212 BIOLOGICAL LECTURES. 



new meanings for old words. One calls himself an evolution- 

 ist (in a modern sense) because he is not an epigenesist in the 

 old sense ; another declares adherence to epigenesis in order 

 to emphasize the fact that he is not an evolutionist of the old 

 school ; and still another, discovering analogies in both direc- 

 tions, accepts both terms for what he can extract from them. 



The term evolution seems to have come to stay, and the 

 stanchest epigenesists of our day are known of all the world 

 as evolutionists. This title indefeasible will cling to such men 

 as Darwin, Wallace, Huxley, and Spencer. To define the 

 evolution of to-day as a contradiction of epigenesis is, indeed, 

 a step backward in our vocabulary, and one which, at first 

 sight, might be misunderstood as a return to views long ago 

 abandoned. In this deceptive appearance the controversialist 

 finds a convenient ad captandum argument. As a matter of 

 fact, no such return is anywhere visible. I do not deny that 

 analogies may be found between the new views and the old, 

 but a closer examination will show, if I am not mistaken, that 

 we are moving steadily forward, not encroaching upon, but 

 extending, the ground already conceded to epigenesis. 



It has become perfectly clear, however, that epigenesis, as. 

 now understood, does not cover the whole field. Only the 

 old epigenesis, if we except a few eccentric views of later date 

 which have had no influence, ever pretended to start the devel- 

 opment of organisms from the level of inorganic matter. No 

 entelechy equal to that task has yet been discovered. Spon- 

 taneous generation, xenogenesis, and the like, are epigenetics 

 of historical interest mainly. So far, the old epigenesis has 

 suffered curtailment, if you choose to so regard it. 



The indubitable fact on which we now build is no bit of 

 inorganic homogeneity, into which organization is to be sprung 

 by a coagulating principle, or cooked in by a calidum innatiim, 

 or wrought out by a spinning archaeus, but the ready-formed, 

 living germ, ivith an organization cut directly from a preexist- 

 ing, parental organization of the same kind. 



The essential thing here is, not simply continuity of germ- 

 substance of the same chemico-physical constitution, but actual 

 identity of germ-organization with stirp-organization. 



