SIXTH DAY S SITTING, 139 



future generations"; and that, through these accumulated 

 and inherited useful variations in animal life, new species 

 are developed. 



Take the case, then, of any species of animal which pro- 

 duces young within a year of its birth. We have references 

 in the writings of ancient naturalists to many of them. 

 We have pictures of them on ancient monuments. We find 

 skeletons of them in ancient tombs, and in mounds and 

 caves. There are thus many animals living now which can 

 be compared with their progenitors of the 3,000th genera- 

 tion back. Can Mr. Darwin show, then, in the case of 

 any one of them, that, by successive variations accumulated 

 during 3,000 generations, it has sensibly advanced towards 

 some higher form ? Can he show that 3,000 generations 

 have, in any instance, done aught towards proving the 

 truth of his hypothesis ? It appears that he canno fc point 

 to a single such case as yielding him support. 3,000 gene- 

 rations have done literally nothing for his hypothesis. If 

 so, neither would 30,OuO, nor 300,000 ; for, as Homo truly 

 remarked, if you multiply nothing by a million, it will be 

 nothing still. 



Taking this view of the historical period, such evidence 

 as it affords does not assist Mr. Darwin's hypothesis. But 

 what of experiments made by naturalists Natural Selection 

 aided by human reason ? Men have long been engaged in 

 the breeding of cattle. We have records of human skill 

 and ingenuity in this department during a longer period 

 than 3,000 years. We know, moreover, that dome-tic 

 animals, and animals dependant on man, can easily be 

 modified. Important modifications have been produced 

 even within the present century. But has anything been 

 accomplished towards the production of a new species ? 

 Professor Iluxley, somewhat reluctantly it would appear, 



K 2 



