128 DARWINIANA. 



which, nevertheless, appears better fitted than any other 

 that has been broached to explain, if it be possible to 

 explain, somewhat of the manner in which organized 

 beings may have arisen and succeeded each other. In 

 this dilemma we might take advantage of Mr. Dar- 

 win's candid admission, that he by no means expects to 

 convince old and experienced people, whose minds are 

 stocked with a multitude of facts all regarded during 

 a long course of years from the old point of view. This 

 is nearly our case. So, owning no call to a larger faith 

 than is expected of us, but not prepared to pronounce 

 the whole hypothesis untenable, under such construc- 

 tion as we should put upon it, we naturally sought 

 to attain a settled conviction through a perusal of 

 several proffered refutations of the theory. At least, 

 this course seemed to offer the readiest way of bringing 

 to a head the various objections to which the theory 

 is exposed. On several accounts some of these opposed 

 reviews especially invite examination. "We propose, 

 accordingly, to conclude our task with an article upon 

 " Darwin and his Reviewers." 



