The times., 1900-12-23

teriorated. decreasing imperceptibly in
power until 1t finally disappears.
"Secondly-That these gains or losses
OF organic development, due to use or
disuse. are transmitted to offspring.
provided they have been common to both
sexes, or to the animals from which the
offspring have descended
The whole force of this argument de-
pends upon the second clause-the inheri-
tance Of those individual notifications
due to use and disuse. But no direct evi-
dence of this has ever been found. while
there is a good deal of evidence showing
that it does not occur. Again, there are
many structures which cannot have been
produced by use, such. for example, as
the feathers of the peacock's train, the
poison in the serpents fangs, the hard
shells of nuts, the prickly covering Of
many fruits the varied armor of the tur-
tie, porcupine, crocodile, and many
others. For these reasons Lamarck's
views gained few converts; and. although
some of his arguments have been upheld
in recent years. the fatal objections to his
general principle rs a means of explain
ing the evolution OF organic forms has
never been overcome.
Between the periods of Lamarck and
Darwin many advances we're made which
clearly pointed to a general law Of evolu-
tion in nature. Such were Sir William
Groves lectures on the Correlation
of the Physical Forces" in 1872; Helm
heItz on the Conservation Of Energy in
1S47. and Herbert Spencer's essay on THE
Development Hypothesis in 1882. This
latter work was complete and almost
unarswerable argument for natural
process of continuous evolution of the
whole visible universe. including organic
nature. man, and social phenomena. 1t
is further extended in the later editions
of the authors First Principles" which,
as a cJherent exposition of philosophy.
co-ordinating and explaining all human
knowledge of the universe into one great
system of evolution everywhere conform
ing to the same general principles, must
be held to be one OF the greatest intel
lectual achievements of the nineteenth
century. 1t left however, the exact
method of evolution of organisms un-
touched, and thus failed to account for
those complex adaptations and appear
ances OF design in the various species of
animals and plants which have always
been the stronghold of those who advo-
Gated special creation. This difficulty was
met by Darwin's theory of THE Origin Of
Species by Means of Natural Selection"
published in 1853, and the series OF works
that succeeded it; and to a brief sketch
OF this theory the remainder of our space
must be devoted.
THE THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION
Although, as we have seen, u succession
OF great writer's and thinkers had for
more than half century shown the ne
cessity for some process of evolution as
the only rational or ineligible mode of
origin OF existing species of animals and
plants, as we'll as of the whole physical
universe yet these views were by no
means generally accepted by the edu-
Gated classes, while few bodies of stu
dents were less Influenced by them than
biologists and botanists, generally known
as naturalists.
Now. Darwin wrote especially for these
classes, and no one knew better than he
Not only had such men as Sir Charles
LyeII and Sir John Herscheil expressed
themselves strongly against all theories
of the :ransmutat tion of species, but the
universal contempt and indignation Of
naturalists as well as theologians against
THE Yestiges of Creation published
anonymously few years earlier and Civ
ing a most temperate and even religious
exposition of the general arguments for
the universality of evolution, showed what
anyone might expect who advocated and
attempted to demonstrate similar
theory. This accounts for Darwin writing
to Sir Joseph Hooker in 1914, of his being
..'aimcst convinced that species are not lit
is like confessfng a murderJ inrmutabIe, -
- t. ha Y p1Hp1a-
field that he now saw the way in which
new varieties become exquis!teiy adapted
to the external conditions OF life and to
other surrounding beings. and he adds, Il
am a bold man to lay myself open TO be-
ing thought a complete fool, and most
deliberate one" 1t is only by a consider
alton OF the frame of mind Of even ad-
vanced thinkers at the time Darwin was
preparing his work. and remembering how
small was the effect which had been pro-
dueed by Button, Goethe, Lamarck, the
author Of "Vestiges Of Creation" and the
earlier writings of Herbert Spencer, that
we can adequately realize the marvellous
work that he accomplished. Let Us now
briefly consider the essential nature of
this new theory. which in few brief
years became the established belief OF
the great majority Of the students of na-
ture, and which also gave a new interest
in nature to.the whole thinking world.
The theory of natural selection is found
ed upon a few groups Of thoroughly as
eertained ard universally admitted facts,
with the direct and necessary results oi
those facts.
The first group OF facts consists Of the
great powers OF increase Of all organisms
and the circumstance that, notwithstaid-
ing this great yearly increase, the actual
population Of each species remains station
ary, there being no permanent Increase.
Now, these two facts were recognized by
Button, but though, OF course. known TO
all subsequent writer's. we're fully appre-
ciated or thought out to their logical re-
suits by none of them. Lamarck, so far as
I can ascertain took no notice OF them
whatever. Darwin has given Illustrations
OF these facts in Chapter ~ OF the origin
of Species" and have added others in the
second chapter OF my ''Darwinism. That
the population Of each species remains sta
tIonary. with of course considerable fuc-
tuatlons, Is both a matter Of observation
and of reasoning. The powers of increase
Of all creatures are so great that il there
is in any country room and food for
larger number of any species they will be
produced in a year or two. 1t is impos-
sible. therefore, to believe that, in state
of nature where all kinds of animals and
plants have lived together as they best
could for thousands Of years. there can be
any important difference in their numbers
from wear to year or from century to cen
tury.
Now, it Is as a consequence Of these two
indisputable facts that the struggle for
existence necessarily results. For Il every
wear each pair of animals of each plant
produces only ten young animals or plants
and this is very far below the average
and II the adult life of these is taken at
49, 0T "a