134 MR. Darwin's work and 



all theories whatsoever, I have to-night to lay before 

 you, as fairly as I can, what is Mr. Darwin's view of the 

 matter and what position his theories hold, when judged 

 by the principles which I have previously laid down, 

 as deciding our judgments upon all theories and hy- 

 potheses. 



I have already stated to you that the inquiry respecting 

 the causes of the phenomena of organic nature resolves 

 itself into two problems — the first being the question 

 of the origination of living or organic beings ; and the 

 second being the totally distinct problem of the modi- 

 fication and perpetuation of organic beings when they 

 have already come into existence. The first question 

 Mr. Darwin does not touch ; he does not deal with it 

 at all ; but he says — given the origin of organic matter 

 — supposing its creation to have already taken place, 

 my object is to show in consequence of what laws and 

 what demonstrable properties of organic matter, and of 

 its environments, such states of organic nature as those 

 with which we are acquainted must have come about. 

 This, you will observe, is a perfectly legitimate proposi- 

 tion ; every person has a right to define the limits of the 

 inquiry which he sets before himself; and yet it is a 

 most singular thing that in all the multifarious, and, 

 not unfrequently, ignorant attacks which have been 

 made upon the " Origin of Species," there is nothing 

 which has been more speciously criticised than this 

 particular limitation. If people have nothing else to 

 urge against the book, they say — " Well, after all, you 

 see Mr. Darwin's explanation of the 'Origin of Species' 

 is not good for much, because, in the long run, he 

 admits that he does not know how organic matter 



