DARWIN 125 



does not exist, and that we must, at all costs, 

 seek natural causes for the origin of things. He 

 had not abandoned the idea of the clerical pro- 

 fession because he had lost belief in God, but 

 because he had more attraction for catching 

 butterflies and shooting birds. Still a firm theist, 

 he had been convinced, as a candid geologist, 

 by Ly ell's demonstration that God had had 

 nothing to do with the moulding of hill and 

 valley or the distribution of land and water. As 

 a candid zoologist and botanist he had then con- 

 vinced himself that the analogous changes in 

 the animal and plant worlds had needed no divine 

 intervention. 



As yet, however, he saw no reason to draw more 

 radical conclusions. He sought, as far as honour 

 permitted, a certain peace of thought by asking 

 whether this indirect action of the personal Ruler 

 over such vast provinces did not enhance the 

 idea of him instead of detracting from it. 



Goethe would have been prepared, on his 

 principles, to recognise the step taken in the 

 direction of natural law as a victory for our in- 

 creasing knowledge of and reverence for the Deity. 

 For him a natural law was the will of God ; if 

 natural selection created species, he would have 

 seen merely the will of God in selection. But 

 Darwin had not yet advanced so far, and still 

 less could this be expected in his pious readers. 



However, we find a curious confession a few 

 paragraphs before the theistic conclusion of the 

 book. It runs: " Light will be thrown on the 



