Thus,  one  may  conclude  that  '  the  order  of  succession  in
time  of  fossil  remains  of  the  Mammalia,  and  especially  of
apes  and  man,  suggests  that  man  in  the  strictest  sense,  Homus
sapiens,  is  a  creature  of  Pleistocene  time ;  as  we  look  back-
wards into  the  past  we  lose  sight  of  him  before  the  close  of
that  age,  and  encounter  in  his  place  forms  specifically  and
even  generically  distinct;  that  other  species  of  the  human
family  might  have  already  come  into  existence  in  the  Pliocene
epoch  seems  possible,  but  scarcely  in  the  Miocene,  and  still
less  in  the  Oligocene  epoch.'  1  That  is  to  say,  that  as  far  as
ascertained  scientific  facts  are  concerned,  the  earliest  known
men  are  structurally  alike  to  the  present-day  races  of  men,
and  show  themselves  endowed  with  those  faculties  which  make
Homo  sapiens  the  primate  on  earth.  Mere  brain  capacity
and  large  skulls  do  not  in  the  least  prove  a  greater  share  of
intellectual  powers — as  a  glance  at  the  numerous  large-headed
imbeciles  and  idiots  inside  and  outside  of  lunatic  asylums  will
show.  Moreover,  concurrently  with  the  earliest  discoveries
of  human  remains,  marvellous  works  of  art  have  been  found
which,  it  may  safely  be  said,  few  of  our  professors  of
anthropology  could  rival.  Even  primitive  flint  instruments
show  ingenuity  in  handicraft,  Homo  sapiens  is  already  using
his  wits  with  effect.
In  attempting  to  determine  the  Catholic  exegete's  attitude
towards  these  facts  and  theories,  the  wise  principles  of  Leo
XIII  must  be  kept  well  in  mind  :

('  The  expositor  of  Holy  Scriptures)  must  not  consider  .  ..
that  it  is  forbidden,  when  just  cause  exists,  to  push  inquiry
and  exposition  beyond  what  the  Fathers  have  done,  provided
he  carefully  observes  the  rule  so  wisely  laid  down  by  St.
