XII NOTES BY THE EDITOR. 



Civilization, even to the extent of that of the Egyptians and the 

 Central Americans, must have been of very slow growth ; as in- 

 vention is said to march with a geometrical progression, the earli- 

 est steps nmst have been exceedingly slow. 



Time is the great element, both in the development of vegeta- 

 ble and animal life, and also in the progress of man from 

 barbarism to civilization ; and this must be a primary idea in the 

 consideration of the theoiy of Darwin. In this relation we will 

 conclude by quoting from the Inaugural Address of Mr. Grove, 

 before alluded to. "The prejudices of education, and associa- 

 tions witli the past, are against this (Darwin's theory of the origin 

 of species by natural selection, etc.), as against all new views; 

 and while, on the one hand, a theory is not to be accepted be- 

 cause it is new and primd facie plausible, still, to this assembly, I 

 need not say that its running counter to existing opinions is not 

 necessarily a reason for its rejection ; the onus probandi should 

 rest on those who advance a new view, but the degree of proof 

 must differ with the nature of the subject. The fair question is. 

 Does the newly-projiosed view remove more difficulties, require 

 fewer assumptions, and present more consistency with observed 

 facts, than that which it seeks to supersede.^ If so, the philoso- 

 pher will adopt it, and the world will follow the f>hilosopher — 

 after many days." He is strongly in favor of the new theorj', dis- 

 believing in per saltiim or sudden creations, and maintains that 

 continuity is a law of nature, the true expression of tlie action of 

 Almighty Power, and that we should cease to look for special in- 

 terventions of the creative act — " we should endeavor from the 

 relics to evoke their history, and, when we find a gap, not try to 

 bridge it over by a miracle." 



The readers of the "Annual of Scientific Discovery" will be 

 gi-atified to possess the fine Porti-ait of Hon. David A. Wells, 

 U. S. Commissioner of Revenue, and late editor of this work, 

 presented in the present volume. 



