142 THE LESSON OF EVOLUTION 



evolution ; for all through the earth's history the 

 two have gone together. From the Radiolarians 

 and sponges of the Huronian, through the Trilobites 

 and Brachiopods of the older Palaeozoic, the fishes 

 .and land-plants of the newer Paleozoic, the reptiles 

 And Gymnosperms of the Mesoic, the birds, mam- 

 mals and angiosperms of the Cainozoic, the geologic 

 and biologic evolutions have marched on hand in 

 hand; and, as there has been time for one, there 

 must have been time for the other. The rate of 

 evolution does not affect Darwinism, which has 

 nothing to do with the origin of varieties. If the 

 varieties came quickly, natural selection would act 

 quickly ; and vice versa. No doubt, if the physicists 

 are right, variation must have gone on quicker than 

 it does now ; but Professor Poulton has shown that 

 the data on which physicists have calculated the 

 short history of the earth are untrustworthy, and not 

 entitled to so much weight as the facts brought 

 forward by geologists. 38 



The third objection has been brought forward by 

 Mr. Herbert Spencer, who says that selection could 

 not bring about the simultaneous development of 

 several organs towards the fulfilment of the self- 

 same object; as, for instance, those necessary for 

 leaping. This is, I think, a misconception of the 

 action of natural selection ; for Mr. Spencer seems 

 to suppose that only very few animals are pre- 

 served, all of which have one important character 

 more developed than others ; while in reality a 

 large number are preserved as many in fact as the 



38 British Association Report for 1896, p. 808. 



