who are
such. He should, to a certain extent, understand the workings of Natural
Law.

This is the great battle-ground on which the struggle is now taking
place. The point at issue is, whether the physical changes of the
material world, the introduction, continuance, and variation of
organized beings, are due to the direct, special intervention of Deity,
or whether they are the results of primeval laws, inherent in matter,
and out of whose workings spring the phenomena of nature. The adherents
to the former opinion maintain that the Deity has created all animals
individually, or in individual species, by direct action, apart from
natural forces, and indeed by an interference therewith. The votaries of
the latter deny special creation, and maintain that all animals are,
like the rest of the universe, the results of forces acting through all
time, producing, by their diverse changing influences, the variations
which, as they have widened and strengthened, have resulted in the
difference exhibited among animals. The first is the old traditional
idea, having its foundation in belief, and drawing its support from the
Scriptures. The last is the modern conviction, having its foundation in
reason, and drawing its support from the study of nature. How are these
differences among animate creatures--these wide contrasts of form, size,
and habits--produced, if not by God's special creation? This is the
question which Mr. Darwin and his school of thinkers are seeking to
answer.

Some half a century ago, M. Lamarck, a French naturalist, propounded a
theory which excited the derision of the whole world. He accounted for
these variations by suggesting that, as any special want was felt by an
animal, the body took on that structure which was required to relieve
it. To give a broad illustration: if men needed to fly for the support
of life, wings would gradually grow out from their shoulders. Ridiculous
as this may be, it showed that thinkers were at that time endeavoring to
account, on purely natural grounds, for what they considered natural,
and not supernatural phenomena.

Some twenty years ago, a book made its appearance which startled the
whole reading world, and caused as much dispute as Darwin has since
done. This was "Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation." It was
anonymous, and the author has never acknowledged it: to this day he is
unknown. This book was learned and lucid. It was received with delight
by those who we