THE PHENOMENA OF ORGANIC NATURE 111 



to creeds ; they are bound by articles of no sort ; there 

 is not a single belief that it is not a bounden duty with 

 them to hold with a light hand and to part with it, cheerfully, 

 the moment it is really proved to be contrary to any fact, 

 great or small. And if in course of time I see good reasons 

 for such a proceeding, I shall have no hesitation in coming 

 before you, and pointing out any change in my opinion 

 without finding the slightest occasion to blush for so doing. 

 So I say that we accept this view as we accept any other, 

 so long as it will help us, and we feel bound to retain it 

 only so long as it will serve our great purpose the improve- 

 ment of Man's estate and the widening of his knowledge. 

 The moment this, or any other conception, ceases to be 

 useful for these purposes, away with it to the four winds ; 

 we care not what becomes of it 1 



But to say truth, although it has been my business to 

 attend closely to the controversies roused by the publication 

 of Mr. Darwin's book, I think that not one of the enormous 

 mass of objections and obstacles which have been raised 

 is of any very great value, except that sterility case which 

 I brought before you just now. All the rest are misunder- 

 standings of some sort, arising either from prejudice, or want 

 of knowledge, or still more from want of patience and care in 

 reading the work. 



For you must recollect that it is not a book to be read 

 with as much ease as its pleasant style may lead you to 

 imagine. You spin through it as if it were a novel the 

 first time you read it, and think you know all about it ; 

 the second time you read it you think you know rather less 

 about it ; and the third time, you are amazed to find 

 how little you have really apprehended its vast scope and 

 objects. I can positively say that I never take it up without 

 finding in it some new view, or light, or suggestion that 

 I have not noticed before. That is the best characteristic 

 of a thorough and profound book ; and I believe this 

 feature of the Origin of Species explains why so many 

 persons have ventured to pass judgment and criticisms 

 upon it which are by no means worth the paper they are 

 written on. 



Before concluding these lectures there is one point to 

 which I must advert, though, as Mr. Darwin has said 

 nothing about man in his book, it concerns myself rather 

 than him ; for I have strongly maintained on sundry 

 occasions that if Mr. Darwin's views are sound, they apply 



