rs may be right who, holding
that the universe is a manifestation of mind, and that the orderly
development of living souls supplies an adequate reason why such a
universe should have been called into existence, believe that we
ourselves are its sole and sufficient result and that nowhere else than
near the central position in the universe which we occupy could that
result have been attained."

This conclusion of Mr. Wallace has, indeed, not found acceptance among
scientists. Naturally not. If a materialistic conception of the universe
is to prevail, if evolution in some form is to be accepted, we must have
a universe of chance, not of a plan which spans the remotest star and
the soul of the new-born infant in one tremendous arc. But it is highly
instructive to observe how the scientists in 1903 met Wallace's argument.
One very distinguished reviewer said:

_"Too little is known,_ the most essential astronomical theories are too
much _a matter of conjecture,_ to give much strength to a theory built
up entirely of _such conjectural materials_. The argument from
_probabilities_ can easily be turned against the author, for when a
chain of reasoning depends upon _a long series of problematic premises,_
the doubt of these premises increases in a mathematical ratio. Weakness
in an argument is as cumulative as strength and while such of Dr.
Wallace's conclusions taken separately may receive the support of eminent
scientists, hardly any of them has received such demonstration as to
entitle it to unreserved credence."

This, at last, is a frank admission. Wallace quoted the generally
accepted results of scientific calculation and research. On the basis of
these results he demonstrates that the entire object of Evolution (to
demonstrate the development of all things by natural causes, without a
directing intelligence), is negatived by a proper consideration of
"ascertained data,"--since these data, taken all together, prove a
stupendous plan behind all natural phenomena, and the end of this plan,
the human soul. In rebuttal we are now told that "the most essential
astronomical theories"--as e.g. the Copernican System, Herschel's laws,
the Newtonian theory of gravitation,--"are matter of conjecture" (in
plain English, are blind guesses), are "problematic," and "hardly any
entitled to unreserved credence."

Thus do we find, that the greatest of Darwinians, on a mature
consideration of the subject, reached a conclusion which mak