106 The Higher Usefulness of Science 



1WISH to point out in the briefest way possible the 

 vital importance to biology of the truth of these 

 statements. 



We are familiar with the view that the transition 

 from the pre-Darwinian to the Darwinian era of biology 

 was accompanied by a complete revolution of concep- 

 tion as to the significance and value of our systems of 

 classification of living beings. The current notion is 

 that the old taxonomy was superficial in that it was 

 merely descriptive, but that, with the oncoming of the 

 doctrine of evolution, it became profound because it 

 then became a record of evolution. While formerly 

 we are wont to say, the schemes of classification were 

 only logical, or verbal, those of the present era are 

 truly scientific, because natural; and they are natural 

 because based on genetic kinship. And in the minds 

 of many biologists the still further notion has gained 

 lodgment that systematic zoology and botany should 

 be looked upon as marking the juvenile period in the 

 life of biology; and as having been outgrown and left 

 behind when evolution came, something as a boy's fal- 

 setto voice and beardless face are left behind when 

 adolescence is reached. It is this view, I suppose, 

 which makes many a present-day biologist feel that if 

 by chance he is caught having anything to do with 

 description and classification, he must explain that it is 

 only a little by-play with him, that he is not really 

 interested in it, it being too small a matter to merit 

 the full occupancy of his manly powers. 



