Man's Place In Nature

MAN’S PLACE IN NATURE, AND OTHER ANTHROPOLOGICAL ESSAYS, by THOMAS H. HUXLEY. Huxley is best known as 'Darwin's Bull Dog' because he recognized the truth and importance of the fact of Evolution and vigorously defended it against all comers. The truth is that in this book Prof. Huxley discusses a study he made in 1857 - that was before Darwin's 'Origin of Species' was published in 1859 - on the similarity of the human brain and that of the higher, and even some of the lower, apes. Of these studies Darwin writes: "Matters were at this point, when "The Origin of Species ” appeared. The weighty sentence "Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history" was not only in full harmony with the conclusions at which I had arrived, respecting the structural relations of apes and men, but was strongly supported by them. And inasmuch as Development and Vertebrate Anatomy were not among Mr. Darwin’s many specialties, it appeared to me that I should not be intruding on the ground he had made his own, if I discussed this part of the general question. In fact, I thought that I might probably serve the cause of evolution by doing so." EVERY honest investigation of the ever growing body of scientific facts, will conclude that evolution, through great periods of time, is the only reasonable conclusion possible. But there is a world of opposition to the obvious fact of evolution, it is the world of mythology that is so important to the clergy, and the business of religion..
Emmett F. Fields