XVII THE METHOD OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION 367 



tion" in Mind (vol. iii., pp. 362, 372) Mr. Galton approves 

 of Mr. Bateson's work, and restates his latest views on the 

 subject, and these I now propose to consider. 



Although Mr. Galton begins by the consideration of 

 races only, that is, of well-marked forms below the value 

 of species, yet later on he applies his theory to the evolu- 

 tion of species and of all higher groups. Speaking of 

 discontinuous or, as he terms it, transilient variation, he 

 says: "A leap has taken place into a new position of 

 stability. I am unable to conceive the possibility of 

 evolutionary progress except by transiliences, for, if they 

 were mere divergences, each subsequent generation would 

 tend to regress backwards towards the typical centre, and 

 the advance which has been made would be temporary 

 and could not be maintained " (/. c, p. 368). Mr. Galton 

 has before implicitly admitted that there is such a thing 

 as natural selection, yet in this passage he reasons as if 

 it had no existence, and that regression to mediocrity 

 would occur just the same with it as without it. For the 

 essence of natural selection is that it preserves and thus 

 increases favourable variations by destroying the un- 

 favourable ; but this statement by no means expresses 

 the real power of selection, which may be better illus- 

 trated by saying that it destroys about 99 per cent, of 

 the bad and less beneficial variations, and preserves about 

 the 1 per cent, of those which are extremely favourable. 

 With such an amount of selection how can there be 

 any possible " regression back^vards towards the typical 

 centre " whenever any change in the environment demands 

 an advance in some special direction beyond it as the only 

 means of preserving the race from extinction ? Well did 

 Darwin say that unless the universal struggle for exist- 

 ence " be thoroughly ingrained in the mind, the whole 

 economy of nature, with every fact on distribution, rarity, 

 abundance, extinction, and variation will be dimly seen 

 or quite misunderstood." Almost all the misconceptions 

 of popular writers against Darwinism arise fi'om the want 

 of this constantly present recollection ; and as capable 

 and instructed writers, such as Mr. Galton and Mr. 

 Bateson, as well as capable but uninstructed writers, 



