256 DARWINIANISM. 



1871 speculating about the spontaneous formation, in 

 " some warm little pond," " with all sorts of ammonia 

 and phosphoric salts," etc., of " a proteine compound " 



" ready to undergo still more complex changes." 



He tells Wallace in 1872 : "I should like to live to see 

 archebiosis (spontaneous generation) proved true, for it 

 would be a discovery of transcendent importance;" and, 

 equally significantly, he admits to Haeckel (p. 180)," If 

 it could 'be proved true, this would be most important 

 to us ! " Anent his proteine compound in connection 

 with these degenerate days, however, he somewhat 

 comically laments, Even " if (and oh ! what a big if !) 

 we could conceive that it actually were formed " " such 

 matter would be instantly devoured," " which would 

 not have been the case before living creatures were 

 formed ! " 



Spontaneous generation, then, he cannot have, and 

 creation he will not have ; so there is nothing left him 

 but his indefinite " appeared." Somehow, and some- 

 where, and at some time but how we cannot tell, and 

 where we cannot tell, and when we cannot tell there 

 " appeared " a living organised First. That living 

 organised First varied into all that we see all that we 

 see in every beast of the earth, and fish of the sea, and 

 fowl of the air, and everything that creepeth upon the 

 earth. It is not the First, then, that is Mr. Darwin's 

 affair ; it is alone that into which this First varied : Mr. 

 Darwin can operate alone on his own middle. 



But even so the principles of the middle, as is seen, 

 do not conduct, and are not a clue, to the principles of 

 the beginning. The two are utterly disparate ; utterly 

 distant, the one from the other : the " appeared " is with- 

 out explanation. No doubt, with it (his "appeared"), 

 Mr. Darwin believed that he had avoided every difficulty. 

 But is that so ? Whether as created, or whether as 



