222 



Charles Darwin. 



\ 



(oi life upon the globe. This he has done in a man- 

 ner so masterly that there lives not in the world a \j 

 working biologist, a scientific man engaged in this 

 field of research, who has not, directly or indirectly, \ 

 accepted his great conclusions, and the larger bady L 

 of biologists have accepted them directly. 



Let us now go back to the statement that, prior to 

 the time of Darwin, scientific men engaged in re- 

 searches relating to vegetal and animal life were 

 occupied chiefly in the discernment, discrimination, 

 and classification of facts. 



Botanists and zoologists were engaged in describ- 

 ing species, and classifying species, and this did not 

 always enlist the highest talent ; and naturalists had 

 become wearied with discussions over minute differ- 

 ences and obscure resemblances, the origin and 

 meaning of which were not understood. 



The discovery, largely made by Darwin, of the 

 laws of succession, or genesis, gave to this depart- 

 ment of scientific research a wonderful impetus, and 

 since that day thousands of men have sprung up 

 throughout the civilised world to take part in 

 biologic research. 



In this field the greatest talent of the latest time 

 is absorbed. The philosophy of biology satisfies 

 the reason. In the universe of life, system is dis- 

 covered, and biologists see visions of the origin of 

 living beings, and dream dreams of the destiny of 

 living beings. 



Had philosophers discovered that the generations 

 of living beings were degenerating, they would have 

 discovered despair. Had they discovered that life 



