44 PROFESSOR V)ViJS ON THE 



attach no weight to variations brought about by man's iuter- 

 vention, because in all its aspects it points to forethought and 

 foresight, and thus gives the active intelligence for which, in 

 natural fitnesses, we are pleading. 



The introduction of the doctrine of special creation into the 

 question of the bearings of natural selection on the theory of 

 design has hampered the discussion a good deal. That there 

 are relations of a very close kind between them is seen at 

 once, because the advocates of either appeal to identical 

 phenomena in support of them. But we must remember that 

 the question is not that of the origin of specific forms, but of 

 structural and physiological fitnesses in individual forms, in 

 their relations to other and different forms and in their 

 environments. Of course, the discussion can never be 

 exhaustive till the question of origin has been determined. 

 But in our present contention this is not needed. Besides, 

 the doctrine of special creation is associated with facts 

 which reach into a region where induction is supplemented, 

 not superseded and not contradicted, by faith. Moreover, 

 there is no necessary connexion between the theoiy of design 

 and the doctrine of the independent creation of species. It 

 is conceivable, though we think the testimony of science is 

 against the notion, that the creative starting-point, recognised 

 by Darwin, might beheld potential in all after differentiations, 

 and might warrant the deduction of a wide and richly- varied 

 teleology as the outcome of the original creative act. We 

 might thus relegate the idea of design to fitnesses intended, 

 at an inconceivably remote period of the world^s history, to 

 be gradually realised m the upbuilding of the earth and in 

 the steps of the upward march of life-manifestation. But 

 this would not be natural selection. It would be a theory 

 of species and of fitnesses in them and among them, by 

 creative pre-ordination without guidance of the means thereto, 

 though these imply diversity of collocations, complex condi- 

 tions, intricate and nice adjustments otherwise inexplicable. 

 It may be urged that the forces necessary to all this are domi- 

 nated by a law itself equal to the guidance asked for, — the 

 law of continuity. This raises questions as to the extent of 

 the operation of this law, the points at which the essentially- 

 different natural and spiritual worlds meet; miracles, resurrec- 

 tion, and even incarnation, none of which can be looked at 

 here. Those who point to natural selection as a substitute for 

 the theory of design, no doubt, plead that, apart altogether 

 from such questions, it gives three instances of teleology in 

 connexion with every animal form, — one between inherent 

 tendency to change, and the ready response of the organism 



