82 MODERN IDEAS OF EVOLUTION 



species true to its characters. The gardener finds 

 this when he endeavours to select and perpetuate 

 particular varieties. He not only finds that thes, 

 become less fertile by breeding in and in, so as t 

 tend toward extinction, but that if exposed to the 

 action of the pollen of the normal form, or of another 

 variety, they rapidly return to the type of the spec.es. 

 Thus the processes of wind-fertilisation and mse 

 fertilisation, which evolution relies on in the interest 

 of descent with modification, are precisely those 

 which the Author of Nature has established to prevent 

 such modification. It would appear that the study 

 of separate organs, whether in plants or animals, as 

 little helps us to any origin, other than that of Divme 

 power, as the study of the organisms as a whole. 



It may be said that the result of our inquiry has 

 been eminently unsatisfactory, as failing to show 

 clearly any other origin of species than that ultimate 

 one of the Divine Creative Will. This may be ad 

 mitted, though what has been said may be held 

 indicate the path for farther investigation as to the 

 methods of the Creator s action. That evolution , 

 equally powerless in the matter may be shown by t 

 following extract from Darwin :- 



Throughout whole classes various structures are formed 

 on the same pattern, and at a very early age the embryos 

 closelv resemble each other. Therefore I cannot doub 

 that the theory of descent with modification embraces all 

 the members of the same great class or kingdom. 



