62 



done from the first without the red clover, as, to be sure, the 

 clover has done all along without the bees, to self-sacrifice them- 

 selves in such untold millions for what they can do so well 

 without. It no doubt is so, but I have always found bees very 

 obliging to all my demands upon them. I may say that I feel 

 particularly obliged to the queen bee, who, though she does not 

 41 gather honey all the day from every opening flower " herself, 

 was very complaisant and resolved to lay eggs which should 

 produce bees so well-behaved towards the red clover, and 

 towards me. 



I believe that this notion is to "banish the belief of the 

 creation of new organic beings, or of any great and sudden 

 modification of their structure." Such notions serve the purpose 

 of Infidels till they are exploded. What is that to me ! 

 Professor Phillips has, indeed, said that " No. one who advanced 

 so far in philosophy as to have thought of one thing in relation 

 to another, will ever be satisfied with laws which had no author, 

 works which had no maker, and co-ordination which had no 

 designer." That was his opinion, no doubt ; mine is different. 

 That is all about it. N'importe, as I said before. Fiction before 

 fact, any day, for me. 



I believe that "there is no such thing as species," and I also 



\e that " all varieties are in the act of becoming species." 



What next ? you will ask me. Whatever I please, is my answer. 



I believe that Natural Selection will, some time or other, cease 



her carnage of extermination, after the slaughter of infinite 



millions beyond all power of calculation, or even of thought ; and 



that every plant and every animal will be perfect. Whether 



;tre to feed on one another or not, I leave to them to say 



what care I ? There may be men with wings for aught I know. 



or B] . HUTU i aids and dragons, centaurs and 



sphinxes, animals able to talk, and so forth in the "sequence of 



events." The understanding is all v ry well in its way, but 



commend me to the " use of Imagination," as aforesaid. Nothing 



ience ! Has not Tyndall said so ? Of course, he has. 



1 believe that all this is to be brought about without any 

 without any plan. I shall think what I like, 



