i66 PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



Mr. Bateson's words are : " It is upon the fact of the 

 existence of this phenomenon of variation that all inductive 

 theories of Evolution have been based ".^ 



I have already quoted Wallace's opinion as opposed to this 

 view of Bateson and Darwin. True varietal and specific 

 differences are due to more profioimced variatmis in Nature 

 than "individual differences" give rise to; and are induced 

 to appear by changed conditions of life. 



The exaggerated individual differences of cultivation do 

 not occur in the wild state. The wild species of cabbage, 

 parsnip, carrot, radish have no varieties ; and if a systematic 

 botanist found them wild, they would be still regarded as one 

 species, respectively. 



Beyond exaggerating the differences in such plants under 

 cultivation, or evolving more pronounced differences in pigeons. 

 Nature is not pursuing a new course totally different from her 

 methods in the wild state. If instead of man interfering and 

 selecting any he wants, suppose he left them to grow as they 

 pleased, none of Buckman's forms of parsnip would have died 

 and only one or two survive. They were all equally adapted 

 to the changed conditions of life. 



It is a false analogy to compare man's selection with 

 Natural Selection ; because he takes care there shall be no 

 struggle, while Nature makes a struggle ; the conditions are thus 

 precisely the reverse, according to the theory ; yet Nature 

 knows no two methods of evolving new forms. 



According to Darwinism, then, a number of seedlings of 

 parsnip, carrot, radish, etc., ought to die, a. few only surviving, 

 but they refuse to do so. Every one of the forms would tend 

 to form a race. Human selection has nothing to do with the 

 origin of the forms, any one of which might have been chosen 

 instead of another. 



On the other hand, certain wild species of plants have 

 developed several varieties in different places, as Blackberry, 

 Rose, Hawkweed, Willow, Knotgrass, etc. 



^ Materials for the Study of Variation, p. 3. 



