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I believe that the " struggle for life," which I have fancied, 

 must have " exterminated " millions upon millions of luckless 

 failures. It may be a mere assumption on my part, but I deal 

 hi assumptions. 



I believe that no explanation is at all necessary of my taking 

 it for granted that before the eye in its present state was formed 

 there must have been a " single rudimentary eye," able, though 

 only able, to discern " light from darkness, but nothing else." 

 How the first animal came to have it, is not for me to say. 

 It had it, I say. That is enough. I cannot tell you how 

 Natural Selection made it, or made it to discern light from 

 darkness. All I can say is, that "he who will go thus far, 

 ought not to hesitate to go farther" (True enough !) " His 

 reason ought to conquer his imagination " (for all that Tyndall 

 says about the " use of the Imagination in science ") " in 

 extending the principle of Natural Selection to such startling 

 lengths" That is my opinion, and opinion, mine at least, is 

 everything. 



I believe that I can give you a receipt like Mrs. Glasse's one 

 for making an eye " Take a thick layer of transparent tissue," 

 and so on. You may ask me how the materials came to be at 

 hand, and so readily. You may call this a pertinent question. 

 I call it a very impertinent one. I don't like it at all. It does not 

 suit me. I, therefore, altogether ignore it : " S'pose it 

 growed," as Topsy said. Clever creature, Topsy ! Clever 

 creature, very ! (Vide Darwin's Cookery book.) 



I believe, to proceed, "I see no very great difficulty in 

 believing " that " Natural Selection " has worked out an eye of 

 some 24,000 lenses, as in an insect, from my supposed original 

 " optic nerve, merely coated with pigment.''' Aladdin's Lamp 

 was nothing to my Natural Selection ! 



I believe that only let this " process go on for millions on 

 millions of years, and during each year on millions of individuals 

 of many kinds, and may we not suppose that a living optical 

 instrument might thus be formed, as superior to one of glass as 

 the works of the Creator are to those of man." You say it's all 

 " suppose and suppose," as the old Scotch ballad says. Well, 

 suppose it is what then ? 



