28 THE GENESIS OF SPECIES. [CHAP. 



book is intended to support. For, from Mr. Darwin's usual 

 mode of speaking, it appears that by such divine action he 

 means a supernatural intervention, whereas it is here con- 

 tended that throughout the whole process of physical evo- 

 lution the first manifestation of life included supernatu- 

 ral action is assuredly not to be looked for. 



Again, in justice to Mr. Darwin, it may be observed 

 that he is addressing the general public, and opposing the 

 ordinary and common objections of popular religionists, who 

 have inveighed against " Evolution " and " Natural Selec- 

 tion " as atheistic, impious, and directly conflicting with the 

 dogma of creation. 



Still, in so important a matter, it is to be regretted that 

 he did not take the trouble to distinguish between such 

 merely popular views and those which repose upon some 

 more venerable authority. Mr. John Stuart Mill has replied 

 to similar critics, and shown that the assertion that his 

 philosophy is irreconcilable with theism is unfounded ; and 

 it would have been better if Mr. Darwin had dealt in the 

 same manner with some of his assailants, and shown the 

 futility of certain of their objections when viewed from a 

 more elevated religious stand-point. Instead of so doing, he 

 seems to adopt the narrowest notions of his opponents, and, 

 far from endeavoring to expand them, appears to wish to 

 indorse them, and to lend to them the weight of his author- 

 ity. It is thus that Mr. Darwin seems to admit and assume 

 that the idea of " creation " necessitates a belief in an in- 

 terference with, or dispensation of, natural laws, and that 

 " creation " must be accompanied by arbitrary and unorderly 

 phenomena. None but the crudest conceptions are placed 

 by him to the credit of supporters of the dogma of creation, 

 and it is constantly asserted that they, to be consistent, 

 must offer " creative fiats " as explanations of physical phe- 

 nomena, and be guilty of numerous other such absurdities. 

 It is impossible, therefore, to acquit Mr. Darwin of at least 



