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Show _ 120 HYPOTHESIS 0:14' THE DEVELOPMEJ.'4 r OJ' a great range, w lu· ch was o~ tll e w h 0 1e .t o be ri;od-id wlye r sehgaul-l lar · let us I say only consider these things, a b t se"e that th'e decr'e eing of laws to b n·n g.t ll e w· hodle da o. u was an act involvino- such a degree of Wisdom an EtevJcel as w· e only can atton.b ute, a d on·n g1 y , to the one h_. .e rua and Unchangeable. It may_ b~ ask~d, how doe~ t I~ re .. flection comport wjth that timid p~IlosoJ?hY _which ~oouJ,~ have us to draw back from the InvestigatiOn of vrorks lest the knowledge of them should make us under .. value his greatness and forget his paternal c~arater? Does it not rather appear that ou_r i~eas of _the Deity can onl~ be worthy of hirn in the ratio In which we advan~e.1!1 a knowledge of hiR works and ways; and tha! the acquisition of this knowledge is consequently an ava:Iaple means of our growing in a genuine revereJ?-Ce for ~Im! But the idea that any of the lm-ye:r animals ~ave bee_n concerned in any way with the ongin of n~an-Is not t~Is degrading? Degrading is a term, exp:ess~ve. of a nob on of the human mind, and the human mind I~ lia~le to_pre .. judices which prevent its_ notions from beu~g Inv~nably correct. Were we acquainted for the first tJm~ w!t~ the circumstances attending the pro~uction of an In~hvidual of our race, we might equally think them degrading, a~d be eager to deny then1, and e~clude _them from ~~e admit .. ted truths of nature. Knowing this fact fanuharly and beyond contradiction, a healthy and natural mi~d finds ~o difficulty in regarding it complacentl:y. Crea~Ive ProVIrlence has been pleased to ?rder that It should ~e so, and it must therefore be submttted to. N O\V the tdPa as to the progress of organic crea~ion, if we_ b~co~e sa~isfie? _of its h~uth, ought to be recetved precise1y In tlus spu:It. It has pleased Providence to arrange that o_ne species should give birth to another, unt_il the secon9 high~s~ gave birtl) to man, who is the very highest: be I~ so, It 1s ~ur part to admire and to. sub~i~. The very faint_est !lotwn of there being anything nd1culous or degrading In the theory -how absurd does it appear, when we remember that every individual amongst us actually passes through the characters of the insect, th(~ fish, and reptile (to speak nothing of others,) before he is permitted to breathe the breath of life! But such notions are mere emanations of false pride and ignorant prejudice. He who conceives them, little reflects that they, in reality, involve the principle of a contempt for the works and ways of God. For THE VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS. 12] it tnay be a~k~d, if He, as app~ars, ha~ chosen to err1ploy Inferior organisms as a ge~.eratn:e medium for ~he pro~uction of hio·her ones, even Including ourselves, what right have we ~his humble creatures, to find fault? There is, also, in ti1is prejudice, an element of unkindliness towards the lower animals, which is utterly out of place. These creatures are all of them part products of the Al~ighty Conception, as well as ourselves. All of them display wondrous evidences of his wisdom and benevolence. All of them have had assigned to them by their Great Father a part in the drama of the organic world, as well as ourselves. )Vhy should they be held in such contempt l Let us regdrd them in a proper .spirit, as I_>arts of. the grand plan, instead of contemplating them In the light of frivolous prejudices, and we shall be altogether at a loss to see how there should be any degradation in the idea of our race having lteen genealogically connected witb them. MACLEAY SYSTEM OF ANIMATED NATURE. /\ ! .... v G l.- THIS -SYSTEM CONSIDERED IN CONNEXION WITH THE PROGRESS OF ORGANIC CREATION, AND AS INDIC.AT• ING THE NATURAL STATUS OF MAN. IT is now high time to advert to the system forJ?ed ~y the animated tribes both with a view to the possible Illustration of the p~eceding argument, and for the lie;ht which it throws upon that ~ener~l system ?f nature which 1t is the more comprehensive obJect of this book to ascertain. The vegetable and aniinal kingdoms are arranged UI?on a scale, starting from simply organized forms, an~ gmng on to the more complex, each of thes~ forms being: but slightly different from those next to It on b_oth sides. The lowest and most slightly developed_fo.r~s In t~e two kingdoms ~re so closely connected, that It _Is Impos~Ible to say where vegetable ends and animal begins. U~ute~ at what may be called their bases, they start ~way In dlffe .. rent directions, but not altogether to lose sight of each other. On the contrary they maintain a strict analogy throughout the whole of their subsequent courses~ subkingdom for sub-kingdnm.. class for clase: ehowtng a 10 -. |
