X. 



ME. DARWIN'S CRITICS. 1 



THE gradual lapse of time lias now separated us by more 

 than a decade from the date of the publication of the 

 " Origin of Species " and whatever may be thought or 

 said about Mr. Darwin's doctrines, or the manner in 

 which he has propounded them, this much is certain, 

 that, in a dozen years, the " Origin of Species " has 

 worked as complete a revolution in biological science as 

 the " Principia " did in astronomy and it has done so, 

 because, in the words of Helmholtz, it contains "an 

 essentially new creative thought." 2 



And as time has slipped by, a happy change has come 

 over Mr. Darwin's critics. The mixture of ignorance 

 and insolence which, at first, characterized a large pro- 

 portion of the attacks with which he was assailed, is no 

 longer the sad distinction of anti-Darwinian criticism. 

 Instead of abusive nonsense, which merely discredited its 

 writers, we read essays, which are, at worst, more or less 



1 1. "Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection." By A. E. 

 Wallace. 1870. 2. " The Genesis of Species." By St. George Mivart, F.R.S. 

 Second Edition. 1871. 3. " Darwin's Descent of Man." Quarterly Jteview, 

 July 1871. 



2 Helmholtz : " Ueber das Ziel und die Fortschritte der Naturwissenschaft." 

 Eroffuungsrede fur die Naturforscherversammlung zu Innsbruck. 1869. 



