122 THE HISTORY OF CREATION. 



the hot contest for truth the name of Darwin is the watch- 

 word to the advocates of the natural theory of development, 

 his merits are inaccurately appreciated on both sides, for 

 some persons overestimate them as much as others under- 

 estimate them. 



His merit is overestimated when he is regarded as the 

 founder of the Theory of Descent, or of the whole of the 

 Theory of Development. We have seen from the historical 

 sketch in this and the preceding chapters, that the Theory of 

 Development, as such, is not new; all philosophers who have 

 refused to be led captive by the blind dogma of a super- 

 natural creation, have been compelled to assume a. natural 

 development. But the Theory of Descent constituting the 

 specially biological part of the universal Theory of Develop- 

 ment, had already been so clearly expressed by Lamarck, 

 and carried out so fully by him to its most important con- 

 sequences, that we must honour him as the real founder of 

 it. Hence it is only the Theory of Selection, and not that 

 of Descent, which may be called Davwinisim ; but this is 

 in itself of so much importance, that its value can scarcely 

 be overestimated. 



Darwin's merit is naturally underestimated by all his 

 opponents. But it is scarcely possible in this matter to 

 point to scientific opponents, who are entitled by profound 

 biological culture to pronounce an opinion. For among all 

 the works opposed to Darwin and the Theory of Descent yet 

 published, with the exception of that of Agassiz, not one 

 deserves consideration, much less refutation ; all have so 

 evidently been written either without thorough knowledge 

 of biological facts, or without a clear philosophical under- 

 standing of the question in hand. We need not trouble 



