LIT Eli ART NOTICES. 



625 



one department only (viz., botany), most in- 

 terested in their bearings upon its special 

 problems, one accustomed to direct and 

 close dealing with the tacts in hand, and 

 disposed to rise from them only to the con- 

 sideration of those general questions upon 

 which they throw, or from which they re- 

 ceive, illustration." It is this characteristic 

 which gives its eminent value to Dr. Gray's 

 volume. On such a grave question, what 

 we want to know is the intelligent opinion 

 of men capable of forming an independent 

 judgment, and a statement of the evidence 

 on which they base their conclusions. The 

 promulgation of Darwin's theory, in 1859, 

 found Prof. Gray a trained student of the 

 biological problems presented by the vege- 

 table kingdom. With an extensive and accu- 

 rate knowledge of plants, and a philosophi- 

 cal turn of thought which could not evade 

 the question how the vast diversities of the 

 plant world have been brought about, he 

 had a solid preparation for judging of the 

 claims of the " Origin of Species." Con- 

 vinced of the total insufficiency of all pre- 

 vious theories upon the subject, he saw at 

 once that Mr. Darwin's view was a great 

 step forward in the pathway of science, re- 

 solving difficulties before insuperable, and 

 promising to be of immense service in or- 

 ganizing existing knowledge, and in open- 

 ing avenues of future investigation. The 

 next year after the issue of the " Origin of 

 Species," he published an elaborate article 

 in the American Journal of Science, review- 

 ing' and interpreting it, and contrasting its 

 doctrines with those advocated by Prof. 

 Agassiz. This is the opening paper of the 

 present volume, and was followed by a se- 

 ries of essiys which appeared in various 

 magazines, taking up many aspects of the 

 subject, answering objections, elucidating 

 obscurities, criticising adverse works, and 

 contributing important additions to the gen- 

 eral theory. These papers, as now printed 

 together, not only illustrate the history of 

 the controversy, and the progress of the 

 discussion, but they form, perhaps, the full- 

 est and most trustworthy exposition and il- 

 lustration of what is to be properly under- 

 stood by " Darwinism " that is to be found 

 in our language. Of course, the work is not 

 a systematic treatise upon the subject, but 

 it covers the chief points that are of para- 



mount interest, both to naturalists and to 

 general readers. 



But there is another feature of Dr. 

 Gray's volume which will commend it, in 

 even a higher degree, to large portions of 

 the public. It gives earnest and prominent 

 attention to the religious aspects of the 

 question. Though a thorough-going Dar- 

 winian, Dr. Gray will not consent to hold 

 his scientific opinions at the expense of his 

 religious faith. Satisfied that the great 

 principle of " Natural Selection " is a power- 

 ful working law of Nature, and holding to 

 cardinal theological beliefs, he maintains 

 that the conflict between them is not neces- 

 sary, and that an enlightened interpretation 

 of religious doctrine must bring it into har- 

 mony with the advanced scientific conclu- 

 sions. Nor is it a mere semblance of faith 

 that is to be harmonized with science by 

 frittering away its essential character. Dr. 

 Gray is out and out orthodox, and emi- 

 nently sound in his theology. In his pref- 

 ace he says : 



" Then as to the natural theological questions 

 which (owing to circumstances needless now to 

 be recalled or explained) are here throughout 

 brought into what most naturalists, and some 

 other readers, may deem undue prominence, 

 there are many who may bs interested to know 

 how these increasingly prevalent views and their 

 tendencies are regarded by one who is scientifi- 

 cally, and in his own fashion, a Darwinian, 

 philosophically a convinced theist, and religious- 

 ly an acceptor of the ' creed commonly called the 

 Nicene,' as the exponent of the Christian faith." 



This portion of Dr. Gray's work is very 

 able, and we think all candid religious read- 

 ers will find it conclusive. To all those 

 timid souls who are worried about the prog- 

 ress of science, and the danger that it will 

 subvert the foundations of their faith, and 

 who perplex themselves with the question 

 whether a Darwinian can be a Christian, 

 we recommend the dispassionate perusal of 

 this volume. The subject is touched upon 

 in various aspects in the different papers ; 

 but the last article, which is newly contrib- 

 uted to the volume, grapples with the gravest 

 difficulty of the case, and is an elaborate 

 discussion of " Evolutionary Teleology," or 

 the doctrine of purpose and design in Na- 

 ture as affected by the principle of "Natu- 

 ral Selection." Dr. Gray maintains with 

 great force that, instead of being subverted 



vol. ;y 40 



