INTRODUCTORY: "DEATH-BED OF DARWINISM." 3 



descent. Of these Darwinian theories the primary and all- 

 important one is that of natural selection. Included with 

 this in Darwinism are the now nearly wholly discredited 

 theories of sexual selection and of the pangenesis of gem- 

 mules. It may also be fairly said that the theory of the 

 descent of man from the lower animals should be included in 

 Darwinism, For Darwin was practically the first naturalist 

 bold enough to admit the logical and obvious consequences 

 of the general acceptance of the theory of descent, and to 

 include man in the general chain of descending, or ascend- 

 ing, organisms. So that the popular notion that Darwinism 

 is in some way the right word to apply to the doctrine that 

 man has come from the monkeys is rather nearer right than 

 wrong. But biologists do not recognise the descent of man 

 as a special phase of Darwinism, but rather of the whole 

 theory of descent, or organic evolution. 



Darwinism, then, is not synonymous with organic evolu- 

 tion, nor with the theory of descent (which two phases are 

 used by the biologist practically synonymously), 

 not synonymous Therefore when one reads of the "death-bed of 

 with evolution, Darwinism," it is not of the death-bed of or- 

 ganic evolution or of the theory of descent that one is read- 

 ing. While many reputable biologists to-day strongly doubt 

 the commonly reputed effectiveness of the Darwinian selec- 

 tion factors to explain descent some, indeed, holding them 

 to be of absolutely no species-forming value practically 

 no naturalists * of position and recognised attainment doubt 

 the theory of descent. 4 Organic evolution, that is, the 

 descent of species, is looked on by biologists to be as proved 

 a part of their science as gravitation is in the science of 

 physics or chemical affinity in that of chemistry. Doubts 

 of Darwinism are not, then, doubts, of organic evolution. 

 Darwinism might indeed be on its death-bed without shaking 

 in any considerable degree the confidence of biologists and 

 natural philosophers in the theory of descent. 



