LOUIS AGASSIZ 133 



valuable to-day, when no one doubts the 

 change of species by descent, as it was 

 when the weight of scientific opinion 

 leaned the other way. " A theory con- 

 nects facts as a string holds the pearls of 

 a necklace : the theory itself may be as 

 worthless as the string." 



Agassiz's enthusiastic belief in the 

 popularising of science makes it inappro- 

 priate to ignore the incompetent public 

 whose discussions have overlaid the 

 scientific debate. Theories of evolution 

 have great simplicity of result along with 

 great technicality in evidence, and they 

 have in consequence a nimiety of cham- 

 pions and of opponents. Even to-day 

 the man whose knowledge is limited to 

 the statement that Darwin said every 

 man was descended from a monkey, will 

 often volunteer to throw the weight of 

 his influence on one side or the other. 

 The great illiterate reading public seems 

 to think that scientific theory is a matter 

 of grace to believe, and that nobody is 



