124 REVERSION, NOT A LAW, SUI GENERIS. 



crystal, is precisely analogous to reversion, to the 

 reproduction of a lost member, to the reintegration 

 of tissue, and to the repair of a wound or abrasion. 

 Darwin merely mentions, that he has heard this re- 

 parative power of the crystal, likened to the repair of 

 a wound, in an animal. Herbert Spencer also re- 

 frains from any extended allusion to this power in the 

 crystal ; doubtless, from distrust of the effect its impli- 

 cations would have, upon his hypothesis. 



This analogy most happily illustrates the absurdity, 

 of Darwin's adducing the phenomena of variation, to 

 prove the evolution of the species. 



Suppose the same crystal, truncated of its edge. 

 With this edge gone, the crystal is found by Darwin. 

 He places it in a solution, similar to that in which it 

 was first formed. The reproduction of the lost edge, 

 then ensues. He inquires the reason, why this part of 

 the crystal has developed. To this he can answer, 

 only that it develops, because it has an "innate ten- 

 dency" so to develop. (As Ancient Pistol has it, 

 "Semper idem, absque hoc nihil est.") He affects to 

 believe himself forced to conclude that the growth of 

 the edge, is an ultimate fact. He then says that*as 

 this development has taken place, he is entitled to the 

 presumption that it will continue forever, or indefi- 

 nitely. Given, then (he would by analogy, say), a 

 thousand years or a thousand hours; and who is to 

 say, into what, this crystal will not develop ? and, may 

 not each of the species, of crystals, evolve one from 

 another? You cannot assume a limit (he would say), 

 other than gratuitously. There cannot, possibly, then, 



