Evolution and creation

The author assembles lectures and essays that draw on geology, paleontology, embryology, and comparative anatomy to trace human origins from Earth's formation through Pleistocene and Neolithic stages. He outlines the nebular hypothesis and stratified fossil record, surveys cave and continental discoveries, and discusses human antiquity and pedigree. Chapters examine the evolution of mind and the special senses via protoplasm, cell life, embryonic development and comparative animal behavior, linking individual development to racial progress. Other essays analyze the emergence of deity concepts, sun-savior motifs, zodiacal and phallic symbolism, and diverse mythologies. A closing section reviews European intellectual progress, and plates compare primate and human anatomy.