[page] 7

Mr. Darwin Taken to Task — All about his Monkey.

A facetious view of the novel theory in Darwin's "Descent of Man," is given in the London Times' criticism of that work— thus:

We are reminded by such speculations, of the famous story which Corporal Trim endeavored so ineffectually to recite to Uncle Toby, "There was a certain King of Bohemia," said Trim, " but in whose reign, except his own, I am not able to inform your honor." Uncle Toby was more accommodating than we are able to be from a scientific point of view. But we recommend the gracious permission be accorded to the Corporal as a most appropriate motto for speculations of this kind. "Leave out the date entirely, Trim," said my Uncle Toby." In almost similar language: There was a certain Monkey," saye Mr. Darwin: of that he is quite sure and he frequently reiterate the assurance. "There was a certain Monkey, but in what period or country, except his own, I am not able to inform my readers." Probably, however, if hard pressed, he would again imitate Trim, and tell him it was about the time when geological "giants left off breeding" Starting from the unsubstantial presumption thus indicated, Mr. Darwin proceeds to speculate on the manner of Man's development, without being able to adduce the slightest evidence that facts correspond with his hypothesis. The history, however ingenious, is purely imaginary from beginning to end.

Mr. Darwin does not seem able even to make up his own mind respecting the scene in which his romance should be laid. On the one hand some hairy animal seem to have a tendency to diminish their hairy covering when exposed to hot climates; on the other hand monkeys live in hot climates and prefer retaining their hair. When pressed with this argument that the supposed progenitors of man, being probably very helpless and defenceless, would have been exposed to great risks, Mr. Darwin suggests that they "would have been" protected from any special risk "if they had inhabited some large continent or large island." On the other hand, "the fact" of our ear progenitors belonging to the Caterhine stock of monkeys "closely shows that they inhabited the old world, but not Australia, nor any oceanic island as we may infer from the laws of geographical distribution." And, again, we read, in considering another difficulty, that man does not appear to have aboriginally inhabited any oceanic island. We are as much puzzled about the original domain of this primeval monkeys as Trim was about the maritime advantages of Bohemia.