EVOLUTION MADE PLAIN 39 
First Monday 6,000 years ago and the evening 
twilight the following Saturday. 
Scientists do not claim that life on this earth 
began by accident, or that anything “just hap¬ 
pens.” On the contrary, it is owing to science 
that a belief in accidents and chance in the 
material world has been banished from think¬ 
ing minds. It is true that a great majority of 
the people still believe in chance in the psychic • 
world; such as, a certain individual prompted 
by certain motives, and acting in accord with 
his nature under certain conditions, did a cer¬ 
tain thing, when the same individual prompted 
by the same motives could have done other¬ 
wise—that is to say, the same causes acting 
under the same conditions can produce effects 
of various kinds, either good acts or bad acts. 
But science will finally force the world to 
accept the whole truth—that mind is as 
much subject to law as is matter; that the 
thoughts, desires, deeds of men are shaped by 
law. 
Scientists are trying to teach us to exercise 
our powers of reason, to form our own opinions 
from the evidence, not passively to accept opin¬ 
ions on authority. Their method is the direct 
opposite of that of the orthodox theologians. 
The latter wish us to regard authority, in 
matters of religion especially, as superior to 
reason. No, Mr. Opponent, I don’t wish any¬ 
one to forsake his old belief and accept mine 
on my authority—or that of anyone else. Let 
reason and evidence be the only authority. 
To win converts to evolution is not my only 
object in discussing the subject. What is quite 
as important (and, frankly, to me as enjoy- 
