CHAPTER XII. 



CRITICISM OF NATURAL SELECTION CONTINUED. 



WE may illustrate the sort of terms on which the 

 imagination of Mr. Darwin is with his material in this 

 way, too. 



There are inodorous women, generally very handsome 

 in form and feature, as well as perfectly sweet anil 

 gracious in disposition and mind. Why so, is inex- 

 plicable. But there the variation is. That is, by chance 

 it is. Once it is, however, nature selects it selects 

 it, and preserves and encourages it in two ways. Men, 

 namely, simply following their inclinations, have it more 

 in sight ; and wild beasts, naturally, have it less in sense. 

 Moral : all women ought to be inodorous nowadays ! 



That is the whole Darwinian philosophy. Take some- 

 thing that anecdotically strikes ; then raise it into the 

 semblance of scientific rationale by means of suppositions 

 invention through what has been called natural con- 

 jecture (as that war will deprave the race by killing off 

 the bravest as the most exposed, and leaving only the 

 weakest at home; or that it will preserve the bravest 

 to send them home to rub out the weak)! That of 

 natural conjecture, indeed, is quite a lever -proper of Mr. 

 Darwin's. Certain animals are white in winter as the 

 snow is (St. Ambrose already notices this of the hare), 

 and, escaping notice, are naturally preserved. It is 



