60 DARWINIANA. 



a telescope, perfected by the long-continued efforts of 

 the highest human intellects," we could carry out the 

 analogy, and draw satisfactory illustrations and infer- 

 ences from it. The essential, the directly intellectual 

 thing is the making of the improvements in the tele- 

 scope or the steam-engine. Whether the successive 

 improvements, being small at each step, and consist- 

 ent with the general type of the instrument, are ap- 

 plied to some of the individual machines, or entire 

 new machines are constructed for each, is a minor 

 matter. Though, if machines could engender, the 

 adaptive method would be most economical ; and 

 economy is said to be a paramount law in Nature. 

 The origination of the improvements, and the suc- 

 cessive adaptations to meet new conditions or subserve 

 other ends, are what answer to the supernatural, and 

 therefore remain inexplicable. As to bringing them 

 into use, though wisdom foresees the result, the cir- 

 cumstances and the natural competition will take care 

 of that, in the long-run. The old ones will go out of 

 use fast enough, except where an old and simple ma- 

 chine remains still best adapted to a particular pur- 

 pose or condition — as, for instance, the old Newcomen 

 engine for pumping out coal-pits. If there's a Divin- 

 ity that shapes these ends, the whole is intelligible 

 and reasonable ; otherwise, not. 



We regret that the necessity of discussing philo- 

 sophical questions has prevented a fuller examination 

 of the theory itself, and of the interesting scientific 

 points which are brought to bear in its favor. One 

 of its neatest points, certainly a very strong one for 

 the local origination of species, and their gradual diifu- 



