102 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



critical examinatiou of the facts will show that it does neither." And 

 the chapter then goes on to show that the change is from an indefinite 

 incoherent homogeneity to a definite coherent heterogeneity. Further 

 qualifications contained in a succeeding chapter bring the formula to 

 this final .form : " Evolution is an integration of matter and concomi- 

 tant dissipation of motion ; during which the matter passes from an 

 indefinite, incoherent homogeneity to a definite, coherent heterogene- 

 ity ; and during which the retained motion undergoes a parallel trans- 

 formatioEP." 



Now, if these various traits of the process of evolution are kept 

 simultaneously in view, it will be seen that most of Mr. Cliffe Leslie's 

 objections fail to apply. He says : " The movement of language, law, 

 and political and civil union, is for the most part in an opposite direc- 

 tion. In a savage country like Africa, speech is in a perj^etual flux, . 

 and new dialects spring up with every swarm from the parent hive. 

 In the civilized world the unification of language is rapidly proceed- 

 ing." Here two different ideas are involved the evolution of a lan- 

 guage considered singly, and the evolution of languages considered as 

 an aggregate. Nothing which he says implies that any one language 

 becomes, during its evolution, less heterogeneous. The disappearance 

 of dialects is not a progress toward the homogeneity of a language, but 

 is the final triumph of one variety of a language over the other varie- 

 ties, and the extinction of them : the conquering variety meanAvhile 

 becoming within itself more heterogeneous. This, too, is the process 

 which Mr. Leslie refers to as likely to end in an extinction of the Cel- 

 tic languages. Advance toward homogeneity would be shown if the 

 various languages in Europe, having been previously unlike, were, 

 while still existing, to become gradually more like. But the supplant- 

 ing of one by another, or of some by others, no more implies any ten- 

 dency of languages to become alike than does the supplanting of 

 species, genera, orders, and classes of animals, one by another, during 

 the evolution of life, imply the tendency of organisms to assimilate in 

 their natures. Even if the most heterogeneous creature, man, should 

 overrun the earth and extirpate the greater part of its other inhab- 

 itants, it would not imply any tendency toward homogeneity in the 

 proper sense. It would remain true that organisms tend perpetually 

 toward heterogeneity, individually and as an assemblage. Of course, 

 if all kinds but one were destroyed, they could no longer display this 

 tendency. Display of it would be limited to the remaining kind, which 

 would continue, as now, to show it in the formation of local varie- 

 ties, becoming gradually more divergent ; and the like is true of lan- 

 guages. 



In the next case Mr. Leslie identifies progressing unification with 

 advance toward homogeneity. His words are : " Already Europe has 

 nearly consolidated itself into a heptarchy, the number of states into 

 which England itself was once divided ; and the result of the American 



