Darwin s Ethical Theory. 185 



ring to the ornaments of male birds their brill 

 iant tails, their combs and wattles, their gorgeous 

 plumes, their elongated feathers, their top-knots, 

 and so forth. 



There is no need, however, of here following 

 farther Darwin s theory of sexual selection. It 

 is alone with the animal sense of the beautiful, 

 on which the theory rests, that we are now con 

 cerned. That faculty, be it observed, Darwin ac 

 cepts as he finds it, ready-made ; his task is merely 

 to trace its operations in the various orders of as 

 cending life. What may be the nature and the 

 source of the psychical organization that enables 

 beings to perceive the beautiful, Darwin no more 

 considers than the cognate question concerning 

 the powers that apprehend the true. But when he 

 treats of the faculty that discerns the good, i.e., 

 conscience, he undertakes to show us whence it 

 came and how it ivas made ! This unique inno 

 vation in method is tantamount to a transition 

 from science to speculation. 



Darwin s conjectural ethics, then, we may now 

 conclude, is wholly unsupported by his observa 

 tional biology. 



The next question is, How does the theory 

 accord with the facts ? Surrendering the unde 

 served prestige they have hitherto enjoyed from 



