. .
"The only other important work dealing with the question was the
celebrated 'Vestiges of Creation,' published anonymously, but now
acknowledged to have been written by the late Robert Chambers."
None are so blind as those who will not see, and it would be waste
of time to argue with the invincible ignorance of one who thinks
Lamarck and Buffon conceived that all species were produced from one
another, more especially as I have already dealt at some length with
the early evolutionists in my work, "Evolution, Old and New," first
published ten years ago, and not, so far as I am aware, detected in
serious error or omission. If, however, Mr. Wallace still thinks it
safe to presume so far on the ignorance of his readers as to say
that the only two important works on evolution before Mr. Darwin's
were Lamarck's Philosophie Zoologique and the "Vestiges of
Creation," how fathomable is the ignorance of the average reviewer
likely to have been thirty years ago, when the "Origin of Species"
was first published? Mr. Darwin claimed evolution as his own
theory. Of course, he would not claim it if he had no right to it.
Then by all means give him the credit of it. This was the most
natural view to take, and it was generally taken. It was not,
moreover, surprising that people failed to appreciate all the
niceties of Mr. Darwin's "distinctive feature" which, whether
distinctive or no, was assuredly not distinct, and was never frankly
contrasted with the older view, as it would have been by one who
wished it to be understood and judge upon its merits.
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