THE PERIOD OF INCUBATION 73 



No worse calamity, indeed, can happen to a great truth 

 than for its defence to be intrusted to inefficient hands. 

 Nevertheless, long after, in the 'Origin of Species/ 

 the great naturalist wrote with generous appreciation of 

 the ' Vestiges of Creation,' ' In my own opinion it has 

 done excellent service in this country in calling attention 

 to the subject, in removing prejudice, and in thus pre- 

 paring the ground for the reception of analogous views.' 

 Still Darwin gave no sign. A flaccid, cartilaginous, 

 unphilosophic evolutionism had full possession of the 

 field for the moment, and claimed, as it were, to be the 

 genuine representative of the young and vigorous 

 biological creed, while he himself was in truth the real 

 heir to all the honours of the situation. He was in 

 possession of the master-key which alone could unlock 

 the bars that opposed the progress of evolution, and still 

 he waited. He could afford to wait. He was diligently 

 collecting, amassing, investigating; eagerly reading 

 every new systematic work, every book of travels, every 

 scientific journal, every record of sport, or exploration, or 

 discovery, to extract from the dead mass of undigested 

 fact whatever item of implicit value might swell the 

 definite co-ordinated series of notes in his own common- 

 place books for the now distinctly contemplated ' Origin 

 of Species.' His way was to make all sure behind him, 

 to summon up all his facts in irresistible array, and 

 never to set out upon a public progress until he was 

 secure against all possible attacks of the ever- watchful 

 and alert enemy in the rear. Few men would have 

 had strength of mind enough to resist the temptation 

 offered by the publication of the c Vestiges of Creation,' 

 and the extraordinary success attained by so flabby a 



