726 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cipated Lamarck in enunciating the general conception of the genesis 

 of organic forms by adaptive modifications, but had not worked out 

 the conception as Lamarck did, Mr. Darwin, perceiving that both of 

 them were mistaken in attributing the modifications to causes which, 

 though some of them true, were inadequate to account for all the 

 effects, succeeded, by recognizing the further cause he called Natural 

 Selection, in raising the hypothesis from a form but partially tenable 

 to a quite tenable form. This view of his, so admirably worked out, 

 has been adopted by the great majority of naturalists ; and, by making 

 the process of organic evolution more comprehensible, it is revolution- 

 izing biological conceptions throughout the world. In the words of 

 Prof. Cohn, " no book of recent times has influenced the conceptions 

 of modern science like the first edition of Charles Darwin's ' Origin 

 of Species.' " ' Nor should we overlook the various kindred minor 

 discoveries, partly dependent, partly independent : Mr. Darwin's own 

 respecting the dimorphism of flowers ; Mr. Bates's beautiful interpre- 

 tation of mimicry in insects, which led the way to many allied inter- 

 pretations ; Mr. Wallace's explanations of dimorphism and polymor- 

 phism in Lepidoptera. Finally, Prof. Huxley, besides dissipating 

 some serious biological errors of Continental origin, has made impor- 

 tant contributions to morphology and classification. 



Nor does the balance turn against us on passing to the next- 

 highest concrete science. After those earlier inquiries by which 

 Englishmen so largely advanced the Science of Mind, and set up much 

 of the speculation subsequently active in France and Germany, there 

 came a lull in English thinking ; and during this arose the absurd 

 notion that the English are not a philosophical people. But the lull, 

 ending some forty years ago, gave place to an activity which has 

 quickly made up for lost time. On this point I need not rest in asser- 

 tion, but will quote foreign testimony. The first chapter of Prof. 

 Ribot's work, " La Psychologie Anglaise Contemporaine? begins 

 thus : 



" 'The sceptre of Psychology, 1 says Mr. Stuart Mill, 'has heen decidedly re- 

 stored to England.' It might be held that it had never passed out of her hand. 

 Certainly, psychological studies are now pursued in that country by men of the 

 first mark, who, by the solidity of their method, and, -what is rarer still, by the 

 precision of their results, have brought about a new era for science ; but we 

 might call this a reduplication rather than a renewal of former glory.' " 



Similarly, on turning to Ethics considered under its psychological 

 aspect, we find foreign testimony that English thinkers have done 

 most toward the elaboration of a scientific system. In the preface to 

 his late work, "Xa Morale nella Fllosofia JPositiva" (meaning, by 

 " Positiva" simply scientific), Prof. Barzellotti, of Florence, states 



i " Die EntwicMwig der Nalurwissenschaft in den leizten f'tinfundzicanzig JaJiren.'" 

 By Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Cohn. Breslau, 1872. 



