68 WHAT IS DARWINISM? 



that life is manifested have an inherent power 

 of adjustment to each other and to their sur- 

 roundings ; and that this adjustment necessarily 

 leads to the greatest amount of variety and 

 beauty and enjoyment, because it does depend 

 on general laws, and not on a continual super- 

 vision and rearrangement of details." (p. 268) 

 " The strange springs and traps and pitfalls 

 found in the flowers of Orchids, cannot," he 

 says, " be necessary per se, since exactly the 

 same end is gained in ten thousand other flowers 

 which do not possess them. Is it not then an 

 extraordinary idea, to imagine the Creator of 

 the universe contriving the various complicated 

 parts of these flowers, as a mechanic might 

 contrive an ingenious toy or a difficult puzzle ? 

 Is it not a more worthy conception, that they 

 are the results of those general laws which were 

 so coordinated at the first introduction of life 

 upon the earth as to result necessarily in the 

 utmost possible development of varied forms-" 

 (p. 270) " I for one," he says, " cannot believe 

 that the world would come to chaos if left to 

 law alone If any modification of struc- 

 ture could be the result of law, why not all ? 

 If some self-adaptations should arise, why not 

 others ? If any varieties of color, why not all. 



