Ixvi CHARLES OTIS WHITMAN 
fanatical advocacy of the notion that organic evolution depends 
upon the inheritance of acquired characters, was enough to pre- 
judice the whole case of orthogenesis. Moreover, the contro- 
versial setting given to the idea of definitely directed variation, 
without the aid of utility and natural selection, made it difficult 
to escape the conclusion that orthogenesis was only a new form 
of the old teleology, fromthe paralyzing domination of which Dar- 
win and Lyell and their followers had rescued science. Thus 
handicapped the theory of orthogenesis has found little favor out- 
side the circle of Eimer’s pupils.’’® 
“The second of the two theories alluded to is the mutation 
theory of Hugo. de Vries. The distinguished author of this 
theory . . . . maintains, on the basis of long continued 
experimental research, that species originate, not by slow gradual 
variation, as held by Darwin and Wallace, but by sudden salia- 
tions, or sport-like mutations. According to this theory, two 
fundamentally distinct phenomena have hitherto been confounded 
under the term variation. In other words, variation, as used by 
Darwin and others, covers two classes of phenomena, totally dis- 
tinct in nature, action, and effect. Variation proper is defined 
as the ordinary, fluctuating, or individual variation, and this is 
held to be absolutely impotent to form new species. 
“Granting that the position with respect to the mutants obtained 
from the evening primrose (Oenothera Lamarckiana) is unassail- 
able, does it follow that all new species have arisen by mutation, 
and that continuous variation has never had, and never can have, 
anything to do with the origin of species? 
“Plausible as is the argument and impressive as is the array of 
evidence presented, I can but feel that there are reasons which 
compel us to suspend judgment for a while on this pivotal point 
of the mutation theory.” 
Whitman objected strongly to the implication that a variation 
tendency must be considered to be teleological because it is not 
orderless. | 
§ Whitman—The Problem of the Origin of Species, Congress of Arts and Science, 
Universal Exp. 1904. 
