It was in
consequence of this omission that people failed to note how fast and
loose Mr. Darwin played with his distinctive feature, and how
readily he dropped it on occasion.
It may be said that the question of what was thought by the
predecessors of Mr. Darwin is, after all, personal, and of no
interest to the general public, comparable to that of the main
issue--whether we are to accept evolution or not. Granted that
Buffon, Erasmus Darwin, and Lamarck bore the burden and heat of the
day before Mr. Charles Darwin was born, they did not bring people
round to their opinion, whereas Mr. Darwin and Mr. Wallace did, and
the public cannot be expected to look beyond this broad and
indisputable fact.
The answer to this is, that the theory which Messrs. Darwin and
Wallace have persuaded the public to accept is demonstrably false,
and that the opponents of evolution are certain in the end to
triumph over it. Paley, in his "Natural Theology," long since
brought forward far too much evidence of design in animal
organisation to allow of our setting down its marvels to the
accumulations of fortunate accident, undirected by will, effort and
intelligence. Those who examine the main facts of animal and
vegetable organisation without bias will, no doubt, ere long
conclude that all animals and vegetables are derived ultimately from
unicellular organisms, but they will not less readily perceive that
the evolution of species without the concomitance and direction of
mind and effort is as inconceivable as is the independent creation
of every individual species.
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