y of divine beneficence would organic nature have afforded, if
all, or even some, species had been so inter-related as to minister to
each other's necessities. Organic species might then have been likened
to a countless multitude of voices all singing in one harmonious psalm
of praise. But, as it is, we see no vestige of such co-ordination;
every species is for itself, and for itself alone--an outcome of the
always and everywhere fiercely raging struggle for life.

Such, then, is a sketch of the evidence in favour of organic evolution.
Of course in such a meagre outline it has not been possible to do
justice to that evidence, which should be studied in detail rather than
looked at in such a bird's-eye view as I have presented. Nevertheless,
enough, I hope, has been said to convince all reasonable persons, that
any longer to withhold assent from so vast a body of evidence is a
token, not of intellectual prudence, but of intellectual incapacity.
With Professor Huxley, therefore, I exclaim,--"Choose your hypothesis; I
have chosen mine," and "I refuse to run the risk of insulting any sane
man by supposing that he seriously holds such a notion" as that of
special creation. These words, I submit, are not in the least too
strong; for if any man can study the many and important lines of
evidence all converging on the central truth that evolution has been the
law of organic nature, and still fail to perceive the certainty of that
truth, then I say that that man--either on account of his prejudices, or
from his inability to estimate the value of evidence--must properly be
regarded as a weak-minded man. Or, to state the case in another way, if
such a man were to say to me,--Notwithstanding all your lines of
evidence, I still believe in special design manifested in creation; I
should reply,--And in this I fully agree with you; for if,
notwithstanding these numerous and important lines of evidence, the
theory which they substantiate is false, then to my mind we have the
best conceivable evidence of very special design having been manifested
in creation--the special design, namely, to deceive mankind by an
elaborate, detailed, and systematic fraud. For, if the theory of
special creation is true, I hold that as no one fact can be adduced in
its favour, whilst so vast a body of facts can be adduced against it,
the only possible explanation of so extraordinary a circumstance is that
of a mendacious intelligence of superhuman power carefu