﻿Theories 
  of 
  Evolution 
  5 
  

  

  species 
  in 
  nature 
  were 
  unknown 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   Darwin. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  happy 
  idea 
  to 
  choose 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   perience 
  of 
  the 
  breeders 
  in 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  

   new 
  varieties, 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  build 
  an 
  

   explanation 
  of 
  the 
  processes 
  of 
  nature. 
  In 
  my 
  

   opinion 
  Darwin 
  was 
  quite 
  right, 
  and 
  he 
  has 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  in 
  giving 
  the 
  desired 
  proof. 
  But 
  the 
  

   basis 
  was 
  a 
  frail 
  one, 
  and 
  would 
  not 
  stand 
  too 
  

   close 
  an 
  examination. 
  Of 
  this 
  Darwin 
  was 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  well 
  aware. 
  He 
  has 
  been 
  prudent 
  to 
  the 
  

   utmost, 
  leaving 
  many 
  points 
  undecided, 
  and 
  

   among 
  them 
  especially 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  validity 
  of 
  

   his 
  several 
  arguments. 
  Unfortunately 
  this 
  

   prudence 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  adopted 
  by 
  his 
  followers. 
  

   Without 
  sufficient 
  warrant 
  they 
  have 
  laid 
  stress 
  

   on 
  one 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  problem, 
  quite 
  overlooking 
  

   the 
  others. 
  Wallace 
  has 
  even 
  gone 
  so 
  far 
  in 
  his 
  

   zeal 
  and 
  ardent 
  veneration 
  for 
  Darwin, 
  as 
  to 
  

   describe 
  as 
  Darwinism 
  some 
  things, 
  which 
  in 
  my 
  

   opinion, 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  Darwin's 
  con- 
  

   ceptions. 
  

  

  The 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  breeders 
  was 
  quite 
  in- 
  

   adequate 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  which 
  Darwin 
  made 
  of 
  it. 
  

   It 
  was 
  neither 
  scientific, 
  nor 
  critically 
  accurate. 
  

   Laws 
  of 
  variation 
  were 
  barely 
  conjectured; 
  the 
  

   different 
  types 
  of 
  variability 
  were 
  only 
  imper- 
  

   fectly 
  distinguished. 
  The 
  breeders' 
  conception 
  

   was 
  fairly 
  sufficient 
  for 
  practical 
  purposes, 
  

   but 
  science 
  needed 
  a 
  clear 
  understanding 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  