Apes. 209 



pretence of a chain. Yet this is precisely 

 Mr. Darwin's chosen mode of progression. 



" In the class of mammals," he tells us, " the 

 steps are not difficult to conceive which led 

 from the ancient Monotremata to the ancient 

 Marsupials ; and from these to the early progeni- 

 tors of' the placental animals." In this theory 

 of Ascensive Development " the steps " are every 

 thing. But where are they ? Their discovery is 

 hopeless, their demonstration is impossible ; no 

 matter : they " are not difficult to conceive " ! 



"We may thus ascend to the Lemuridae." 

 " Thus " : by steps which cannot be found ; 

 steps on which no one ever stood ; but still, 

 steps which Mr. Darwin finds it "not difficult 

 to conceive." And then: "from these to the 

 Simiadae" "the interval is not wide." So be 

 it : but however it be, it is nothing to the 

 purpose. That which is to the purpose is not 

 the width, but the fact of " the interval." And 

 this fact of " the interval " is attested by Mr. 

 Darwin himself. And with this " interval " be- 

 fore him, and these aerial " steps," and these 

 appearances which are " apparent " only to 

 " an obscure glance," Mr. Darwin can so far 

 overlook the obvious and actual, in his zeal 

 for the ideal and imaginary, as to say " If 

 a single link in this chain had never existed 1 " 



