i8 



"Furthermore, I am convinced that natural 

 selection has been the most important, but not 

 the exclusive, means of modification." 



Darwin's evolution, then, was the formula 

 tion of the broad generalization. His main 

 effort was to overthrow the scientific doctrine 

 of the immutability of species, and to supplant 

 it by the doctrine of descent with modification. 

 For this purpose he collected numberless facts 

 from every department of science, he collated 

 and compared varieties, he endeavored to sys 

 tematize the laws of variation, he pointed out 

 the struggle for existence, he dived into the 

 depths of palaeontology, he brought forward 

 arguments from morphology, embryology, 

 and rudimentary organs, he strove to trace 

 the succession of organic beings in time and 

 their geographical distribution in space 

 all this he did and a thousand times more, and 

 all for the express purpose of proving to the 

 world that species is not immutable, but that 

 all the different species of organic life now ex 

 isting on our globe have been developed from 

 a few original simple forms. And this is pre 

 cisely what Father Wasmann calls evolution 



