144 Charles Darwin. 



would have a limited sale, published an edition of 

 twelve hundred and fifty, but no popular novel went 

 off faster. The entire edition was taken up the first 

 day, and, soon after, an edition of three thousand 

 was exhausted. Up to date, about twenty-five 

 thousand copies have been sold in almost every 

 land, the work being translated into many tongues. 



We have noticed in this review of Darwin's life 

 that there were, at intervals, incidents which seemed 

 to bring him continually into a brighter light, and 

 the publication of this book was one. It not merely 

 marked an epoch in his life, but, in the language of 

 his friend, Professor Huxley, " the boldness and 

 originality of his speculations, or the profound and 

 universal interest which the book awakened, must 

 be looked upon as marking an era in the progress of 

 science." 



The direct result of the publication of this work 

 was to bring the author prominently before the world 

 at large. Darwinism was born, and Darwin's theory 

 was upon every tongue. He was attacked upon all 

 sides, the principal abuse coming from churchmen, 

 who claimed that the theory was an encouragement 

 to infidelity and atheism. It is not my intention to 

 give the details of Darwin's work and ideas here ; it 

 is sufficient to say that evolution — which means the 

 coming out, the unfolding of one species from a 

 preceding — did not originate with Darwin, but the 

 latter's theory was his explanation of the methods 

 by which evolution was accomplished. He saw that 

 man, by care in breeding animals, by carefully select- 

 ing individuals, could produce strange and singular 



