MISREPRESENTATION OF DARWINISM 159 



being spontaneously, fortuitously, and without any assistance 

 from the seal of which it is the complement." 1 



This simply accentuates the importance of adaptation to 

 the environment ; which is after all the main feature of the 

 theory that natural selection acting upon inborn variations, 

 and inborn variations only, produces all new characters, and 

 that they cannot be produced in any other manner. The 

 case should be stated thus: The believers in the inheri- 

 tance of acquired characters say that the new characters of 

 a race are acquired through the action of the environment 

 upon the individual, while the Neo-Darwinians say that the 

 new characters of a race are acquired through the action of 

 the environment upon the inborn variations occurring in all 

 the individuals of a race. 2 



The production of definite structures in the animal body 

 through the transmission of parental acquirements has been 

 explained somewhat as follows : Teeth have been supposed 

 to grow in response to the stimulus of biting. The con- 

 tinuous pressure on the jaw has caused bony protuberances 

 in the parent. These have been transmitted to the offspring, 

 and in them have been increased by continual use, growing 

 harder and larger from generation to generation. The 

 obvious objection to this particular interpretation is ; that 

 the continued use of the teeth in masticating the food does 

 not cause them to grow but wears them out. The only 

 acquirement made by man with regard to his teeth is, that 

 the longer he lives and the more he uses them the more 

 they will be worn. The same is the case with a great many 

 mammals, particularly those which chew their food a great 

 deal. In some cases the teeth have the character of con- 



1 Mercier, Charles, op. cit. 



1 To any one who understands the theory of natural selection this detailed 

 explanation may appear superfluous. That it is really necessary is rendered 

 evident by the quotations from the recent writings of a Lamarckian just quoted. 

 In considering the relative merits of two theories, where one theory lias been 

 misrepresented by the upholders of the other, it is most important that the 

 ground should be cleared of these misrepresentations, and a fair field given to 

 both parties. 



