26 
tion, more shocking and more culpable in such circumstances than 
are the blind inhumanities of heathen savagedpm • 
44 . But I must now sum up my conclusions briefly, leaving 
many of my propositions to stand by themselves without much 
further argument. First, then, I say that moral civilization is the 
only true civilization, and the only lasting foundation even for the 
highest material civilization. Secondly, I regard the bases of true 
moral civilization to be a right faith in God, with right notions of 
His holiness, justice, truth, and mercy. Thirdly, alter that comes 
a knowledge of nature, or science, which is the basis of art, tor 
“ knowledge is power ; ” and what we call material civilization is 
its product. But after all, I might have given a shorter summary. 
I seem only to have expressed mother words two proverbsof Solomon : 
—the first — “ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and 
to depart from evil that is understanding ; ” the other— “ Righteous- 
ness exalteth a nation ; but sin is a reproach to any people. 
45. When false notions of Deity take the place of true, we have 
then more or less of superstition, descending to the grossest 
idolatries and the fetish- worship of savages. The result of such 
corruption of religion is moral corruption, and civilization becomes 
more and more corrupt, or is superseded by barbarism and savagery. 
Nations and races sink under all such influences, instead ot being 
“ exalted/' We may take the whole history of the world, ancient 
and modern, and we shall find these canons exemplified We may 
apply them even to families and individuals, and to the stages ot 
our own moral history, and we shall find them to be generally and 
essentially true. And we should always remember, that m earlier 
ao-es, when traditions were mostly oral, and writing either not 
invented or but in rare use, the descent of a segregated family or 
tribe would often be most rapid, and the total loss of almost ail 
traditions inevitable in a lew generations. 
46 Once more I must give a summary of conclusions, with 
occasionally but brief arguments. I deny evolution or development, 
either of the material elements one into another, or of dead matter 
into living things, or of plants into animals, or of the interior 
animals into one another, or into man. While admitting variations 
and changes in living things within the limits of their km 
and respective natures, 1 deny that such changes are developments 
upwards. They are rather the reverse. As Professor Dawson said 
in an admirable lecture on the Primitive Vegetation delivered m 
the Royal Institution on May 27, “ the first plants M a particular 
kind are, in fact, the noblest and grandest specimens, being brought 
forth as it were, when the material elements were m their pristine 
strength and richness ; “ while even when they difier from cognate 
plants now existing, they are, nevertheless, all more or less upon a 
common principle or plan, that enables us to understand their character 
