The sun., 1909-06-27
SOME NEW BOOKS.
The Darwin Mem oeial Essays.

SOME EER BOOKS.
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The Darwin Memorial Essays.
It will be recalled that the English Uni
versty Of Cambridge decided to oommem-
crate the centenary Of the birth Of Charles
Robert Darwin and the fiftieth anniver-
ssry Of the appearance Of sThe Origin
Of Species by the publication Of oollec-
ton of essays contributed by eminent
representatives Of nineteenth century
research and thought. These papers
twenty y-eight in number, have been ed
tied by Mr.. A. G. SEWARD, professor OF
botany in Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
and are now presented in a volume OF
900 pages, entitled Darpin and Modern
iSciesce (the Cambridge University Press).
The volume has the double purpose of
illustrating the far reaching influence Of
Darwin's work on the progress OF knowl-
edge,and Of exhibiting the present atti-
tude of original Investigators and thinkers
toward the views embodied in Darwin's
writipgs
Tho editor recognizes in a preface the
impossibility Of expressing adequately In
q single volume Of essays the effect OF
Darwin's contributions to knowledge on
the subsequent development Of scientific
inquiry. As Huxley said In 1885: what
ever be the ultimate verdict Of posterity
upon this or that opinion which Mr.. Oar
win has propounded. whatever adum-
h,s> <Snpa ~ mn 10 IN =; opu ~ hia doCfyipos
may be found in the writings Of his pred
eoeesors. the broad fact remains that
since the publication and by reason OF
the publication Of The Origin Of Species
the fundamental conceptions and the
sims Of the students Of living nature have
been completely changed In the papers
brought together In this memorial volume
some OF the authors have concerned them
selves mora especially with the results
achieved by Darwin's own researches and
writings. while others pass in review the
progress Of inquiry on lines which, though
unknown or but little followed in his day,
arc the direct outcome Of his work.
The divergence Of views among biolo-
gists with regard to the agencies en-
ployed in the origin OF species is exempli-
fled In the book before US by the different
opinions Of contributors. some of whom
belong to the neo-Darwinian and some
10 the neo-Lamarckian school. Prof.
Seward insists, however. that the ques-
Hon whether Darwin's views on the
modas operandi OF evolutionary forces
receive further confirmation In the future.
or whether they are materially modified.
in no way affects the truth Of the aver
ment that by employing his life -in add
ing as he said, "a little to natural
Darwin. revolutionized the world
Of thought.
--'- l..
The contributions to which we shall
give special attention are those Of j.
Arthur Thomson. August Weismann, Hugo |
de vries. G. Schwalbe. Ernst Haeckel. |
". B. Scott. j. ". judd. II. Hodding. G. |
BougIt and j. B. Bury. In an essay on |
relation to his predecessors Mr.. |
). A. Thomson, professor Of natural his |
tory in the University OF Aberdeen. dis
tinguishes the various services rendered |
to the theory OF organic evolution by the
author OF THE Origin Of Species These
services are classified in four groups.
First, as regards the general idea Of the
Darwinian doctrine Of descent. which is
that the plants and animals Of the present |
day are lineal descendants OF ancestors |
on the whole somewhat simpler in point
Of type, that these again are descended
from yet simpler forms. and SO on back
ward. toward the literal -protozoa' and
'protophyta,' about which we know
nothing No one. Prof. Thomson re-
minds US, supposes that Darwin originated |
this idea, which in rudiment at least is
as old as Aristotle. What Darwin did was |
10 make it current intellectual coin. In
the second place. Darwin applied the evo-
luton idea to particular problems. such
as the descent Of man. and showed how
powerful an organon it Is. introducing
order into masses of uncorrelated facts,
enigmas both OF structure
and function. both bodily and mental, and, |
best of all, stimulating and guiding fur
Their investgat ton. Here again. never
theless, it cannot be claimed that Darwin |
was original The problem Of the descent
or ascent of man, and other particular |
cases Of evolution, had attracted not a |
lew Daturalists before Darwin's day. |
though no one Except Herbert Spencer In |
he psychological domain) had come near
MIN in precision and thoroughness Of
inquiry.
In the third place, Darwin added ma
terially to knowledge Of the factors in |
The evolution process, especially by his
analysis of what occurs in the case Of |
domestic animals and cultivated plants, |
and by his elaboration Of the theory Of |
natural selection, which Alfred Russel |
Wallace independently stated at the same |
time, and Of which there had been a few |
previous suggestions Of a more or less |
vague description. 1t was here that Dar-
wins originality was greatest, for he |
revealed to naturalists the many different |
'orms. often very subtle, which natural
selection takes. and with the insight OF |
4 disciplined scientific imagination he
realized what a mighty engine Of progress
Il has been and is. Fourthly and lastly, |
Prof. Thomson ranks the picture which |
Darwin gave to the world of the web Of |
life. that is to say, OF the inter relations |
md linkages in nature, as an epoch mark |
ing contribution not only to etiology |
but to natural history in the widest sense. |
His fundamental idea of the correlation |
of organisms, however. was not novel |
II may be found adumbrated in the works |
81 naturalists like Sprengel, Gilbert |
White and Alexander Won Humboldt, but