SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT 21 



survival value to human beings, as " gratuitous 

 gifts," that is, as things not in any way due to the 

 action of Natural Selection, or even coming within 

 its province, things altogether outside the ken of 

 science. The same point has been argued in con- 

 nection with the lower animals. The late Professor 

 Hutton,* of whose early criticisms Darwin spoke 

 in such high terms, claims that the song of birds 

 must be considered from the same point of view. 

 "The song of birds," he writes, "apart from their 

 calls, is also due to a sense of pleasure. Several of 

 the forest birds of New Zealand sing softly to 

 themselves, and it is necessary to be very near 

 them to hear them. This is, probably, the primitive 

 style of bird melody, and the loud-throated thrush 

 and skylark came later. All these songs are the 

 result of pure enjoyment ; there is nothing useful 

 in them, so they cannot be due to Natural Selec- 

 tion." jft****^* 



And with regard to ethics, we have the confes- 

 sion of Herbert Spencer, in the days when it was 

 really dreamt that science was to explain every- 

 thing. At the conclusion of the second volume of 

 his Principles of Ethics, he tells us that he found 

 his " satisfaction somewhat dashed by the thought L^t 

 that these new parts fall short of expectation. ^4 

 The doctrine of evolution has not furnished guid- 

 ance," he adds, " to the extent that I had hoped." 

 As a matter of fact these conclusions might easily 

 have been anticipated, had it been remembered 

 that science can only take into consideration a 

 group of experiences, not the whole sum of 



* Lesson of Evolution, p. 167. 



