ti 
erty 
9) O) 
1872.] 297 [Price. 
temperature and had the food they required. The first creatures had a 
delegated power of generation ; but nothing in nature has shown that 
they had a mission to carry on creation to higher levels either of physical 
structure, or moral excellence, or of intellectual power. 
The whole theory is built upon chance variations from the normal 
course of nature, occurring at very long intervals of time. It is, there- 
fore, presumably, not the method by which the Creator has built wp erea- 
tion, from one or a few of simplest forms of life, into all the elaborate 
classification in which we now behold it. Thus, Darwin says, ‘Natural 
selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations ; 
she can never take a sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, 
though slow, steps.’’ Ib. 190. ‘New variations are very slowly formed, 
for variation is a slow process, and natural selection can do nothing until 
individual differences or variations occur, and until a place in the natural 
polity of the country can be better filled by some modification of some 
one or more of its inhabitants.’’ Ib. 171. We have seen that the help 
that man can give to promote such variations is very limited, and that 
what he effects would soon relapse without his continuing maintenance, 
and remain but a variety, and result in no new species ; what else but na- 
ture, then, when man is not co-operating, is to ‘‘take advantage of the 
slight successive variations ?’? And what does she do? If but one parent 
has the variation it will very soon run out in the generative process. 
This Mr. Darwin readily admits, and candidly stands corrected by the 
North British Review, while monster variations seldom live any length 
of time. Ib. 93. Thus the aberrations of nature are so few and far be- 
tween, and so soon to disappear, as to afford no adequate ground for the 
change of any species, much less suffice to produce all the classes, orders, 
genera, and species, into which science has arranged all living things, 
from one ora few primary simple types. Nature is, indeed, slow to make 
enduring changes, but quick to correct her errors. If jostled in her 
processes, she does not make the imperfect product the basis of her 
further work to enlarge and perfect her systems of life, that all provided 
food should have its fitting consumers. Nature is ever truthful and casts 
aside all her products that have been marred upon her wheel, and uses 
most those which come most perfect from her hand, and thus her pro- 
gress is ever steady, or is improvement towards her best standard of each. 
created species, under favoring circumstances ; but is degradation where 
unfavorable, or man violates the law of his well-being. This is confi- 
dently said after such general survey as all who are intelligent may make, 
—all who will lift up their eyes and behold the operations of all living 
creation, or read the geological records,—not looking too constantly 
downward with limited vision as wedded to pre-conceived theory. 
Darwin admits the dearth of facts to sustain his theory, and enters into 
explanations why they are not found. He says: ‘To sum up, I believe 
that species come to be tolerably well-defined objects, and do not at any 
ene period present an inextricable chaos of varying and intermediate 
links ; first, because new varieties are very slowly formed, for variation is. 
A. P, 8,—VOL, XII—2L, 
