THE EVOLUTION OF SPECIES 153 



grass of the field, the lily, the rose, the orchid, the trees 

 of the forest, the vine, the fig-tree, and all fruit trees, 

 was from the beginning, though slower, yet as regular and 

 beautiful and ordered as is now the growth of the grass, 

 the lily, the rose, and all fruit trees. The onward march 

 to the lark, the eagle, the dog, the horse was as regular 

 as is now the development of these forms of life. The 

 advances in the history of evolution did not form a vast 

 chaos, in which were centillions of failures, but in which 

 by chance one fitting and worthy form of life appeared. 

 They formed a scene of ordered and fitting, though not 

 always the strongest, forms of life. In short, their evolu- 

 tion from the beginning was toward the good. An eye 

 resting on them at every stage would have pronounced 

 them very good. A scientist, if he could have lived and 

 examined the world of life at every stage of its history, 

 would have been able to affirm that then, as now, law 

 reigned; that then, as now, the whole action of nature 

 was ordered action. What, then, meaneth this tendency 

 so masterful to ordered progress, this obedience to law 

 and exclusion of chance? Why were the forms of life 

 evolved from the beginning in so overwhelming a measure, 

 such as commend themselves to a seeing and understand- 

 ing mind? Why was the evolution of the lily and the 

 rose, the lion and the ox, as regular as is now their 

 development from seed and egg? Why has phylogeny 

 been as beautiful as ontogeny? Why have the forces 

 of nature advanced through the millions of years with 

 patient steadiness as if knowing the end from the begin- 

 ning; as a man, turning not east nor west, north nor 

 south, or in any chance direction, but making straight 

 for a chosen goal ; as a ship, not wandering whithersoever 

 winds and currents may carry her, but guided over 

 thousands of miles to a determined haven? Why at 



