20 



once met with any sympathetic agreement. It 

 is probable that some did then believe in evo 

 lution, but they were either silent or expressed 

 themselves so ambiguously that it was not easy 

 to understand their meaning. Now things are 

 wholly changed, and almost every naturalist 

 admits the great principle of evolution." 

 Were Darwin living to-day, he might add, 

 "'Now things are changed,' with a ven 

 geance"; for not only is evolution accepted, but 

 the more ardent believers in the doctrine strive 

 to read him out of the school of evolution 

 altogether. 



\ Of course, in order to show that the princi 

 ple of evolution was at work throughout all 

 organic life, Darwin felt himself obliged to give 

 some reasonable explanation of the manner in 

 which the principle operated. He wished to 

 convince rational beings of the truth of his 

 hypothesis, and for this reason he was forced 

 to cast about for a cause of its operation. 

 Just as Father Wasmann feels himself obliged 

 to answer to his own mind the question : By 

 what agency does evolution accomplish its 

 wonderful results? so did Darwin feel forced 



