30 Darwinism 



profit even now by many of our modern Darwinians. 

 For some time after the publication of the ' Origin of 

 Species ' Mivart appears to be almost the only man of 

 science fully alive to the weak points of the Darwinian 

 theory. The great majority seem to have been dazzled 

 by its brilliancy. The main attack on Darwinism was 

 conducted by the theologians and their allies, who 

 considered it to be subversive of the Mosaic account 

 of the creation. . . . They confounded ' natural selec- 

 tion * with ' evolution/ and directed the main force of 

 their attack against the latter, under the impression 

 that they were fighting the Darwinian theory. . . . 

 Had the theologians admitted ' evolution,' but denied 

 the ability of ' natural selection ' to explain it, the 

 Darwinian theory would not in all probability have 

 gained the ascendancy which it now enjoys." 



We can now go on to consider nature's methods 

 for keeping down the excess of reproduction, which 

 Darwin acknowledged in his own words to be " most 

 obscure." 



