappear with increasing light. 



The biblical chronology, though it allows an unlimited 

 time for the prehuman periods of the earth's history, fixes 

 the human period within narrow limits, though it does this 

 not by absolute statement of figures, but rather by infer- 

 ence from chronological lists, v/ith respect to the computa- 

 tion of which there may be and has been some difference, 

 especially in the antediluvian period. Allowing large lati- 

 tude for these differences, we have, say 2000 to 3000 years 

 for the human antediluvian period, corresponding, it is to 

 be supposed, to the later Post-pliocene of geologists. In 

 this period men may have extended themselves over most 

 of the old continent ; and it has been calculated that they 

 may have been nearl}^ as numerous as at present, but this 

 is probably an exaggeration. They had, locally at least. 



