5G 



rather than held togethei' by the ordinary medium of an 

 obvious logical bond." Then^ after a lengthened critical 

 analysis of Darwin's plan^ investigations and reasonings and 

 after treating all opponents of the theory of evolution, and 

 more especially Biblical scholars^ with no small amount of scorn 

 and ridicule, and after lavishing npon them a very ample 

 vocabulary of hard names and epithets, Huxley, with admirable 

 simplicity and praiseworthy candour, concludes as follows : — 

 " There is no fault to be found with Darwin^s method, then ; 

 but it is another question whether he has fulfilled all the 

 conditions imposed by that method. Is it satisfactorily 

 proved, in fact, that species may be originated by selection ? 

 that there is such a thing as natural selection ? that none of 

 the phenomena exhibited by species are inconsistent with the 

 origin of species in this way ? If these questions can be 

 answered in the affirmative, Darwin's view steps out of the 

 ranks of hypotheses into those of proved theories ; but, so 

 long as the evidence at present adduced falls short of enforcing 

 that affirmation, so long, to our minds, must the new doctrine 

 be content to remain among the former — an extremely valuable, 

 and in the highest degree probable doctrine, indeed the only 

 extant hypothesis which is worth anything in a scientific point 

 of view ; but still a hypothesis, and not yet the theory of 

 species. After much consideration, and with assuredly no 

 bias against Mr. Darwin's views, it is our clear conviction 

 that, as the evidence stands, it is not absolutely proven that 

 a group of animals, having all the characters exhibited by 

 species in nature, has ever been originated by selection, 



whether artificial or natural Mr. Darwin is perfectly 



aware of this weak point, and brings forward a multitude of 

 ingenious and important arguments to diminish the force of 

 the objection. We admit the value of these arguments to the 

 fullest extent ; nay, we will go so far as to express our belief 

 that experiments, conducted by a skilful physiologist, would 

 very probably obtain the desired production of mutually more 

 or less infertile breeds from a common stock, in a comparatively 

 few years ; but still, as the case stands at present, this ' little 

 rift within the lute ■* is not to be disguised nor overlooked." '^ 

 The essence of Darwin's hypothesis is, that all forms of life, 

 from the humblest zoophyte up to man, have evolved from 

 one primordial germ. All species, he maintains, have been 

 produced by the development of varieties from common stocks 

 by the conversion of these first into permanent races and then 



* Lay SoDions, pp. 294, seq. 



