127 



VIL 



Lyell and Modern Geology — Darwin's Theory of Selection — Beginning 

 of Life. 



Ever since mankind has consciously laboured in the 

 field of intellect, pre-eminent men have existed, who, 

 reasoning more rapidly than their contemporaries, have 

 outstripped them in the apprehension of great truths 

 and the recognition of important laws. But it is a 

 great temptation to set too high a value on these anti- 

 cipations ; and in all cases in which these intellectual 

 exploits are concerned, it will be discovered that, so to 

 speak, they floated in the air, and that it was merely a 

 keener scent and a so-called intuition resting on uncon- 

 scious inferences, which exalted the privileged being 

 above his less sharp-sighted neighbours. 



Great scientific crises, revolutions in the domain of in- 

 tellect, are prepared long beforehand ; the watch-word 

 rarely comes too early and is seldom pronounced in 

 accents unintelligible to contemporaries ; as a rule, if 

 the change has not been altogether gradual and almost 

 unperceived, but if on the contrary the veil has been 

 suddenly drawn aside by one of these chosen spirits, 

 scales fall, as it were, from the eyes of fellow-labourers 

 and spectators, and the rapidity with which the new 



