96 THE EVOLUTION OF MAN. 



animals in an undomesticated state. This Struggle for 

 Existence, or the universal efforts of organisms to secure the 

 necessary means of existence, works without design, but 

 yet in the same way modifies the organisms. But as under 

 its influence Heredity and Adaptation enter into most 

 intimate reciprocal relations, there necessarily arise new 

 forms, or variations, which are of advantage to the organ- 

 ism, and which have, therefore, an object, although in 

 reality not originating from a preconceived design. 



This simple fundamental idea is the real gist of Darwin- 

 ism, or the "Theory of Selection." Its author conceived 

 the idea long ago, but with admirable industry he employed 

 twenty years in collecting data from actual experience for 

 proving his theory before declaring it. In the "History 

 of Creation " (Chapter VI.), I gave a full account of the 

 method by which he reached his results, as well as of his 

 most important writings, and his life. I shall, therefore, 

 now only allude very briefly to some of the most important 

 points. 80 



Charles Darwin was born on the 12th of February, 1809, 

 at Shrewsbury, where his father, Kobert Darwin, practised 

 as a physician. His grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was 

 a thoughtful naturalist, who laboured in the line of the 

 earlier natural philosophy, and who, toward the end of 

 the eighteenth century, published several works on that 

 subject. The most important of these is his " Economy," 

 which appeared in 1794, and in which he expressed views 

 like those of Goethe and Lamarck, though he knew nothing 

 of the similar efforts of these contemporaries. Erasmus 

 Darwin transmitted to his grandson Charles, according to- 

 the law of latent transmission (Atavism), certain mole- 



