NATURAL SELECTION, ETC. 103 



day. But it is hard, if not impossible, to find a stop- 

 ping-place. Some of the facts or accepted conclusions 

 already referred to, and several others, of a more gen- 

 eral character, which must be taken into the account, 

 impel the theory onward with accumulated force. 

 Vires (not to say virus) acquirit eundo. The theory 

 hitches on wonderfully well to Lyell's unif ormitarian 

 theory in geology that the thing that has been is the 

 thing that is and shall be that the natural operations 

 now going on will account for all geological changes in 

 a quiet and easy way, only give them time enough, so 

 connecting the present and the proximate with the 

 farthest past by almost imperceptible gradations a 

 view which finds large and increasing, if not general, 

 acceptance in physical geology, and of which Darwin's 

 theory is the natural complement. 



So the Darwinian theory, once getting a foothold, 

 marches boldly on, follows the supposed near ances- 

 tors of our present species farther and yet farther back 

 into the dim 'past, and ends with an analogical infer- 

 ence which " makes the whole world kin." As we said 

 at the beginning, tjiis upshot discomposes us. Several 

 features of the theory have ail uncanny look. They 

 may prove to be innocent : but their first aspect is suspi- 

 cious, and high authorities pronounce the whole thing 

 to be positively mischievous. In this dilemma we are 

 going to take advice. Following the bent of our preju- 

 dices, and hoping to fortify these by new and strong 

 arguments, we are going now to read the principal 

 reviews which undertake to demolish the theory 

 with what result our readers shall be duly informed. 



