The Origin of Species | Page 4

other hand, the men of science who wish well to the new
views, no less than those who dispute their validity, have naturally
sought opportunities of expressing their opinions. Hence it is not
surprising that almost all the critical journals have noticed Mr. Darwin's
work at greater or less length; and so many disquisitions, of every
degree of excellence, from the poor product of ignorance, too often
stimulated by prejudice, to the fair and thoughtful essay of the candid
student of Nature, have appeared, that it seems an almost hopeless task
to attempt to say anything new upon the question.
But it may be doubted if the knowledge and acumen of prejudged
scientific opponents, or the subtlety of orthodox special pleaders, have
yet exerted their full force in mystifying the real issues of the great
controversy which has been set afoot, and whose end is hardly likely to
be seen by this generation; so that, at this eleventh hour, and even
failing anything new, it may be useful to state afresh that which is true,
and to put the fundamental positions advocated by Mr. Darwin in such
a form that they may be grasped by those whose special studies lie in
other directions. And the adoption of this course may be the more
advisable, because, notwithstanding its great deserts, and indeed partly
on account of them, the 'Origin of Species' is by no means an easy book
to read--if by reading is implied the full comprehension of an author's
meaning.
We do not speak jestingly in saying that it is Mr. Darwin's misfortune
to know more about the question he has taken up than any man living.
Personally and practically exercised in zoology, in minute anatomy, in
geology; a student of geographical distribution, not on maps and in
museums only, but by long voyages and laborious collection; having
largely advanced each of these branches of science, and having spent
many years in gathering and sifting materials for his present work, the
store of accurately registered facts upon which the author of the 'Origin
of Species' is able to draw at will is prodigious.

But this very superabundance of matter must have been embarrassing
to a writer who, for the present, can only put forward an abstract of his
views; and thence it arises, perhaps, that notwithstanding the clearness
of the style, those who attempt fairly to digest the book find much of it
a sort of intellectual pemmican--a mass of facts crushed and pounded
into shape, rather than held together by the ordinary medium of an
obvious logical bond; due attention will, without doubt, discover this
bond, but it is often hard to find.
Again, from sheer want of room, much has to be taken for granted
which might readily enough be proved; and hence, while the adept,
who can supply the missing links in the evidence from his own
knowledge, discovers fresh proof of the singular thoroughness with
which all difficulties have been considered and all unjustifiable
suppositions avoided, at every reperusal of Mr. Darwin's pregnant
paragraphs, the novice in biology is apt to complain of the frequency of
what he fancies is gratuitous assumption.
Thus while it may be doubted if, for some years, any one is likely to be
competent to pronounce judgment on all the issues raised by Mr.
Darwin, there is assuredly abundant room for him, who, assuming the
humbler, though perhaps as useful, office of an interpreter between the
'Origin of Species' and the public, contents himself with endeavouring
to point out the nature of the problems which it discusses; to distinguish
between the ascertained facts and the theoretical views which it
contains; and finally, to show the extent to which the explanation it
offers satisfies the requirements of scientific logic. At any rate, it is this
office which we purpose to undertake in the following pages.
It may be safely assumed that our readers have a general conception of
the nature of the objects to which the word "species" is applied; but it
has, perhaps, occurred to a few, even to those who are naturalists 'ex
professo', to reflect, that, as commonly employed, the term has a double
sense and denotes two very different orders of relations. When we call
a group of animals, or of plants, a species, we may imply thereby,
either that all these animals or plants have some common peculiarity of
form or structure; or, we may mean that they possess some common

functional character. That part of biological science which deals with
form and structure is called Morphology--that which concerns itself
with function, Physiology--so that we may conveniently speak of these
two senses, or aspects, of "species"--the one as morphological, the
other as physiological. Regarded from the former point of view, a
species is nothing more than a kind of