essay we have heard to-night, to say, with regard to the view he has taken of 
the decline of thought, that I differ from him in toto . I entirely agree with 
the observations so ably and judiciously put forward by Mr. Wright, and I 
think that so far from there being at the present day a decline of thought in 
progress, we ought rather to call this, jpar excellence^ the age of thought. If 
we want to see the evidence of this, we have merely to contrast the tone of 
the current periodical literature of the present day with what it was twenty 
or thirty years ago. You can scarcely take up a periodical of high standing 
at the present time without seeing some article or other relating to modern 
thought. In fact, we have a periodical so called, which I think may 
be taken as the type of one special feature of our current literature. I 
agree also with the same speaker in saying, that, combined with this amount 
of thought, there is an undoubted tendency at the present day, — more than 
perhaps at any former period in the intellectual world, — to allow dogmatism 
to flourish in certain quarters. As a case in point, I may perhaps allude to 
that very remarkable feature of our researches in natural science which relates 
to the earliest forms of organic life on this planet : I refer to what has been 
said about the famous organism — if organism it may be called — the eo%oon 
ccmadense. When Dr. Carpenter first came before the scientific world and 
told us that whole mountains of the bottom rocks, which are always looked 
upon as the rocks that produced the sources of life, are made up of nothing 
more nor less than forsaken life, every one bowed before him and believed 
what he said. But now, sir, by degrees, an entirely new phase has come over 
our thoughts in relation to this so-called early form of life in the bottom 
rocks. We are at length beginning to believe that Dr. Carpenter was wholly 
ill error. For my own part, I will not go so far as to say that he was in 
error ; but, at all events, the evidence is perfectly evenly balanced ; and yet 
for some time the dogma of Dr. Carpenter completely triumphed. As a 
Fellow of the Geological Society, I am aware' of the enormous amount of 
labour Dr. Carpenter has bestowed upon the subject. At one time there 
was a tendency on the part of men of science generally, to receive what Dr. 
Carpenter said — often without any investigation — simply because it came 
from him ; now, however, a complete change is coming over the aspect 
of things, and many men of eminence are saying that Dr. Carpenter has 
made a grand mistake. It is one of the most unfortunate features of the 
present day, that there is so much bowing to authority. At the same time 
I must repeat, that this, perhaps, of all others, is the age of thought. I 
would only add, that I desire to tender my most sincere and grateful thanks 
to Professor Beale for the able and interesting paper we have listened to 
to-night. (Applause.) 
Mr. W. Watktss Lloyd. — A speaker has touched on the point that 
this is not so much an age of decline of thought as of decline of courage, 
in this I perfectly agree with him. He holds that we are apt to be 
dominated by dogmas, and this must be due to a decline of courage ; for I 
do not think that thought, in any age, can be said to be in full vigour unless 
