ORIGIN OF THE PROBLEM 3 



expression of a general plan which the Creator wished 

 once and for all to realize, or whether this similarity 

 rests really upon actual relationship (blood-relationship). 

 We can easily come to the latter conclusion, since in 

 point of fact we observe that the greater the resem- 

 blance between definite individuals so much the closer 

 is the true blood-relationship. Children, as is often said, 

 resemble the parent like ' their very image/ and brothers 

 and sisters are, as between themselves, of the greatest 

 similarity. Negroes, Indians, Chinese are also ' true ' 

 men and resemble the Europeans, but the reason of 

 their perfect racial resemblance, which is shown by the 

 Negro, we seek and find again in their descent from 

 black parents, in their close or more distant blood- 

 relationship. Ought we or must we therefore also, in 

 order to explain that Europeans, Negroes, Indians, etc., 

 are all men, accept a common descent for all and 

 therefore an actual blood-relationship, even though 

 it be a cousinship 1000 or 10,000 degrees removed ? 



The same question can also be raised in view of the 

 similarity of the systematic hierarchy established for 

 animals and plants. Is every resemblance, be it ever 

 so trifling as, for instance, the possession of a vertebral 

 column the expression of an actual blood-relationship, 

 or what is the same thing the descent from common 

 progenitors in the dim and distant past ? 



The question cannot obviously be determined a 

 priori nor even by the direct observation of the animal 

 and plant forms of the present day. We observe, 

 indeed, that blood-relationship (descent from the same 



B 2 



