TELEOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF ORGANISM. 47 



as men could not have begun to want to use microscopes 

 until they had had a microscope which should show 

 them that such an instrument would be useful to them, 

 and that hence there is nothing to account for the 

 beginning of microscopes, which might indeed make 

 some progress when once originated, but which could 

 never originate? 



It might be pointed out to such a reasoner, firstly, 

 that as regards any acquired power the various stages 

 in the acquisition of which he might be supposed able 

 to remember, he would find that, logic notwithstanding, 

 the wish did originate the power, and yet was originated 

 by it, both coming up gradually out of something which 

 was not recognisable as either power or wish, and 

 advancing through vain beating of the air, to a vague 

 effort, and from this to definite effort with failure, and 

 from this to definite effort with success, and from this 

 to success with little consciousness of effort, and from 

 this to success with such complete absence of effort that 

 he now acts unconsciously and without power of intro- 

 spection, and that, do what he will, he can rarely or 

 never draw a sharp dividing line whereat anything 

 shall be said to begin, though none less certain that 

 there has been a continuity in discontinuity, and a dis- 

 continuity in continuity between it and certain other 

 past things ; moreover, that his opponents postulated 

 so much beginning of the microscope as that there 

 should be a dew drop, even as our evolutionists start 

 with a sense of touch, of which sense all the others are 

 modifications, so that not one of them but is resolvable 

 into touch by more or less easy stages ; and secondly, 



