92 GRITICISMS ON “ THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES ” mt 
The weight of this objection is obvious ; but our 
ignorance of the conditions of fertility aiid sterility, 
the want of carefully conducted experiments 
extending over long series of years, and the © 
strange anomalies presented by the results of the 
cross-fertilisation of many plants, should all, 
Mr. Darwin has urged, be taken into account 
considering it. 
The seventh objection is that we have already 
discussed (supra p. 82). 
The eighth and last stands as follows :— 
**8. The developmental theory of Darwin is not needed to” 
enable us to understand the regular harmonious progress of the 
complete series of organic forms from the simpler to the mo eo : 
perfect. 
“The existence of general laws of Nature explains this” 
harmony, even if we assume that all beings have arisen separately _ 
and independent of one another. Darwin forgets that inorganic — 
nature, in which there can be no thought of genetic connexion 
of forms, exhibits the same regular plan, the same harmony, as 
the organic world ; and that, to cite only one example, there is 
as much a natural system of minerals as of plants and : 
animals.” 
We do not feel quite sure that we seize 
Professor Kolliker’s meaning here, but he appears _ 
to suggest that the observation of the general order 
and harmony which pervade inorganic nature, — 
would lead us to anticipate a similar order and 
harmony in the organic world. And this is no- 
doubt true, but it by no means follows that the — 
particular order and harmony observed among 
them should be that which we see. Surely the — 
