448 THE CAUSES OF THE 



XI 



fessing to discuss a single question, an encyclo- 

 paedia, I cannot help it. 



Now, having had an opportunity of considering 

 in this sort of way the different statements bear- 

 ing upon all theories whatsoever, I have to lay 

 before you, as fairly as I can, what is Mr. Darwin's 

 view of the matter and what position his theories 

 hold, when judged by the principles which I have 

 previously laid down, as deciding our judgments 

 upon all theories and hypotheses. 



I have already stated to you that the inquiry 

 respecting the causes of the phenomena of organic 

 nature resolves itself into two problems the first 

 being the question of the origination of living or 

 organic beings ; and the second being the totally 

 distinct problem of the modification and perpetua- 

 tion of organic beings when they have already 

 come into existence. The first question Mr. 

 Darwin does not touch ; he does not deal with it 

 at all ; but he says : " (riven the origin of organic 

 matter supposing its creation to have already 

 taken place, my object is to show in consequence 

 of what laws and what demonstrable properties of 

 organic matter, and of its environments, such 

 states of organic nature as those with which we 

 are acquainted must have come about." This, you 

 will observe, is a perfectly legitimate proposition ; 

 every person has a right to define the limits of 

 the inquiry which he sets before himself ; and yet 

 it is a most singular thing that in all the multi- 



