I. MORE CRITICISMS ON DARWIN. THE 1. Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection. By A. R. WALLACE. 1870. 2. The Genesis of Species. By St. GEORGE MIVART, F. R. S. Second edition. 1871. 3. Darwin's Descent of Man. Quarterly Review. July, 1871. HE gradual lapse of time has now separated us by more than a decade from the date of the publication of the "Origin of Species ;" and, whatever may be thought or said about Darwin's doctrines, or the manner in which he has propounded them, this much is certain, that, in a dozen years, the "Origin of Species has worked as complete a revolution in biological science as the "Principia " did in astronomy-and it has done so, because, in the words of Helmholtz, it contains "an essentially new creative thought."* And as time has slipped by, a happy change has come over Mr. Darwin's critics. The mixture of ignorance and insolence which, at first, characterized a large proportion of the attacks with which he was assailed, is no longer the sad distinction of anti-Darwinian criticism. Instead of abusive nonsense, which merely discredited its writers, we read essays, which are, at worst, more or less intelligent and ap *Helmholtz: Ueber das Ziel und die Fortschritte der Naturwissenchaft. Eröffnungsrede für die Naturforscherversammlung zu Innsbruck. 1869. |