﻿372 
  H. 
  B. 
  Guppy 
  — 
  Fossil 
  Botany 
  in 
  Western 
  World. 
  

  

  Aet. 
  XXIX. 
  — 
  Fossil 
  Botany 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  World: 
  An 
  

   Appreciation; 
  by 
  H. 
  B. 
  Guppy. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  student 
  of 
  plant-distribution 
  through 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  a 
  life 
  now 
  drawing 
  towards 
  its 
  close, 
  and 
  as 
  one 
  

   who 
  has 
  done 
  his 
  best 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  entangling 
  influences 
  

   of 
  geographical 
  settings 
  and 
  dominant 
  theories, 
  I 
  would 
  

   ask 
  you 
  to 
  grant 
  me 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  space 
  in 
  

   your 
  journal 
  for 
  the 
  expression 
  of 
  my 
  appreciation 
  of 
  

   the 
  part 
  now 
  taken 
  by 
  paleobotanists 
  in 
  America 
  in 
  the 
  

   investigation 
  of 
  the 
  problems 
  of 
  distribution 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   the 
  higher 
  plants 
  are 
  concerned. 
  

  

  For 
  Distribution 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  tale 
  of 
  the 
  

   Present, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  Past, 
  and 
  the 
  interpretation 
  

   of 
  the 
  connection 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  will 
  largely 
  determine 
  

   the 
  fate 
  of 
  any 
  theory 
  of 
  evolution 
  for 
  organisms 
  in 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  such 
  theories 
  of 
  development 
  

   for 
  things 
  organic 
  will 
  depend 
  for 
  future 
  generations 
  the 
  

   guidance 
  or 
  misguidance 
  in 
  things 
  intellectual. 
  So 
  that 
  

   the 
  unearthing 
  of 
  a 
  leaf 
  or 
  a 
  fruit 
  in 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  beds 
  

   is 
  a 
  far 
  more 
  important 
  matter 
  than 
  the 
  action 
  in 
  its 
  

   mere 
  crudity 
  might 
  at 
  first 
  seem 
  to 
  suggest. 
  

  

  If 
  I 
  were 
  asked 
  what 
  was 
  the 
  best 
  I 
  could 
  wish 
  for 
  the 
  

   workers, 
  I 
  should 
  say 
  without 
  hesitation, 
  plenty 
  of 
  good 
  

   criticism. 
  But 
  one 
  does 
  not 
  here 
  mean 
  the 
  hostile 
  criti- 
  

   cism 
  of 
  the 
  partisan 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  supporting 
  some 
  

   opposing 
  theory 
  all 
  his 
  life 
  and 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  any 
  angio- 
  

   spermous 
  fossils 
  in 
  his 
  bag. 
  The 
  sort 
  of 
  critics 
  that 
  

   would 
  do 
  them 
  most 
  good 
  would 
  be 
  those 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  

   household, 
  those 
  who 
  while 
  believing 
  in 
  their 
  mission 
  as 
  

   the 
  preachers 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  era 
  in 
  things 
  geological, 
  not 
  in 
  

   America 
  only 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  in 
  general, 
  are 
  not 
  afraid 
  

   to 
  tell 
  them 
  some 
  home-truths 
  while 
  working 
  at 
  their 
  side. 
  

   The 
  writer 
  feels 
  very 
  strongly 
  that 
  the 
  hostile 
  criticism 
  

   should 
  not 
  come 
  from 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  adopted 
  a 
  position 
  

   that 
  would 
  be 
  considerably 
  weakened 
  by 
  the 
  recognition 
  

   of 
  the 
  reality 
  of 
  fossil 
  angiosperms 
  of 
  existing 
  genera 
  in 
  

   the 
  Cretaceous 
  deposits. 
  They 
  have 
  too 
  obviously 
  taken 
  

   sides, 
  and 
  choosers 
  cannot 
  be 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  critics. 
  

  

  The 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  Old 
  World 
  could 
  serve 
  as 
  the 
  stan- 
  

   dard 
  for 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  is 
  passing 
  away, 
  and 
  the 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  will 
  be 
  reversed 
  as 
  knowledge 
  progresses. 
  But 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  changed 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  because 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  will 
  

  

  