FIFTH day's SITTINa. 129 



Homo. I have read what Mr. Darwin says, and must 

 leave your Lordship to form your own judgment regard- 

 ing it. 



Lord C. Why, had it not been for vaccination, we our- 

 selves might have fallen victims to small-pox ! 



Homo. Mr. Darwin might, most assuredly, my Lord. 

 May I say that I heard it stated lately that Mr. Darwin had 

 been prevented from attending to some public engagement 

 by ill health ? Probably that was not the first time he had 

 suffered in this way. Now, had the process of elimination 

 been adopted in his own case, his work on " The descent of 

 man," might never have been written, and we should not 

 now be engaged in these proceedings. 



Lord G. I think. Homo, you are becoming a little too 

 personal in making such a remark. It may be questioned, 

 however, whether, even from a scientific point of view, it 

 would be wise to disregard the weak and feeble, or have 

 them put out of the way. Newton himself was born pre- 

 maturely, and as an infant, was of extremely diminutive 

 size. Intellectual energy and physical strength do not 

 necessarily go together. 



Darwin. My Lord, Homo ought in fairness to state what 

 follows. I add that, " We could not check our sympathy, 

 if so urged by hard reason, without deterioration in the 

 noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden 

 himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows that 

 he is acting for the good of his patient ; but if we were 

 intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it could 

 only be for a contingent benefit, with a certain and great 

 present evil. Hence we must bear without complaining 

 the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak surviving and 

 propagating their kind." (Vol. i. pp. 168, 169.) 



Homo. Would these passages from Mr. Darwin's work, 



