diff options
| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:19:33 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:19:33 -0700 |
| commit | 5127fcddfd20f700e70b773a450cf420f0af8d7b (patch) | |
| tree | c7a30090d86167a0d433d8e655831533b25a335e /2631-h | |
Diffstat (limited to '2631-h')
| -rw-r--r-- | 2631-h/2631-h.htm | 1605 |
1 files changed, 1605 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/2631-h/2631-h.htm b/2631-h/2631-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7d71b7d --- /dev/null +++ b/2631-h/2631-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1605 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Mr. Gladstone and Genesis, by Thomas Henry Huxley + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +Project Gutenberg's Mr. Gladstone and Genesis, by Thomas Henry Huxley + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Mr. Gladstone and Genesis + Essay #5 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" + +Author: Thomas Henry Huxley + +Release Date: December 3, 2008 [EBook #2631] +Last Updated: January 23, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. GLADSTONE AND GENESIS *** + + + + +Produced by D.R. Thompson, and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + MR. GLADSTONE AND GENESIS + </h1> + <h3> + ESSAY #5 FROM "SCIENCE AND HEBREW TRADITION" + </h3> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Thomas Henry Huxley + </h2> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <table summary="" border="3" cellpadding="4"> + <tbody> + <tr> + <td> + <a + href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2630/2630-h/2630-h.htm">Previous + Volume</a> + </td> + </tr> + </tbody> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h3> + Contents + </h3> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> NOTE ON THE PROPER SENSE OF THE "MOSAIC" + NARRATIVE OF THE CREATION. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_FOOT"> FOOTNOTES </a> + </p> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <p> + In controversy, as in courtship, the good old rule to be off with the old + before one is on with the new, greatly commends itself to my sense of + expediency. And, therefore, it appears to me desirable that I should + preface such observations as I may have to offer upon the cloud of + arguments (the relevancy of which to the issue which I had ventured to + raise is not always obvious) put forth by Mr. Gladstone in the January + number of this review, <a href="#linknote-1" name="linknoteref-1" + id="linknoteref-1"><small>1</small></a> by an endeavour to make clear to + such of our readers as have not had the advantage of a forensic education + the present net result of the discussion. + </p> + <p> + I am quite aware that, in undertaking this task, I run all the risks to + which the man who presumes to deal judicially with his own cause is + liable. But it is exactly because I do not shun that risk, but, rather, + earnestly desire to be judged by him who cometh after me, provided that he + has the knowledge and impartiality appropriate to a judge, that I adopt my + present course. + </p> + <p> + In the article on "The Dawn of Creation and Worship," it will be + remembered that Mr. Gladstone unreservedly commits himself to three + propositions. The first is that, according to the writer of the + Pentateuch, the "water-population," the "air-population," and the + "land-population" of the globe were created successively, in the order + named. In the second place, Mr. Gladstone authoritatively asserts that + this (as part of his "fourfold order") has been "so affirmed in our time + by natural science, that it may be taken as a demonstrated conclusion and + established fact." In the third place, Mr. Gladstone argues that the fact + of this coincidence of the pentateuchal story with the results of modern + investigation makes it "impossible to avoid the conclusion, first, that + either this writer was gifted with faculties passing all human experience, + or else his knowledge was divine." And having settled to his own + satisfaction that the first "branch of the alternative is truly nominal + and unreal," Mr. Gladstone continues, "So stands the plea for a revelation + of truth from God, a plea only to be met by questioning its possibility" + (p. 697). + </p> + <p> + I am a simple-minded person, wholly devoid of subtlety of intellect, so + that I willingly admit that there may be depths of alternative meaning in + these propositions out of all soundings attainable by my poor plummet. + Still there are a good many people who suffer under a like intellectual + limitation; and, for once in my life, I feel that I have the chance of + attaining that position of a representative of average opinion which + appears to be the modern ideal of a leader of men, when I make free + confession that, after turning the matter over in my mind, with all the + aid derived from a careful consideration of Mr. Gladstone's reply, I + cannot get away from my original conviction that, if Mr. Gladstone's + second proposition can be shown to be not merely inaccurate, but directly + contradictory of facts known to every one who is acquainted with the + elements of natural science, the third proposition collapses of itself. + </p> + <p> + And it was this conviction which led me to enter upon the present + discussion. I fancied that if my respected clients, the people of average + opinion and capacity, could once be got distinctly to conceive that Mr. + Gladstone's views as to the proper method of dealing with grave and + difficult scientific and religious problems had permitted him to base a + solemn "plea for a revelation of truth from God" upon an error as to a + matter of fact, from which the intelligent perusal of a manual of + palaeontology would have saved him, I need not trouble myself to occupy + their time and attention with further comments upon his contribution to + apologetic literature. It is for others to judge whether I have + efficiently carried out my project or not. It certainly does not count for + much that I should be unable to find any flaw in my own case, but I think + it counts for a good deal that Mr. Gladstone appears to have been equally + unable to do so. He does, indeed, make a great parade of authorities, and + I have the greatest respect for those authorities whom Mr. Gladstone + mentions. If he will get them to sign a joint memorial to the effect that + our present palaeontological evidence proves that birds appeared before + the "land-population" of terrestrial reptiles, I shall think it my duty to + reconsider my position—but not till then. + </p> + <p> + It will be observed that I have cautiously used the word "appears" in + referring to what seems to me to be absence of any real answer to my + criticisms in Mr. Gladstone's reply. For I must honestly confess that, + notwithstanding long and painful strivings after clear insight, I am still + uncertain whether Mr. Gladstone's "Defence" means that the great "plea for + a revelation from God" is to be left to perish in the dialectic desert; or + whether it is to be withdrawn under the protection of such skirmishers as + are available for covering retreat. + </p> + <p> + In particular, the remarkable disquisition which covers pages 11 to 14 of + Mr. Gladstone's last contribution has greatly exercised my mind. Socrates + is reported to have said of the works of Heraclitus that he who attempted + to comprehend them should be a "Delian swimmer," but that, for his part, + what he could understand was so good that he was disposed to believe in + the excellence of that which he found unintelligible. In endeavouring to + make myself master of Mr. Gladstone's meaning in these pages, I have often + been overcome by a feeling analogous to that of Socrates, but not quite + the same. That which I do understand has appeared to me so very much the + reverse of good, that I have sometimes permitted myself to doubt the value + of that which I do not understand. + </p> + <p> + In this part of Mr. Gladstone's reply, in fact, I find nothing of which + the bearing upon my arguments is clear to me, except that which relates to + the question whether reptiles, so far as they are represented by tortoises + and the great majority of lizards and snakes, which are land animals, are + creeping things in the sense of the pentateuchal writer or not. + </p> + <p> + I have every respect for the singer of the Song of the Three Children + (whoever he may have been); I desire to cast no shadow of doubt upon, but, + on the contrary, marvel at, the exactness of Mr. Gladstone's information + as to the considerations which "affected the method of the Mosaic writer"; + nor do I venture to doubt that the inconvenient intrusion of these + contemptible reptiles—"a family fallen from greatness" (p. 14), a + miserable decayed aristocracy reduced to mere "skulkers about the earth" (<i>ibid.</i>)—in + consequence, apparently, of difficulties about the occupation of land + arising out of the earth-hunger of their former serfs, the mammals—into + an apologetic argument, which otherwise would run quite smoothly, is in + every way to be deprecated. Still, the wretched creatures stand there, + importunately demanding notice; and, however different may be the practice + in that contentious atmosphere with which Mr. Gladstone expresses and + laments his familiarity, in the atmosphere of science it really is of no + avail whatever to shut one's eyes to facts, or to try to bury them out of + sight under a tumulus of rhetoric. That is my experience of the "Elysian + regions of Science," wherein it is a pleasure to me to think that a man of + Mr. Gladstone's intimate knowledge of English life, during the last + quarter of a century, believes my philosophic existence to have been + rounded off in unbroken equanimity. + </p> + <p> + However reprehensible, and indeed contemptible, terrestrial reptiles may + be, the only question which appears to me to be relevant to my argument is + whether these creatures are or are not comprised under the denomination of + "everything that creepeth upon the ground." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Gladstone speaks of the author of the first chapter of Genesis as "the + Mosaic writer"; I suppose, therefore, that he will admit that it is + equally proper to speak of the author of Leviticus as the "Mosaic writer." + Whether such a phrase would be used by any one who had an adequate + conception of the assured results of modern Biblical criticism is another + matter; but, at any rate, it cannot be denied that Leviticus has as much + claim to Mosaic authorship as Genesis. Therefore, if one wants to know the + sense of a phrase used in Genesis, it will be well to see what Leviticus + has to say on the matter. Hence, I commend the following extract from the + eleventh chapter of Leviticus to Mr. Gladstone's serious attention:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + And these are they which are unclean unto you among the creeping + things that creep upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and + the great lizard after its kind, and the gecko, and the land + crocodile, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon. These are + they which are unclean to you among all that creep (v. 29-3l). +</pre> + <p> + The merest Sunday-school exegesis therefore suffices to prove that when + the "Mosaic writer" in Genesis i. 24 speaks of "creeping things," he means + to include lizards among them. + </p> + <p> + This being so, it is agreed, on all hands, that terrestrial lizards, and + other reptiles allied to lizards, occur in the Permian strata. It is + further agreed that the Triassic strata were deposited after these. + Moreover, it is well known that, even if certain footprints are to be + taken as unquestionable evidence of the existence of birds, they are not + known to occur in rocks earlier than the Trias, while indubitable remains + of birds are to be met with only much later. Hence it follows that natural + science does not "affirm" the statement that birds were made on the fifth + day, and "everything that creepeth on the ground" on the sixth, on which + Mr. Gladstone rests his order; for, as is shown by Leviticus, the "Mosaic + writer" includes lizards among his "creeping things." + </p> + <p> + Perhaps I have given myself superfluous trouble in the preceding argument, + for I find that Mr. Gladstone is willing to assume (he does not say to + admit) that the statement in the text of Genesis as to reptiles cannot "in + all points be sustained" (p. 16). But my position is that it cannot be + sustained in any point, so that, after all, it has perhaps been as well to + go over the evidence again. And then Mr. Gladstone proceeds as if nothing + had happened to tell us that— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + There remain great unshaken facts to be weighed. First, the fact + that such a record should have been made at all. +</pre> + <p> + As most peoples have their cosmogonies, this "fact" does not strike me as + having much value. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Secondly, the fact that, instead of dwelling in generalities, it + has placed itself under the severe conditions of a chronological + order reaching from the first <i>nisus</i> of chaotic matter to + the consummated production of a fair and goodly, a furnished and + a peopled world. +</pre> + <p> + This "fact" can be regarded as of value only by ignoring the fact + demonstrated in my previous paper, that natural science does not confirm + the order asserted so far as living things are concerned; and by upsetting + a fact to be brought to light presently, to wit, that, in regard to the + rest of the pentateuchal cosmogony, prudent science has very little to say + one way or the other. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Thirdly, the fact that its cosmogony seems, in the light of the + nineteenth century, to draw more and more of countenance from + the best natural philosophy. +</pre> + <p> + I have already questioned the accuracy of this statement, and I do not + observe that mere repetition adds to its value. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + And, fourthly, that it has described the successive origins of + the five great categories of present life with which human + experience was and is conversant, in that order which geological + authority confirms. +</pre> + <p> + By comparison with a sentence on page 14, in which a fivefold order is + substituted for the "fourfold order," on which the "plea for revelation" + was originally founded, it appears that these five categories are "plants, + fishes, birds, mammals, and man," which, Mr. Gladstone affirms, "are given + to us in Genesis in the order of succession in which they are also given + by the latest geological authorities." + </p> + <p> + I must venture to demur to this statement. I showed, in my previous paper, + that there is no reason to doubt that the term "great sea monster" (used + in Gen. i. 21) includes the most conspicuous of great sea animals—namely, + whales, dolphins, porpoises, manatees, and dugongs; <a href="#linknote-2" + name="linknoteref-2" id="linknoteref-2"><small>2</small></a> and, as these + are indubitable mammals, it is impossible to affirm that mammals come + after birds, which are said to have been created on the same day. + Moreover, I pointed out that as these Cetacea and Sirenia are certainly + modified land animals, their existence implies the antecedent existence of + land mammals. + </p> + <p> + Furthermore, I have to remark that the term "fishes," as used, + technically, in zoology, by no means covers all the moving creatures that + have life, which are bidden to "fill the waters in the seas" (Gen. i. + 20-22.) Marine mollusks and crustacea, echinoderms, corals, and + foraminifera are not technically fishes. But they are abundant in the + palaeozoic rocks, ages upon ages older than those in which the first + evidences of true fishes appear. And if, in a geological book, Mr. + Gladstone finds the quite true statement that plants appeared before + fishes, it is only by a complete misunderstanding that he can be led to + imagine it serves his purpose. As a matter of fact, at the present moment, + it is a question whether, on the bare evidence afforded by fossils, the + marine creeping thing or the marine plant has the seniority. No cautious + palaeontologist would express a decided opinion on the matter. But, if we + are to read the pentateuchal statement as a scientific document (and, in + spite of all protests to the contrary, those who bring it into comparison + with science do seek to make a scientific document of it), then, as it is + quite clear that only terrestrial plants of high organisation are spoken + of in verses 11 and 12, no palaeontologist would hesitate to say that, at + present, the records of sea animal life are vastly older than those of any + land plant describable as "grass, herb yielding seed or fruit tree." + </p> + <p> + Thus, although, in Mr. Gladstone's "Defence," the "old order passeth into + new," his case is not improved. The fivefold order is no more "affirmed in + our time by natural science" to be "a demonstrated conclusion and + established fact" than the fourfold order was. Natural science appears to + me to decline to have anything to do with either; they are as wrong in + detail as they are mistaken in principle. + </p> + <p> + There is another change of position, the value of which is not so apparent + to me, as it may well seem to be to those who are unfamiliar with the + subject under discussion. Mr. Gladstone discards his three groups of + "water-population," "air-population," and "land-population," and + substitutes for them (1) fishes, (2) birds, (3) mammals, (4) man. + Moreover, it is assumed, in a note, that "the higher or ordinary mammals" + alone were known to the "Mosaic writer" (p. 6). No doubt it looks, at + first, as if something were gained by this alteration; for, as I have just + pointed out, the word "fishes" can be used in two senses, one of which has + a deceptive appearance of adjustability to the "Mosaic" account. Then the + inconvenient reptiles are banished out of sight; and, finally, the + question of the exact meaning of "higher" and "ordinary" in the case of + mammals opens up the prospect of a hopeful logomachy. But what is the good + of it all in the face of Leviticus on the one hand and of palaeontology on + the other? + </p> + <p> + As, in my apprehension, there is not a shadow of justification for the + suggestion that when the pentateuchal writer says "fowl" he excludes bats + (which, as we shall see directly, are expressly included under "fowl" in + Leviticus), and as I have already shown that he demonstrably includes + reptiles, as well as mammals, among the creeping things of the land, I may + be permitted to spare my readers further discussion of the "fivefold + order." On the whole, it is seen to be rather more inconsistent with + Genesis than its fourfold predecessor. + </p> + <p> + But I have yet a fresh order to face. Mr. Gladstone (p. 11) understands + "the main statements of Genesis" in successive order of time, but without + any measurement of its divisions, to be as follows:— + </p> + <p> + 1. A period of land, anterior to all life (v. 9, 10). 2. A period of + vegetable life, anterior to animal life (v. 11, 12). 3. A period of animal + life, in the order of fishes (v. 20). 4. Another stage of animal life, in + the order of birds. 5. Another in the order of beasts (v. 24, 25). 6. Last + of all, man (v. 26, 27). + </p> + <p> + Mr. Gladstone then tries to find the proof of the occurrence of a similar + succession in sundry excellent works on geology. + </p> + <p> + I am really grieved to be obliged to say that this third (or is it + fourth?) modification of the foundation of the "plea for revelation" + originally set forth, satisfies me as little as any of its predecessors. + </p> + <p> + For, in the first place, I cannot accept the assertion that this order is + to be found in Genesis. With respect to No. 5, for example, I hold, as I + have already said, that "great sea monsters" includes the Cetacea, in + which case mammals (which is what, I suppose, Mr. Gladstone means by + "beasts") come in under head No. 3, and not under No. 5. Again, "fowl" are + said in Genesis to be created on the same day as fishes; therefore I + cannot accept an order which makes birds succeed fishes. Once more, as it + is quite certain that the term "fowl" includes the bats,—for in + Leviticus xi. 13-19 we read, "And these shall ye have in abomination among + the fowls... the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat,"—it + is obvious that bats are also said to have been created at stage No. 3. + And as bats are mammals, and their existence obviously presupposes that of + terrestrial "beasts," it is quite clear that the latter could not have + first appeared as No. 5. I need not repeat my reasons for doubting whether + man came "last of all." + </p> + <p> + As the latter half of Mr. Gladstone's sixfold order thus shows itself to + be wholly unauthorised by, and inconsistent with, the plain language of + the Pentateuch, I might decline to discuss the admissibility of its former + half. + </p> + <p> + But I will add one or two remarks on this point also. Does Mr. Gladstone + mean to say that in any of the works he has cited, or indeed anywhere + else, he can find scientific warranty for the assertion that there was a + period of land—by which I suppose he means dry land (for submerged + land must needs be as old as the separate existence of the sea)—"anterior + to all life?" + </p> + <p> + It may be so, or it may not be so; but where is the evidence which would + justify any one in making a positive assertion on the subject? What + competent palaeontologist will affirm, at this present moment, that he + knows anything about the period at which life originated, or will assert + more than the extreme probability that such origin was a long way + antecedent to any traces of life at present known? What physical geologist + will affirm that he knows when dry land began to exist, or will say more + than that it was probably very much earlier than any extant direct + evidence of terrestrial conditions indicates? + </p> + <p> + I think I know pretty well the answers which the authorities quoted by Mr. + Gladstone would give to these questions; but I leave it to them to give + them if they think fit. + </p> + <p> + If I ventured to speculate on the matter at all, I should say it is by no + means certain that sea is older than dry land, inasmuch as a solid + terrestrial surface may very well have existed before the earth was cool + enough to allow of the existence of fluid water. And, in this case, dry + land may have existed before the sea. As to the first appearance of life, + the whole argument of analogy, whatever it may be worth in such a case, is + in favour of the absence of living beings until long after the hot water + seas had constituted themselves; and of the subsequent appearance of + aquatic before terrestrial forms of life. But whether these "protoplasts" + would, if we could examine them, be reckoned among the lowest microscopic + algae, or fungi; or among those doubtful organisms which lie in the + debatable land between animals and plants, is, in my judgment, a question + on which a prudent biologist will reserve his opinion. + </p> + <p> + I think that I have now disposed of those parts of Mr. Gladstone's defence + in which I seem to discover a design to rescue his solemn "plea for + revelation." But a great deal of the "Proem to Genesis" remains which I + would gladly pass over in silence, were such a course consistent with the + respect due to so distinguished a champion of the "reconcilers." + </p> + <p> + I hope that my clients—the people of average opinions—have by + this time some confidence in me; for when I tell them that, after all, Mr. + Gladstone is of opinion that the "Mosaic record" was meant to give moral, + and not scientific, instruction to those for whom it was written, they may + be disposed to think that I must be misleading them. But let them listen + further to what Mr. Gladstone says in a compendious but not exactly + correct statement respecting my opinions:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + He holds the writer responsible for scientific precision: I look + for nothing of the kind, but assign to him a statement general, + which admits exceptions; popular, which aims mainly at producing + moral impression; summary, which cannot but be open to more or + less of criticism of detail. He thinks it is a lecture. I think + it is a sermon. (p. 5). +</pre> + <p> + I note, incidentally, that Mr. Gladstone appears to consider that the <i>differentia</i> + between a lecture and a sermon is, that the former, so far as it deals + with matters of fact, may be taken seriously, as meaning exactly what it + says, while a sermon may not. I have quite enough on my hands without + taking up the cudgels for the clergy, who will probably find Mr. + Gladstone's definition unflattering. + </p> + <p> + But I am diverging from my proper business, which is to say that I have + given no ground for the ascription of these opinions; and that, as a + matter of fact, I do not hold them and never have held them. It is Mr. + Gladstone, and not I, who will have it that the pentateuchal cosmogony is + to be taken as science. + </p> + <p> + My belief, on the contrary, is, and long has been, that the pentateuchal + story of the creation is simply a myth. I suppose it to be an hypothesis + respecting the origin of the universe which some ancient thinker found + himself able to reconcile with his knowledge, or what he thought was + knowledge, of the nature of things, and therefore assumed to be true. As + such, I hold it to be not merely an interesting, but a venerable, monument + of a stage in the mental progress of mankind; and I find it difficult to + suppose that any one who is acquainted with the cosmogonies of other + nations—and especially with those of the Egyptians and the + Babylonians, with whom the Israelites were in such frequent and intimate + communication—should consider it to possess either more, or less, + scientific importance than may be allotted to these. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Gladstone's definition of a sermon permits me to suspect that he may + not see much difference between that form of discourse and what I call a + myth; and I hope it may be something more than the slowness of + apprehension, to which I have confessed, which leads me to imagine that a + statement which is "general" but "admits exceptions," which is "popular" + and "aims mainly at producing moral impression," "summary" and therefore + open to "criticism of detail," amounts to a myth, or perhaps less than a + myth. Put algebraically, it comes to this, <i>x=a+b+c</i>; always + remembering that there is nothing to show the exact value of either <i>a,</i> + or <i>b,</i> or <i>c.</i> It is true that <i>a</i> is commonly supposed to + equal 10, but there are exceptions, and these may reduce it to 8, or 3, or + 0; <i>b</i> also popularly means 10, but being chiefly used by the + algebraist as a "moral" value, you cannot do much with it in the addition + or subtraction of mathematical values; <i>c</i> also is quite "summary," + and if you go into the details of which it is made up, many of them may be + wrong, and their sum total equal to 0, or even to a minus quantity. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Gladstone appears to wish that I should (1) enter upon a sort of essay + competition with the author of the pentateuchal cosmogony; (2) that I + should make a further statement about some elementary facts in the history + of Indian and Greek philosophy; and (3) that I should show cause for my + hesitation in accepting the assertion that Genesis is supported, at any + rate to the extent of the first two verses, by the nebular hypothesis. + </p> + <p> + A certain sense of humour prevents me from accepting the first invitation. + I would as soon attempt to put Hamlet's soliloquy into a more scientific + shape. But if I supposed the "Mosaic writer" to be inspired, as Mr. + Gladstone does, it would not be consistent with my notions of respect for + the Supreme Being to imagine Him unable to frame a form of words which + should accurately, or, at least, not inaccurately, express His own + meaning. It is sometimes said that, had the statements contained in the + first chapter of Genesis been scientifically true, they would have been + unintelligible to ignorant people; but how is the matter mended if, being + scientifically untrue, they must needs be rejected by instructed people? + </p> + <p> + With respect to the second suggestion, it would be presumptuous in me to + pretend to instruct Mr. Gladstone in matters which lie as much within the + province of Literature and History as in that of Science; but if any one + desirous of further knowledge will be so good as to turn to that most + excellent and by no means recondite source of information, the + "Encyclopaedia Britannica," he will find, under the letter E, the word + "Evolution," and a long article on that subject. Now, I do not recommend + him to read the first half of the article; but the second half, by my + friend Mr. Sully, is really very good. He will there find it said that in + some of the philosophies of ancient India, the idea of evolution is + clearly expressed: "Brahma is conceived as the eternal self-existent + being, which, on its material side, unfolds itself to the world by + gradually condensing itself to material objects through the gradations of + ether, fire, water, earth, and other elements." And again: "In the later + system of emanation of Sankhya there is a more marked approach to a + materialistic doctrine of evolution." What little knowledge I have of the + matter—chiefly derived from that very instructive book, "Die + Religion des Buddha," by C. F. Koeppen, supplemented by Hardy's + interesting works—leads me to think that Mr. Sully might have spoken + much more strongly as to the evolutionary character of Indian philosophy, + and especially of that of the Buddhists. But the question is too large to + be dealt with incidentally. + </p> + <p> + And, with respect to early Greek philosophy, <a href="#linknote-3" + name="linknoteref-3" id="linknoteref-3"><small>3</small></a> the seeker + after additional enlightenment need go no further than the same excellent + storehouse of information:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + The early Ionian physicists, including Thales, + Anaximander, and Anaximenes, seek to explain the world as + generated out of a primordial matter which is at the same time + the universal support of things. This substance is endowed with + a generative or transmutative force by virtue of which it passes + into a succession of forms. They thus resemble modern + evolutionists since they regard the world, with its infinite + variety of forms, as issuing from a simple mode of matter. +</pre> + <p> + Further on, Mr. Sully remarks that "Heraclitus deserves a prominent place + in the history of the idea of evolution," and he states, with perfect + justice, that Heraclitus has foreshadowed some of the special + peculiarities of Mr. Darwin's views. It is indeed a very strange + circumstance that the philosophy of the great Ephesian more than + adumbrates the two doctrines which have played leading parts, the one in + the development of Christian dogma, the other in that of natural science. + The former is the conception of the Word {Greek text}[logos] which took + its Jewish shape in Alexandria, and its Christian form <a + href="#linknote-4" name="linknoteref-4" id="linknoteref-4"><small>4</small></a> + in that Gospel which is usually referred to an Ephesian source of some + five centuries later date; and the latter is that of the struggle for + existence. The saying that "strife is father and king of all" {Greek + text}[...], ascribed to Heraclitus, would be a not inappropriate motto for + the "Origin of Species." + </p> + <p> + I have referred only to Mr. Sully's article, because his authority is + quite sufficient for my purpose. But the consultation of any of the more + elaborate histories of Greek philosophy, such as the great work of Zeller, + for example, will only bring out the same fact into still more striking + prominence. I have professed no "minute acquaintance" with either Indian + or Greek philosophy, but I have taken a great deal of pains to secure that + such knowledge as I do possess shall be accurate and trustworthy. + </p> + <p> + In the third place, Mr. Gladstone appears to wish that I should discuss + with him the question whether the nebular hypothesis is, or is not, + confirmatory of the pentateuchal account of the origin of things. Mr. + Gladstone appears to be prepared to enter upon this campaign with a light + heart. I confess I am not, and my reason for this backwardness will + doubtless surprise Mr. Gladstone. It is that, rather more than a quarter + of a century ago (namely, in February 1859), when it was my duty, as + President of the Geological Society, to deliver the Anniversary Address, + <a href="#linknote-5" name="linknoteref-5" id="linknoteref-5"><small>5</small></a> + I chose a topic which involved a very careful study of the remarkable + cosmogonical speculation, originally promulgated by Immanuel Kant and, + subsequently, by Laplace, which is now known as the nebular hypothesis. + With the help of such little acquaintance with the principles of physics + and astronomy as I had gained, I endeavoured to obtain a clear + understanding of this speculation in all its bearings. I am not sure that + I succeeded; but of this I am certain, that the problems involved are very + difficult, even for those who possess the intellectual discipline + requisite for dealing with them. And it was this conviction that led me to + express my desire to leave the discussion of the question of the asserted + harmony between Genesis and the nebular hypothesis to experts in the + appropriate branches of knowledge. And I think my course was a wise one; + but as Mr. Gladstone evidently does not understand how there can be any + hesitation on my part, unless it arises from a conviction that he is in + the right, I may go so far as to set out my difficulties. + </p> + <p> + They are of two kinds—exegetical and scientific. It appears to me + that it is vain to discuss a supposed coincidence between Genesis and + science unless we have first settled, on the one hand, what Genesis says, + and, on the other hand, what science says. + </p> + <p> + In the first place, I cannot find any consensus among Biblical scholars as + to the meaning of the words, "In the beginning God created the heaven and + the earth." Some say that the Hebrew word <i>bara,</i> which is translated + "create," means "made out of nothing." I venture to object to that + rendering, not on the ground of scholarship, but of common sense. + Omnipotence itself can surely no more make something "out of" nothing than + it can make a triangular circle. What is intended by "made out of nothing" + appears to be "caused to come into existence," with the implication that + nothing of the same kind previously existed. It is further usually assumed + that "the heaven and the earth" means the material substance of the + universe. Hence the "Mosaic writer" is taken to imply that where nothing + of a material nature previously existed, this substance appeared. That is + perfectly conceivable, and therefore no one can deny that it may have + happened. But there are other very authoritative critics who say that the + ancient Israelite <a href="#linknote-6" name="linknoteref-6" + id="linknoteref-6"><small>6</small></a> who wrote the passage was not + likely to have been capable of such abstract thinking; and that, as a + matter of philology, <i>bara</i> is commonly used to signify the + "fashioning," or "forming," of that which already exists. Now it appears + to me that the scientific investigator is wholly incompetent to say + anything at all about the first origin of the material universe. The whole + power of his organon vanishes when he has to step beyond the chain of + natural causes and effects. No form of the nebular hypothesis, that I know + of, is necessarily connected with any view of the origination of the + nebular substance. Kant's form of it expressly supposes that the nebular + material from which one stellar system starts may be nothing but the + disintegrated substance of a stellar and planetary system which has just + come to an end. Therefore, so far as I can see, one who believes that + matter has existed from all eternity has just as much right to hold the + nebular hypothesis as one who believes that matter came into existence at + a specified epoch. In other words, the nebular hypothesis and the creation + hypothesis, up to this point, neither confirm nor oppose one another. + </p> + <p> + Next, we read in the revisers' version, in which I suppose the ultimate + results of critical scholarship to be embodied: "And the earth was waste + ['without form,' in the Authorised Version] and void." Most people seem to + think that this phraseology intends to imply that the matter out of which + the world was to be formed was a veritable "chaos," devoid of law and + order. If this interpretation is correct, the nebular hypothesis can have + nothing to say to it. The scientific thinker cannot admit the absence of + law and order; anywhere or anywhen, in nature. Sometimes law and order are + patent and visible to our limited vision; sometimes they are hidden. But + every particle of the matter of the most fantastic-looking nebula in the + heavens is a realm of law and order in itself; and, that it is so, is the + essential condition of the possibility of solar and planetary evolution + from the apparent chaos. <a href="#linknote-7" name="linknoteref-7" + id="linknoteref-7"><small>7</small></a> + </p> + <p> + "Waste" is too vague a term to be worth consideration. "Without form," + intelligible enough as a metaphor, if taken literally is absurd; for a + material thing existing in space must have a superficies, and if it has a + superficies it has a form. The wildest streaks of marestail clouds in the + sky, or the most irregular heavenly nebulae, have surely just as much form + as a geometrical tetrahedron; and as for "void," how can that be void + which is full of matter? As poetry, these lines are vivid and admirable; + as a scientific statement, which they must be taken to be if any one is + justified in comparing them with another scientific statement, they fail + to convey any intelligible conception to my mind. + </p> + <p> + The account proceeds: "And darkness was upon the face of the deep." So be + it; but where, then, is the likeness to the celestial nebulae, of the + existence of which we should know nothing unless they shone with a light + of their own? "And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." I + have met with no form of the nebular hypothesis which involves anything + analogous to this process. + </p> + <p> + I have said enough to explain some of the difficulties which arise in my + mind, when I try to ascertain whether there is any foundation for the + contention that the statements contained in the first two verses of + Genesis are supported by the nebular hypothesis. The result does not + appear to me to be exactly favourable to that contention. The nebular + hypothesis assumes the existence of matter, having definite properties, as + its foundation. Whether such matter was created a few thousand years ago, + or whether it has existed through an eternal series of metamorphoses of + which our present universe is only the last stage, are alternatives, + neither of which is scientifically untenable, and neither scientifically + demonstrable. But science knows nothing of any stage in which the universe + could be said, in other than a metaphorical and popular sense, to be + formless or empty; or in any respect less the seat of law and order than + it is now. One might as well talk of a fresh-laid hen's egg being "without + form and void," because the chick therein is potential and not actual, as + apply such terms to the nebulous mass which contains a potential solar + system. + </p> + <p> + Until some further enlightenment comes to me, then, I confess myself + wholly unable to understand the way in which the nebular hypothesis is to + be converted into an ally of the "Mosaic writer." <a href="#linknote-8" + name="linknoteref-8" id="linknoteref-8"><small>8</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But Mr. Gladstone informs us that Professor Dana and Professor Guyot are + prepared to prove that the "first or cosmogonical portion of the Proem not + only accords with, but teaches, the nebular hypothesis." There is no one + to whose authority on geological questions I am more readily disposed to + bow than that of my eminent friend Professor Dana. But I am familiar with + what he has previously said on this topic in his well-known and standard + work, into which, strangely enough, it does not seem to have occurred to + Mr. Gladstone to look before he set out upon his present undertaking; and + unless Professor Dana's latest contribution (which I have not yet met + with) takes up altogether new ground, I am afraid I shall not be able to + extricate myself, by its help, from my present difficulties. + </p> + <p> + It is a very long time since I began to think about the relations between + modern scientifically ascertained truths and the cosmogonical speculations + of the writer of Genesis; and, as I think that Mr. Gladstone might have + been able to put his case with a good deal more force, if he had thought + it worth while to consult the last chapter of Professor Dana's admirable + "Manual of Geology," so I think he might have been made aware that he was + undertaking an enterprise of which he had not counted the cost, if he had + chanced upon a discussion of the subject which I published in 1877. <a + href="#linknote-9" name="linknoteref-9" id="linknoteref-9"><small>9</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Finally, I should like to draw the attention of those who take interest in + these topics to the weighty words of one of the most learned and moderate + of Biblical critics: <a href="#linknote-10" name="linknoteref-10" + id="linknoteref-10"><small>10</small></a>— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "A propos de cette premiere page de la Bible, on a coutume de + nos jours de disserter, a perte de vue, sur l'accord du recit + mosaique avec les sciences naturelles; et comme celles-ci tout + eloignees qu'elles sont encore de la perfection absolue, ont + rendu populaires et en quelque sorte irrefragables un certain + nombre de faits generaux ou de theses fondamentales de la + cosmologie et de la geologie, c'est le texte sacre qu'on + s'evertue a torturer pour le faire concorder avec + ces donnees." +</pre> + <p> + In my paper on the "Interpreters of Nature and the Interpreters of + Genesis," while freely availing myself of the rights of a scientific + critic, I endeavoured to keep the expression of my views well within those + bounds of courtesy which are set by self-respect and consideration for + others. I am therefore glad to be favoured with Mr. Gladstone's + acknowledgment of the success of my efforts. I only wish that I could + accept all the products of Mr. Gladstone's gracious appreciation, but + there is one about which, as a matter of honesty, I hesitate. In fact, if + I had expressed my meaning better than I seem to have done, I doubt if the + particular proffer of Mr. Gladstone's thanks would have been made. + </p> + <p> + To my mind, whatever doctrine professes to be the result of the + application of the accepted rules of inductive and deductive logic to its + subject-matter; and which accepts, within the limits which it sets to + itself, the supremacy of reason, is Science. Whether the subject-matter + consists of realities or unrealities, truths or falsehoods, is quite + another question. I conceive that ordinary geometry is science, by reason + of its method, and I also believe that its axioms, definitions, and + conclusions are all true. However, there is a geometry of four dimensions, + which I also believe to be science, because its method professes to be + strictly scientific. It is true that I cannot conceive four dimensions in + space, and therefore, for me, the whole affair is unreal. But I have known + men of great intellectual powers who seemed to have no difficulty either + in conceiving them, or, at any rate, in imagining how they could conceive + them; and, therefore, four-dimensioned geometry comes under my notion of + science. So I think astrology is a science, in so far as it professes to + reason logically from principles established by just inductive methods. To + prevent misunderstanding, perhaps I had better add that I do not believe + one whit in astrology; but no more do I believe in Ptolemaic astronomy, or + in the catastrophic geology of my youth, although these, in their day, + claimed—and, to my mind, rightly claimed—the name of science. + If nothing is to be called science but that which is exactly true from + beginning to end, I am afraid there is very little science in the world + outside mathematics. Among the physical sciences, I do not know that any + could claim more than that it is true within certain limits, so narrow + that, for the present at any rate, they may be neglected. If such is the + case, I do not see where the line is to be drawn between exactly true, + partially true, and mainly untrue forms of science. And what I have said + about the current theology at the end of my paper [<i>supra</i> pp. + 160-163] leaves, I think, no doubt as to the category in which I rank it. + For all that, I think it would be not only unjust, but almost impertinent, + to refuse the name of science to the "Summa" of St. Thomas or to the + "Institutes" of Calvin. + </p> + <p> + In conclusion, I confess that my supposed "unjaded appetite" for the sort + of controversy in which it needed not Mr. Gladstone's express declaration + to tell us he is far better practised than I am (though probably, without + another express declaration, no one would have suspected that his + controversial fires are burning low) is already satiated. + </p> + <p> + In "Elysium" we conduct scientific discussions in a different medium, and + we are liable to threatenings of asphyxia in that "atmosphere of + contention" in which Mr. Gladstone has been able to live, alert and + vigorous beyond the common race of men, as if it were purest mountain air. + I trust that he may long continue to seek truth, under the difficult + conditions he has chosen for the search, with unabated energy—I had + almost said fire— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + May age not wither him, nor custom stale + His infinite variety. +</pre> + <p> + But Elysium suits my less robust constitution better, and I beg leave to + retire thither, not sorry for my experience of the other region—no + one should regret experience—but determined not to repeat it, at any + rate in reference to the "plea for revelation." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + NOTE ON THE PROPER SENSE OF THE "MOSAIC" NARRATIVE OF THE CREATION. + </h2> + <p> + It has been objected to my argument from Leviticus (<i>suprà</i> p. 170) + that the Hebrew words translated by "creeping things" in Genesis i. 24 and + Leviticus xi. 29, are different; namely, "reh-mes" in the former, + "sheh-retz" in the latter. The obvious reply to this objection is that the + question is not one of words but of the meaning of words. To borrow an + illustration from our own language, if "crawling things" had been used by + the translators in Genesis and "creeping things" in Leviticus, it would + not have been necessarily implied that they intended to denote different + groups of animals. "Sheh-retz" is employed in a wider sense than + "reh-mes." There are "sheh-retz" of the waters of the earth, of the air, + and of the land. Leviticus speaks of land reptiles, among other animals, + as "sheh-retz"; Genesis speaks of all creeping land animals, among which + land reptiles are necessarily included, as "reh-mes." Our translators, + therefore, have given the true sense when they render both "sheh-retz" and + "reh-mes" by "creeping things." + </p> + <p> + Having taken a good deal of trouble to show what Genesis i.-ii. 4 does not + mean, in the preceding pages, perhaps it may be well that I should briefly + give my opinion as to what it does mean. I conceive that the unknown + author of this part of the Hexateuchal compilation believed, and meant his + readers to believe, that his words, as they understood them—that is + to say, in their ordinary natural sense—conveyed the "actual + historical truth." When he says that such and such things happened, I + believe him to mean that they actually occurred and not that he imagined + or dreamed them; when he says "day," I believe he uses the word in the + popular sense; when he says "made" or "created," I believe he means that + they came into being by a process analogous to that which the people whom + he addressed called "making" or "creating"; and I think that, unless we + forget our present knowledge of nature, and, putting ourselves back into + the position of a Phoenician or a Chaldaean philosopher, start from his + conception of the world, we shall fail to grasp the meaning of the Hebrew + writer. We must conceive the earth to be an immovable, more or less + flattened, body, with the vault of heaven above, the watery abyss below + and around. We must imagine sun, moon, and stars to be "set" in a + "firmament" with, or in, which they move; and above which is yet another + watery mass. We must consider "light" and "darkness" to be things, the + alternation of which constitutes day and night, independently of the + existence of sun, moon, and stars. We must further suppose that, as in the + case of the story of the deluge, the Hebrew writer was acquainted with a + Gentile (probably Chaldaean or Accadian) account of the origin of things, + in which he substantially believed, but which he stripped of all its + idolatrous associations by substituting "Elohim" for Ea, Anu, Bel, and the + like. + </p> + <p> + From this point of view the first verse strikes the keynote of the whole. + In the beginning "Elohim <a href="#linknote-11" name="linknoteref-11" + id="linknoteref-11"><small>11</small></a> created the heaven and the + earth." Heaven and earth were not primitive existences from which the gods + proceeded, as the Gentiles taught; on the contrary, the "Powers" preceded + and created heaven and earth. Whether by "creation" is meant "causing to + be where nothing was before" or "shaping of something which pre-existed," + seems to me to be an insoluble question. + </p> + <p> + As I have pointed out, the second verse has an interesting parallel in + Jeremiah iv. 23: "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and + the heavens, and they had no light." I conceive that there is no more + allusion to chaos in the one than in the other. The earth-disk lay in its + watery envelope, like the yolk of an egg in the <i>glaire,</i> and the + spirit, or breath, of Elohim stirred the mass. Light was created as a + thing by itself; and its antithesis "darkness" as another thing. It was + supposed to be the nature of these two to alternate, and a pair of + alternations constituted a "day" in the sense of an unit of time. + </p> + <p> + The next step was, necessarily, the formation of that "firmament," or dome + over the earth-disk, which was supposed to support the celestial waters; + and in which sun, moon, and stars were conceived to be set, as in a sort + of orrery. The earth was still surrounded and covered by the lower waters, + but the upper were separated from it by the "firmament," beneath which + what we call the air lay. A second alternation of darkness and light marks + the lapse of time. + </p> + <p> + After this, the waters which covered the earth-disk, under the firmament, + were drawn away into certain regions, which became seas, while the part + laid bare became dry land. In accordance with the notion, universally + accepted in antiquity, that moist earth possesses the potentiality of + giving rise to living beings, the land, at the command of Elohim, "put + forth" all sorts of plants. They are made to appear thus early, not, I + apprehend, from any notion that plants are lower in the scale of being + than animals (which would seem to be inconsistent with the prevalence of + tree worship among ancient people), but rather because animals obviously + depend on plants; and because, without crops and harvests, there seemed to + be no particular need of heavenly signs for the seasons. + </p> + <p> + These were provided by the fourth day's work. Light existed already; but + now vehicles for the distribution of light, in a special manner and with + varying degrees of intensity, were provided. I conceive that the previous + alternations of light and darkness were supposed to go on; but that the + "light" was strengthened during the daytime by the sun, which, as a source + of heat as well as of light, glided up the firmament from the east, and + slid down in the west, each day. Very probably each day's sun was supposed + to be a new one. And as the light of the day was strengthened by the sun, + so the darkness of the night was weakened by the moon, which regularly + waxed and waned every month. The stars are, as it were, thrown in. And + nothing can more sharply mark the doctrinal purpose of the author, than + the manner in which he deals with the heavenly bodies, which the Gentiles + identified so closely with their gods, as if they were mere accessories to + the almanac. + </p> + <p> + Animals come next in order of creation, and the general notion of the + writer seems to be that they were produced by the medium in which they + live; that is to say, the aquatic animals by the waters, and the + terrestrial animals by the land. But there was a difficulty about flying + things, such as bats, birds, and insects. The cosmogonist seems to have + had no conception of "air" as an elemental body. His "elements" are earth + and water, and he ignores air as much as he does fire. Birds "fly above + the earth in the open firmament" or "on the face of the expanse" of + heaven. They are not said to fly through the air. The choice of a + generative medium for flying things, therefore, seemed to lie between + water and earth; and, if we take into account the conspicuousness of the + great flocks of water-birds and the swarms of winged insects, which appear + to arise from water, I think the preference of water becomes intelligible. + However, I do not put this forward as more than a probable hypothesis. As + to the creation of aquatic animals on the fifth, that of land animals on + the sixth day, and that of man last of all, I presume the order was + determined by the fact that man could hardly receive dominion over the + living world before it existed; and that the "cattle" were not wanted + until he was about to make his appearance. The other terrestrial animals + would naturally be associated with the cattle. + </p> + <p> + The absurdity of imagining that any conception, analogous to that of a + zoological classification, was in the mind of the writer will be apparent, + when we consider that the fifth day's work must include the zoologist's <i>Cetacea, + Sirenia,</i> and seals, <a href="#linknote-12" name="linknoteref-12" + id="linknoteref-12"><small>12</small></a> all of which are <i>Mammalia;</i> + all birds, turtles, sea-snakes and, presumably, the fresh water <i>Reptilia</i> + and <i>Amphibia;</i> with the great majority of <i>Invertebrata.</i> + </p> + <p> + The creation of man is announced as a separate act, resulting from a + particular resolution of Elohim to "make man in our image, after our + likeness." To learn what this remarkable phrase means we must turn to the + fifth chapter of Genesis, the work of the same writer. "In the day that + Elohim created man, in the likeness of Elohim made he him; male and female + created he them; and blessed them and called their name Adam in the day + when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years and + begat <i>a son</i> in his own likeness, after his image; and called his + name Seth." I find it impossible to read this passage without being + convinced that, when the writer says Adam was made in the likeness of + Elohim, he means the same sort of likeness as when he says that Seth was + begotten in the likeness of Adam. Whence it follows that his conception of + Elohim was completely anthropomorphic. + </p> + <p> + In all this narrative I can discover nothing which differentiates it, in + principle, from other ancient cosmogonies, except the rejection of all + gods, save the vague, yet anthropomorphic, Elohim, and the assigning to + them anteriority and superiority to the world. It is as utterly + irreconcilable with the assured truths of modern science, as it is with + the account of the origin of man, plants, and animals given by the writer + of the second chief constituent of the Hexateuch in the second chapter of + Genesis. This extraordinary story starts with the assumption of the + existence of a rainless earth, devoid of plants and herbs of the field. + The creation of living beings begins with that of a solitary man; the next + thing that happens is the laying out of the Garden of Eden, and the + causing the growth from its soil of every tree "that is pleasant to the + sight and good for food"; the third act is the formation out of the ground + of "every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air"; the fourth and + last, the manufacture of the first woman from a rib, extracted from Adam, + while in a state of anaesthesia. + </p> + <p> + Yet there are people who not only profess to take this monstrous legend + seriously, but who declare it to be reconcilable with the Elohistic + account of the creation! + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_FOOT" id="link2H_FOOT"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FOOTNOTES: + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1" id="linknote-1"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1 (<a href="#linknoteref-1">return</a>)<br /> [ <i>The Nineteenth Century,</i> + 1886.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2" id="linknote-2"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2 (<a href="#linknoteref-2">return</a>)<br /> [ Both dolphins and dugongs + occur in the Red Sea, porpoises and dolphins in the Mediterranean; so that + the "Mosaic writer" may have been acquainted with them.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-3" id="linknote-3"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 3 (<a href="#linknoteref-3">return</a>)<br /> [ I said nothing about "the + greater number of schools of Greek philosophy," as Mr. Gladstone implies + that I did, but expressly spoke of the "founders of Greek philosophy."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-4" id="linknote-4"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 4 (<a href="#linknoteref-4">return</a>)<br /> [ See Heinze, <i>Die Lehre + vom Logos,</i> p. 9 <i>et seq.</i>] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-5" id="linknote-5"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 5 (<a href="#linknoteref-5">return</a>)<br /> [ Reprinted in <i>Lay + Sermons, Addresses, and Reviews,</i> 1870.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-6" id="linknote-6"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 6 (<a href="#linknoteref-6">return</a>)<br /> [ "Ancient," doubtless, but + his antiquity must not be exaggerated. For example, there is no proof that + the "Mosaic" cosmogony was known to the Israelites of Solomon's time.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-7" id="linknote-7"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 7 (<a href="#linknoteref-7">return</a>)<br /> [ When Jeremiah (iv. 23) + says, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void," he certainly + does not mean to imply that the form of the earth was less definite, or + its substance less solid, than before.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-8" id="linknote-8"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 8 (<a href="#linknoteref-8">return</a>)<br /> [ In looking through the + delightful volume recently published by the Astronomer-Royal for Ireland, + a day or two ago, I find the following remarks on the nebular hypothesis, + which I should have been glad to quote in my text if I had known them + sooner:— + </p> + <p class="foot"> + "Nor can it be ever more than a speculation; it cannot be established by + observation, nor can it be proved by calculation. It is merely a + conjecture, more or less plausible, but perhaps in some degree, + necessarily true, if our present laws of heat, as we understand them, + admit of the extreme application here required, and if the present order + of things has reigned for sufficient time without the intervention of any + influence at present known to us" (<i>The Story of the Heavens,</i> p. + 506). + </p> + <p class="foot"> + Would any prudent advocate base a plea, either for or against revelation, + upon the coincidence, or want of coincidence, of the declarations of the + latter with the requirements of an hypothesis thus guardedly dealt with by + an astronomical expert?] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-9" id="linknote-9"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 9 (<a href="#linknoteref-9">return</a>)<br /> [ Lectures on Evolution + delivered in New York (American Addresses).] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-10" id="linknote-10"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 10 (<a href="#linknoteref-10">return</a>)<br /> [ Reuss, <i>L'Histoire + Sainte et la Loi,</i> vol. i, p. 275.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-11" id="linknote-11"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 11 (<a href="#linknoteref-11">return</a>)<br /> [ For the sense of the term + "Elohim," see the essay entitled "The Evolution of Theology" at the end of + this volume.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-12" id="linknote-12"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 12 (<a href="#linknoteref-12">return</a>)<br /> [ Perhaps even + hippopotamuses and otters!] + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <table summary="" border="3" cellpadding="4"> + <tbody> + <tr> + <td> + <a + href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2632/2632-h/2632-h.htm">Next + Volume</a> + </td> + </tr> + </tbody> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Mr. Gladstone and Genesis, by Thomas Henry Huxley + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR. GLADSTONE AND GENESIS *** + +***** This file should be named 2631-h.htm or 2631-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/6/3/2631/ + +Produced by D.R. Thompson, and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + + +</pre> + </body> +</html> |