256 LAY SERMONS, ADDRESSES, AND REVIEWS. [xu. 



Nor has the discussion of the subject been restrained 

 within the limits of conversation. When the public is 

 eager and interested, reviewers must minister to its 

 wants ; and the genuine litterateur is too much in the 

 habit of acquiring his knowledge from the book he 

 judges — as the Abyssinian is said to provide himself 

 with steaks from the ox which carries him — to be with- 

 held from criticism of a profound scientific work by the 

 mere want of the requisite preliminary scientific acquire- 

 ment ; while, on the other hand, the men of science who 

 wish well to the new views, no less than those who 

 dispute their validity, have naturally sought oppor- 

 tunities of expressing their opinions. Hence it is not 

 surprising that almost all the critical journals have 

 noticed Mr. Darwin's work at greater or less length ; 

 and so many disquisitions, of every degree of excellence, 

 from the poor product of ignorance, too often stimulated 

 by prejudice, to the fair and thoughtful essay of the 

 candid student of Nature, have appeared, that it seems 

 an almost helpless task to attempt to say anything new 

 upon the question. 



But it may be doubted if the knowledge and acumen 

 of prejudged scientific opponents, or the subtlety of 

 orthodox special pleaders, have yet exerted their full 

 force in mystifying the real issues of the great contro- 

 versy which has been set afoot, and whose end is hardly 

 likely to be seen by this generation ; so that at this 

 eleventh hour, and even failing anything new, it may be 

 useful to state afresh that which is true, and to put the 

 fundamental positions advocated by Mr. Darwin in such 

 a form that they may be grasped by those whose special 

 studies lie in other directions. And. the adoption of this 

 course may be the more advisable, because notwith- 

 standing its great deserts, and indeed partly on account 

 of them, the " Origin of Species " is by no means an easy 



