IV.—Two Glens and the Agency of Glaciation

Extract

The group of questions which are connected with the Glacial Age seem to me to be among the most interesting and the most difficult in the whole science of geology. They include the question of Time—since, perhaps, the only hope we have of even reaching any unit of time in geological changes lies in the phenomena of the Glacial Age, The question of the comparative slowness or suddenness of great physical changes is not less directly involved. Bound up with this again is the question of the sudden or slow destruction of the extinct forms of life, and the introduction of new forms to replace them. The connection between Cosmical and Terrestrial causes of change comes directly into our view, and then the nature and operation of the terrestrial forces which were brought into play. I am very sceptical as to many of the solutions which have been proposed for most of these questions, and still more for the theories which profess to answer them as a whole. There is nothing to be done but to accumulate evidence in detail—to observe facts well, that is, completely—and avoid looking only at such of them as tell in favour of some preconceived hypothesis.