THE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE. 29 



bility of variation is clearly, however 

 restrictedl}'-, to be regarded as a point of 

 observation. A mere accident- — namely, the 

 shortness of the period over which we are 

 able to extend such observations as might 

 be called, practical — is the main reason why 

 the variation of the species does not, on the 

 whole, appear so very important. We have 

 merely, consonantly with the results of other 

 observations, to suppose that for thousands 

 of millions of years there have been living 

 beings in existence on our earth, and we 

 shall soon understand how it was possible 

 for the now-existing species and races to 

 arise through continued gradual variations, 

 analogous to those which have actually 

 fallen under our own observation. 



It appears, therefore, to me, that Darwin's 

 theory is but the unavoidable result of the 

 principles recognised in the modern science 

 of nature. It is founded upon observation. 



