xn] OF EVOLUTION 165 



mand 150 .' But now geologists and biologists may 

 alike feel that the liberty with respect to space, 

 which is granted ungrudgingly to the astronomer, is 

 no longer withheld from them in regard to time. We 

 can say with old Lamarck : 



'For Nature, Time is nothing. It is never a difficulty, she 

 always has it at her disposal; and it is for her the means by which 

 she has accomplished the greatest as well as the least results. 

 For all the evolution of the earth and of living beings, Nature 

 needs but three elements Space, Time and Matter 161 .' 



Darwin, equally with Lyell, has suffered from a 

 reaction following on extravagant and uninformed 

 praise of his work. The fields in which he laboured 

 single-handed, have yielded to hundreds of workers 

 in many lands an abundant harvest New doctrines 

 and improved methods of enquiry have arisen 

 Mutationism, Mendelism, Weismannism, Neo-Lam- 

 arckism, Biometrics, Eugenics and what not are 

 being diligently exploited But all of these vigorous 

 growths have their real roots in Darwinism. If we 

 study Darwin's correspondence, and the successive 

 essays in which he embodied his views at different 

 periods, we shall find, variation by mutation (or per 

 saltum), the influence of environment, the question of 

 the inheritance of acquired characters and similar 

 problems were constantly present to Darwin's ever 

 open mind, his views upon them changing from time 

 to time, as fresh facts were gathered. 



