DARWIN MEMORIAL. 65 



phenomena which we may now observe in the universe will run on 

 into the infinite future. This is evolution. 



The statement now given of the three great systems of philosophy 

 is perhaps sufficient for our purposes this evening, and it remains 

 for us to point out the part contributed to scientific philosophy by 

 Darwin, whom we mourn to-night. 



When Darwin rose as a light in the scientific world, scientific 

 philosophers had already discovered that the philosophic method of 

 research should include the discernment, discrimination, and classi 

 fication of facts. At that time the scientific men of the world were 

 engaged chiefly in the collection and arrangement of facts. To 

 some extent they were engaged in discovering their relations of 

 sequence. Important and interesting sequences had been discov 

 ered in the vast realm of astronomy ; other interesting sequences of 

 facts had been discovered in the realm of geology ; some interesting 

 sequences of facts had been discovered in the realm of human 

 history. In the realm of biology, in plant and animal life, the order 

 of succession of facts, the method of evolution, had not been dis 

 covered ; yet many men were thinking on this subject, many men 

 searching for the method and course of biologic evolution. The 

 facts relating thereto were partly known, and the course and laws 

 of biologic evolution were dimly discerned. 



It remained for Darwin to demonstrate the laws of biologic evo 

 lution, and the course of the progress of life upon the globe. This 

 he has done in a manner so masterly that there lives not in the 

 world a working biologist, a scientific man engaged in this field of 

 research, who has not directly or indirectly accepted his great con 

 clusions, and the larger body of biologists have accepted them 

 directly. 



Let as now go back to the statement that prior to the time of 

 Darwin, scientific men engaged in researches relating to vegetal 

 and animal life were occupied chiefly in the discernment, discrim 

 ination, and classification of facts. 



Botanists and zoologists were engaged in describing species, and 

 5 



