46 SPREAD OF EVOLUTION. [1866. 



expression of " the survival of the fittest." * This, however, 

 had not occurred to me till reading your letter. It is, however, 

 a great objection to this term that it cannot be used as a 

 substantive governing a verb ; and that this is a real objection 

 I infer from H. Spencer continually using the words, natural 

 selection. I formerly thought, probably in an exaggerated 

 degree, that it was a great advantage to bring into connection 

 natural and artificial selection ; this indeed led me to use a 

 term in common, and I still think it some advantage. I wish 

 I had received your letter two months ago, for I would have 

 worked in " the survival, &c.," often in the new edition of the 

 ' Origin,' which is now almost printed off, and of which I will 

 of course send you a copy. I will use the term in my next 

 book on Domestic Animals, &c., from which, by the way, I 

 plainly see that you expect much too much. The term 

 Natural Selection has now been so largely used abroad and 

 at home, that I doubt whether it could be given up, and with 

 all its faults I should be sorry to see the attempt made. 

 Whether it will be rejected must now depend "on the survival 

 of the fittest." As in time the term must grow intelligible 

 the objections to its use will grow weaker and weaker. I 

 doubt whether the use of any term would have made the 

 subject intelligible to some minds, clear as it is to others ; 

 for do we not see even to the present day Malthus on Popu- 

 lation absurdly misunderstood ? This reflection about Malthus 

 has often comforted me when I have been vexed at the mis- 

 statement of my views. As for M. Janet,f he is a meta- 

 physician, and such gentlemen are so acute that I think they 

 often misunderstand common folk. Your criticism on the 



* Extract from a letter of Mr. . . . Nature . . . does not so much 



: Wallace's, July 2, 1866 : "The term select special varieties as exter- 



' survival of the fittest ' is the plain minate the most unfavourable 



expression of the fact ; 'natural ones." 



selection ' is a metaphorical ex- f This no doubt refers to Janet's 



pression of it, and to a certain ' Mate'rialisme Contemporain.' 

 degree indirect and incorrect, since 



