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to believe in a sort of spasmodic evolution. 

 This evolution seems to be partial, or chro 

 matic, or intermittent ; and Father Wasmann 

 is singularly hesitant about formulating his 

 views in anything like a plain categorical state 

 ment. Although he tells us that in his special 

 line of studies he has come upon "a number of 

 interesting phenomena, which are biologically 

 explicable only from the point of view of evo 

 lution"; although he says "The principle of 

 the theory of evolution is the only one which 

 supplies us with a natural explanation of these 

 phenomena, and therefore we accept it"; and 

 although he emphasizes this latter statement 

 by printing it in italics ; we find that it is soon 

 defecated by him to a mere transparency, and 

 he so sublimates it that from a proof it soon 

 becomes a mere probability. Although he 

 finds evolution the only explanation of the phe 

 nomena which he has observed, and although 

 he adds that therefore he accepts it, in the 

 very same breath he asks, "But to what extent 

 do we accept it?" And his answer is in italics : 

 "Just as far as its application is supported by 

 actual proofs" And when he "attempts to 



