LAW OF VARIATIONS. 31 



to "an innate tendency," to "the. nature asid constitu- 

 tion of the being which varies," and, in numerous 

 other portions of his works, to the same " innate ten- 

 dency," variedly paraphrased. 



This is the way in which Darwin resolves the 

 problem of the cause, or law, of improvements, in 

 order to see whether they are amenable, or not, to any 

 limit. This is the manner in which Darwinism stands 

 the test of the principal canon of the inductive philoso- 

 phy. This " innate tendency " it is, which serves for a 

 foundation stone to his theory; — a foundation upon 

 which every subsequent assumption and deduction of 

 his, depends for its strength and validity. This is the 

 outcome of his peculiar, inductive reasoning : Ani- ■ 

 mals and Plants vary, because they have an innate 

 tendency to vary ! A miserable, farcical assumption,, 

 which is naught but a restatement of the phenomena 

 to be explained. The foundation of a theory, such as 

 Darwin's, fraught as it would be, if true, with conse- 

 quences of such moment, ought to be as incontestably 

 established, as the most positive principle within the 

 realm of science. It is not the mere failure to account 

 for phenomena, to which exception is taken. Such 

 failure may well characterize any fair and legitimate 

 hypothesis or theory. But, it is the failure, the signal 

 and avowed failure, to account for phenomena which 

 lie at the very start of the inquiry, and upon which 

 the whole of the superstructure rests for support. 

 Before men should be asked to forswear their past 

 impression of the descent of Man, and required to 



admit (under pain of ostracism from the ranks of the 

 4* 



