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CHAPTER XIX. 



THE DIFFICULTY WITH WHICH THE "ORIGIN" WAS 

 UNDERSTOOD. 



Even earlier than Huxley, H. C. Watson wrote 

 warmly accepting natural selection. In his letter, 

 which is dated November 21st, 1859, he said : — 



"Your leading idea will surely become recognised as an 

 established truth in science— ^.e. ' Natural Selection.' It has 

 the characteristics of all great natural truths, clarifying what 

 was obscure, simplifying what was intricate, adding greatly to 

 previous knowledge. You are the greatest revolutionist in 

 natural history of this century, if not of all centuries." 



For some years to come, however, such views as 

 these were the exception, as will soon be shown. 



The Duke of Argyll has argued {Nineteenth 

 Century, December, 1887) that the success of 

 "Natural Selection" has followed from the con- 

 vincing character of the words used, scientific men 

 ("the populace of science" he calls them) being 

 so easily led by the power of loose analogies that 

 they have been convinced of the truth of the 

 principle because they are familiar with Nature on 

 the one hand, and selection as a process on the other ! 



As I am not aware that this preposterous sugges- 

 tion has ever been publicly disproved, and since 



