The Relation of Science and Religion.pdf - Online Christian Library

LIRE AND ITS DEVELOPMENT. 137gestions on the subject, directing public attentionto the question in 1801; thereafter asuccession of naturalists including St. Hilaire,Wells, and Patrick Matthew, from separateand incidental observations, dwelt upon thedifficulty of distinguishiiig species, and on theevidence of an archetypal idea, or commonplan of structure, being applicable in the historyof whole orders. Mr. Darwin then givesthe following biographical references at theoutset,-" When on board H. M. S. ' Beagle,'as naturalist, I was much struck with certainfactjs in the distribution of the organic beingsinhabiting South America, and in the geologicalrelations of the present to the past inhabitantsof that continent. These facts seemedto throw some light on the origin of species-that mystery of mysteries, as it has beencalled by one of our greatest philosophers.On my return home, it occurred to me in1831, that something might perhaps be madeout on this question by patiently accumulatingand reflecting on all sorts of facts whichcould possibly have any bearing on it. Afterfive years' work I allowed myself to speculateon the subject, and drew up some shortnotes; these I enlarged in 1844 into a sketch