

NATURAL SELECTION, ETC. 103 



day. But it is hard, if not impossible, to find a stop- 

 ping-place. Some of the facts or accepted conclusions 

 already referred to, and several others, of a more gen- 

 eral character, which must be taken into the account, 

 impel the theory onward with accumulated force. 

 1 'ires (not to say virus) acquirit eundo. The theory 

 hitches on wonderfully well to Lyell's uniformitarian 

 theory in geology — that the thing that has been is the 

 thing that is and shall be — that the natural operations 

 now going on will account for all geological changes in 

 a quiet and easy way, only give them time enough, so 

 connecting the present and the proximate with the 

 farthest past by almost imperceptible gradations — a 

 view which finds large and increasing, if not general, 

 acceptance in physical geology, and of which Darwin's 

 theory is the natural complement. 



So the Darwinian theory, once getting a foothold, 

 marches boldly on, follows the supposed near ances- 

 tors of our present species farther and yet farther back 

 into the dim past, and ends with an analogical infer- 

 ence which " makes the whole world kin." As we said 

 at the beginning, this upshot discomposes us. Several 

 features of the theory have an uncanny look. They 

 may prove to be innocent : but their first aspect is suspi- 

 cious, and high authorities pronounce the whole thing 

 to be positively mischievous. In this dilemma we are 

 going to take advice. Following the bent of our preju- 

 dices, and hoping to fortify these by new and strong 

 arguments, we are going now to read the principal 

 reviews which undertake to demolish the theory — 

 with what result our readers shall be duly informed. 



