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their foundations, and the Origin of Species proved itself to be the fixed point which the general doctrine of evolution needed in order to move the world. Darwinism, in one form or another, sometimes strangely distorted and mutilated, became an everyday topic of men's speech, the object of an abundance both of vituperation and of praise, more often than of serious study. It is curious to remember now how largely at first the objectors predominated; but, considering the usual fate of new views, it
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
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would have had little effect on naturalists, and on men of average intelligence, who were nevertheless completely convinced by Darwin's theory of natural selection. So great and steadfast has been the allegiance of biologists in general to Darwin, that little attempt to criticise or develop his views was for a long time made by those who accepted the truth of organic evolution. Those who denied the modification of species altogether opposed Darwin energetically enough, but they fought against
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
Text
Image
and were produced only after a long process of evolution of carbon compounds, which produced first not living albuminoids and then living protoplasm which, in the first period of its life, fed on the antecedent stages of its own evolution. But at present we cannot form any conception of the process by which the first living beings could be evolved. Organic compounds have been produced by synthesis, and it is possible that in the surroundings where life first began albuminoids may have been
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CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
would have had little effect on naturalists, and on men of average intelligence, who were nevertheless completely convinced by Darwin's theory of natural selection. So great and steadfast has been the allegiance of biologists in general to Darwin, that little attempt to criticise or develop his views was for a long time made by those who accepted the truth of organic evolution. Those who denied the modification of species altogether opposed Darwin energetically enough, but they fought against
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| 35% |
CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
and were produced only after a long process of evolution of carbon compounds, which produced first not living albuminoids and then living protoplasm which, in the first period of its life, fed on the antecedent stages of its own evolution. But at present we cannot form any conception of the process by which the first living beings could be evolved. Organic compounds have been produced by synthesis, and it is possible that in the surroundings where life first began albuminoids may have been
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
Text
Image
Lamarck devoted the latter half of his life to advocating the truth of evolution, and of his views as to the causes of the process. In Britain, immediately before the publication of Darwin's arguments, Herbert Spencer had cogently urged the superiority of the hypothesis of evolution over that of special creation. Wells and Matthews had even reached the conception of natural selection. Yet the great majority of biologists were completely indifferent to these attempts to introduce a new leaven
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
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inquiry: they all have a close relation to the question of organic evolution, but they do not describe investigations into the process of modification, into the causes of variation or of heredity. They enlarge the boundaries of knowledge, and bring into the field of mental vision new phenomena to be explained by the general theory of biology. Darwin acknowledged that his explanation of organic evolution was not exhaustive, but he devoted himself to the application of the theory he had adopted
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
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was not merely a study of the causes and history of organic evolution, but an argument to uphold the theory of evolution against that of the immutability of organic forms. It was written to convince a public which the author well knew to hold deep-rooted prejudices against his conclusions, and in his feeling of triumph at posssessing an argument based on what seemed the undeniable effects of human selection, he was led to lay too much stress on the analogous process in nature, and sometimes
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
Text
Image
attained their present marvellously perfect adaptation to the conditions under which they live. But our comprehension of the evolution of organic forms will not be complete until it is a constituent part of the conception of universal evolution. That conception itself may be said in one sense to be [page] 2
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CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
Lamarck devoted the latter half of his life to advocating the truth of evolution, and of his views as to the causes of the process. In Britain, immediately before the publication of Darwin's arguments, Herbert Spencer had cogently urged the superiority of the hypothesis of evolution over that of special creation. Wells and Matthews had even reached the conception of natural selection. Yet the great majority of biologists were completely indifferent to these attempts to introduce a new leaven
|
| 30% |
CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
inquiry: they all have a close relation to· the question of organic evolution, but they do not describe investigations into the process of modification, into the causes of variation or of heredity. They enlarge the boundaries of knowledge, and bring into the field of mental vision new phenomena to be explained by the general theory of biology. Darwin acknowledged that his explanation of organic evolution was not exhaustive, but he devoted himself to the application of the theory he had adopted
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| 30% |
CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
was not merely a study of the causes and history of organic evolution, but an argument to uphold the theory of evolution against that of the immutability of organic forms. It was written to convince a public which the author well knew to hold deep-rooted prejudices against his conclusions, and in his feeling of triumph at possessing an argument based on what seemed the undeniable effects of human selection, he was led to lay too much stress on the analogous process in nature, and sometimes did
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| 30% |
CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
attained their present marvelously perfect adaptation to the conditions under which they live. But our comprehension of the evolution of organic forms will not be complete until it is a constituent part of the conception of universal evolution. That conception itself may be said in one sense to be [page] 2
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
Text
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of land gradually sinking below the sea. For ten years after his return to England, from 1836 to 1846, Darwin was almost entirely devoted to geology. Through these studies he became a firm believer in evolution as the true character of the history of the earth, and the immensity of time, which even small epochs of this history had occupied, was deeply impressed on his mind. We know from his own words that, in spite of his labours in geology, he had the problem of evolution in the world of
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| 24% |
A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
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Image
cannot be accounted for at all on any other hypothesis than that of descent with modification. The phenomena of geographical distribution are next reviewed, and the impossibility of accounting for them on any other hypothesis than that of evolution insisted upon. Finally, the classification of organisms, the facts of embryology and morphology are reviewed, and all shown to support the theory. The arguments drawn from these various departments of biological science are not essentially different
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
Text
Image
the body of the parent. But our knowledge is not made clearer by a hypothesis of gemmules which build up the reproductive cells. It is certain that the cells are not built up by composition from smaller units, unless the supposed units are the molecules of the substances by which the reproductive cells are nourished. The Fertilization of Orchids preceded Animals and Plants under Domestication, although it has less immediate connection with the doctrine of evolution. To the general reader it is
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
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anthropomorphic if it is found when completely analysed to rest upon a belief in the persistence of force which is derived from our own consciousness of muscular effort. But this is a general and philosophical anthropomorphism, while Darwin's is particular and empirical. When we have reached a real comprehension of organic evolution, we shall explain the modification of organisms by human cultivation as a particular instance of the general laws of modification and not vice-vers . In an
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A76
Book:
Cunningham, Joseph Thomas. 1886. Charles Darwin, naturalist. The Round Table series. Edinburgh: William Brown.
Text
Image
earth myriads of protoplasts sprang into existence, whenever and wherever the conditions of the formation of organized substance were present. It is probable that this has been incessantly going on, and that every day new protoplasts appear, struggle for existence, and serve as food for more highly organized rivals; but whether an evolution of the lower forms is or is not still going on, there can be no reluctance on the part of every believer in evolution to admit that when organized
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CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
portion of land gradually sinking below the sea. For ten years after his return to England, from 1836 to 1846, Darwin was almost entirely devoted to geology. Through these studies he became a firm believer in evolution as the true character of the history of the earth, and the immensity of time, which even small epochs of this history had occupied, was deeply impressed on his mind. We know from his own words that, in spite of his labours in geology, he had the problem of evolution in the world of
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| 24% |
CUL-DAR134.3
Printed:
1886
'Charles Darwin' [Edinburgh, Brown (Round Table Series no 5)]: 32pp
Text
Image
cannot be accounted for at all on any other hypothesis than that of descent with modification. The phenomena of geographical distribution are next reviewed, and the impossibility of accounting for them on any other hypothesis than that on evolution insisted upon. Finally, the classification of organisms, the facts of embryology and morphology are reviewed, and all shown to support the theory. The arguments drawn from these various departments of illogical science are not essentially different
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