The Relation of Science and Religion.pdf - Online Christian Library

158 SCIENCE AND RELIGION.results so great as are involved in unceasingadvance of organism ?If it be argued that they are sufficient, aserious perplexity comes from the. oppositequarter,-How does it happen that all organicexistence does not advance together to a commonelevation? If the theory accounts foradvance, how shall we account for the wantof it? The difficulties are as gre& for thetheory in view of the large body of facts itdoes not attempt to include, as in the facts itstrives to embrace. Agassiz put this difficultywith much force in 1857, and it has not receivedany satisfactory answer. He said, " Itis a fact which seems to be entirely overlookedby those who assume an extensive influenceof physical causes upon the very existence oforganized biiags, that the most diversifiedtypes of animals and plants are everywherefound under identical circumstances." * If, asMr. Darwin says, " looking to the first dawnof life," we may believe that " all organicbeings present,ed the simplest structure "; ifthe struggle for existence is uniformly en-- * Contributions to the Tuturul History of the United States, Introduction,Boston, 1857; and Essay on Classijlcation, p. 15, publishedseparately; London, 1859. See Appendix VL