[page] 2

Darwin and Darwinism.

Darwin, the great naturalist, is dead, but is Darwinism deathless? It is 23 years since the first publication of his great work, the Origin of Species. He was then 50 years of age, and from that day to this his theories have commanded the attention of the world's that day to this his theories have commanded the attention of the world's scientific men. Until that work appeared, the theory of evolution had not gained an extensive acceptance, but since he wrote the Origin of Species and the Descent of Man, the latter appearing in 1871, few scientific men have regarded the theory of evolution as absolutely untenable. Many have questioned whether what he called "natural selection" adequately explains the origin of species, and he himself did not affirm that there is no other cause at work. The theory of evolution is more firmly established than this method of accounting for it by saying that "one species sprang from another by a long continued process of slow variation and natural selection." His phrase, "the survival of the fittest." has become one of the most popular expressions ever coined by a scientific man, but there are few eminent scientists who unreservedly declare their belief that it represents a principle which unlocks the mystery of the world's life. It is impossible in this age to tell whether what is termed "Darwinism" will die like its author. But, whatever its fate, the fame of Darwin as an intelligent and devoted student of the laws of nature will long survive him, and the seventy-three years of life he lived will be recognized as having been devoted to worthy uses.— New York Mail and Express.