CONCLUSION. 305 



In spite of the fact that the discussion has been 

 kept within the range of students whose l<;now- 

 ledge is elementary, there has been no difficulty 

 in finding abundant material without going out- 

 side the walls of the farmyard. 



I wish to lay special stress upon the help that 

 Darwinism gives us in breaking new ground, 

 because nothing so damps the enthusiasm of a 

 beginner as the thought that everything which 

 he can do has been done before. One finds that 

 among young students there seems to be a fixed 

 tendency to overrate the achievements of their 

 predecessors, and to consider that little remains 

 to be discovered. Equally mistaken is the notion 

 which one finds commonly prevalent among be- 

 ginners, that we must wander far in any region 

 of knowledge before we come to virgin soil. 

 The wilderness of the unknown comes right up 

 to our doors (had we but eyes to see it), and we 

 need not take many steps in any direction before 

 entering upon untrodden ground. 



But in order to become a pioneer of science 

 the student must be prepared to leave beaten 

 tracks and most of the facilities for travel (such 

 as books, lectures, &c.) which have helped him 

 hitherto, and to launch forth alone into regions 



U 



