»54 Clayfole on (Darzvin and Geology. 
plain or remove difficulties in his system. The genius of the 
man threw a halo around the theory that he propounded, and 
•ontributed in no small degree to give currency to views that in 
themselves were imtrue because based on a too narrow induction. 
Hutton, on the other hand, the great apostle of the Plutonists, 
was maintaining at Edinburgh, that many of the rocks compos- 
ing the crust of the earth had been poured forth in a molten 
•tate from the interior. In support of this opinion he appealed 
to facts that could not be gainsaid, such as dikes and veins cf 
granite, &c. As Werner may be classed among catastrophic 
geologists, so Ilutton may be called a uniformitarian. He advo- 
cated the view that the present state of things was the outcome 
of a former one and that the facts of geology require for their 
explanation a vast series of years. *'I can find," said he, "no 
traces of a beginning, no prospect of an end." The teachings 
of Hutton w,ere the first to bring distinctly before geologists 
this now fundamental article of their faith — the immense length 
of geologic time. Many recoiled, appalled at the spectre that 
was slowly taking shape before them. The new doctrine 
served as a touchstone to sever the courageous and unflinching 
followers of reason from the crowd that could not or would not 
see the force of the evidence. The disciples of Hutton were 
few; those of Werner were m^any. Neptunism was fashiona- 
ble. Above all, the aqueous doctrine was orthodox while the 
igneous doctrine was heterodox. With the multitude this de- 
termined the choice. 
We are ready to laugh in these days at the wide prevalence 
of a doctrine that had absolutely no foundation save the elo- 
quence of its founder, but a little thought will show us that the 
eame state of things has occurred many times over in the history 
•f science. It was, however, no laughable matter in those days. 
So high did the feeling run that Lyell in writing on the sub- 
ject says, " The heretical Vulcanists were soon after assailed in 
England by imputations of the most illiberal kind. It was per- 
haps better for a man's good reception in society that his moral 
character should have been traduced than that he should become 
a mark for these poisoned weapons — charges of infidelity and 
atheism."' 
' Principles, p. 55, 1853. 
