Unproved Issues 107 



then ; but it is another question whether he has fulfilled all the 

 conditions imposed by that method. Is it satisfactorily proved, 

 in fact, that species may be originated by selection ? That 

 there is such a thing as natural selection ? That none of the 

 phenomena exhibited by species are inconsistent with the 

 origin of species in this way ? If these questions can be an- 

 swered in the affirmative, Mr. Darwin's view steps out of the 

 rank of hypotheses into those of proved theories ; but, so long 

 as the evidence at present adduced falls short of enforcing that 

 affirmation, so loug, to our minds, must the new doctrine be 

 content to remain among the former — an extremely valuable, 

 and in the highest degree probable, doctrine ; indeed, the only 

 extant hypothesis which is worth anything in a scientific point 

 of view ; but still a hypothesis, and not yet the theory of 

 species. 



"After much consideration, and assuredly with no bias against 

 Mr. Darwin's views, it is our clear conviction that, as the end- 

 ence stands, it is not absolutely proven that a group of ani- 

 mals having all the characters exhibited by species in nature, 

 has ever been originated by selection, whether natural or arti- 

 ficial. Groups having the morphological character of species, 

 distinct and permanent races, in fact, have been so produced 

 over and over again ; but there is no positive evidence at 

 present that any group of animals has, by variation and select- 

 ive breeding, given rise to another group which was in the least 

 degree infertile with the first. Mr. Darwin is perfectly aware 

 of this weak point, and brings forward a multitude of ingenious 

 and important arguments to diminish the force of the object- 

 tion. We admit the value of these arguments to the fullest 

 extent ; nay, we will go so far as to express our belief that 

 experiments, conducted by a skilful physiologist, would very 

 probably obtain the desired production of mutually more or 

 less infertile breeds from a common stock in a comparatively 

 few years ; but still, as the case stands at present, this little 

 'rift within the lute' is not to be disguised or overlooked." — 

 ( IVesimhister Review, i860.) 



"We should leave a very wrong impression on the reader's 

 mind if we permitted him to suppose that the value of Darwin's 

 work depends wholly on the ultimate justification of the theor- 

 etical views which it contains. On the contrary, if they were 



