FIFTY YEARS OF DARWINISM 23 



To this Darwin replied: — 



" You could not possibly have told me anything 

 which would have given me more satisfaction than what 

 you say about Mr. Mill's opinion. Until your review 

 appeared I began to think that perhaps I did not under- 

 stand at all how to reason scientifically." ^ 



THE MATURITY OF THE ORIGIN CONTRASTED 

 WITH THE CRUDITY OF RIVAL INTERPRE- 

 TATIONS 



It is remarkable to contrast the maturity, the 

 balance, the judgment, with which Darwin put 

 forward his views, with the rash and haphazard 

 objections and rival suggestions advanced by his 

 critics. It is doubtful whether so striking a con- 

 trast is to be found in the history of science; — 

 on the one side twenty years of thought and in- 

 vestigation pursued by the greatest of naturalists, 

 on the other offhand impressions upon a most 

 complex problem hastily studied and usually very 

 imperfectly understood. It is not to be won- 

 dered at that Darwin found the early criticisms 

 so entirely worthless. The following extract 

 from an interesting letter ^ to John Scott, written 

 on December 3, 1862, shows how well aware he 

 was of difficulties unnoticed by critics: — 



" You speak of difiiculties on Natural Selection : 

 there are indeed plenty; if ever you have spare time 

 (which is not likely, as I am sure you must be a hard 

 worker) I should be very glad to hear difficulties from 

 one who has observed so much as you have. The major- 



> More Letters, I, p. 189. ' More Letters, II, p. 311. 



