Blair Collection > Kelt or Gael

4 The Kelt or Gael.
on the sixth day of creation — and the date of
the deluge was B.C. 2348 — it is clear that if we
accept the Mosaic cosmogony we must be pre-
pared to account for all natural phenomena
within a period of about 5894 years, and all
ethnological and philological phenomena within
a period of about 4238 years, and so corrupt all
the fountains of history. This account of the
origin of phenomena, however, is taught in all
our primary schools at the present day.
Corrected by The astronomer nevertheless gradually un-
folded the plan of the heavens, the geologist
the plan of the earth, and the biologist that of the
life upon it ; and the myths gradually disappeared
from the sphere of reason. Darwin has given a
new meaning to the word " evolution," and
" survival of the fittest " probably applies to
planets and solar systems, as well as to living
individuals and species. Given the unlimited
time of the geologist, with force and matter,
and all phenomena can be accounted for by the
philosopher.
Anthropology. The anthropologist is on the track of mankind,
but the ways are long and life is short. From
the element to protoplasm, and from protoplasm
to man, the links, if not complete, are nearly so ;
but from a knowledge of man in the abstract
to a knowledge of men in the concrete the
progress is so small that the word "race" has as
yet only a popular meaning.
Ethnology. The ethnologist as yet can only see that groups