darwin and modern science-第119节

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t　my　geological　salvation　is　staked　on　it。。。it　makes　me　quite　indignant　that　you　should　talk　of　HOPING。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　296。）

It　was　not　only　Darwin's　〃geological　salvation〃　that　was　at　stake；　when　he　surrendered　himself　to　his　enthusiasm　for　an　idea。　　To　his　firm　faith　in　the　doctrine　of　continuity　we　owe　the　〃Origin　of　Species〃；　and　while　Darwin　became　the　〃Paul〃　of　evolution；　Lyell　long　remained　the　〃doubting　Thomas。〃

Many　must　have　felt　like　H。C。　Watson　when　he　wrote：　　〃How　could　Sir　C。　Lyell。。。for　thirty　years　read；　write；　and　think；　on　the　subject　of　species　AND　THEIR　SUCCESSION；　and　yet　constantly　look　down　the　wrong　road！〃　（〃L。L。〃　II。　page　227。）　　Huxley　attributed　this　hesitation　of　Lyell　to　his　〃profound　antipathy〃　to　the　doctrine　of　the　〃pithecoid　origin　of　man。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　II。　page　193。）　　Without　denying　that　this　had　considerable　influence　（and　those　who　knew　Lyell　and　his　great　devotion　to　his　wife　and　her　memory；　are　aware　that　he　and　she　felt　much　stronger　convictions　concerning　such　subjects　as　the　immortality　of　the　soul　than　Darwin　was　able　to　confess　to）　yet　I　think　Darwin　had　divined　the　real　characteristics　of　his　friend's　mind；　when　he　wrote：　　〃He　would　advance　all　possible　objections。。。AND　EVEN　AFTER　THESE　WERE　EXHAUSTED；　WOULD　REMAIN　LONG　DUBIOUS。〃

Very　touching　indeed　was　the　friendship　maintained　to　the　end　between　these　two　leaders　of　thoughtfree　as　their　intercourse　was　from　any　smallest　trace　of　self…seeking　or　jealousy。　　When　in　1874　I　spent　some　time　with　Lyell　in　his　Forfarshire　home；　a　communication　from　Darwin　was　always　an　event　which　made　a　〃red…letter　day；〃　as　Lyell　used　to　say；　and　he　gave　me　many　indications　in　his　conversation　of　how　strongly　he　relied　upon　the　opinion　of　Darwinmore　indeed　than　on　the　judgment　of　any　other　manthis　confidence　not　being　confined　to　questions　of　science；　but　extending　to　those　of　morals；　politics；　and　religion。

I　have　heard　those　who　knew　Lyell　only　slightly；　speak　of　his　manners　as　cold　and　reserved。　　His　complete　absorption　in　his　scientific　work；　coupled　with　extreme　short…sightedness；　almost　in　the　end　amounting　to　blindness；　may　have　permitted　those　having　but　a　casual　acquaintance　with　him　to　accept　such　a　view。　　But　those　privileged　to　know　him　intimately　recognised　the　nobleness　of　his　character　and　can　realise　the　justice　and　force　of　Hooker's　words　when　he　heard　of　his　death：　　〃My　loved；　my　best　friend；　for　well　nigh　forty　years　of　my　life。　　The　most　generous　sharer　of　my　own　and　my　family's　hopes；　joys　and　sorrows；　whose　affection　for　me　was　truly　that　of　a　father　and　brother　combined。〃

But　the　strongest　of　all　testimonies　to　the　grandeur　of　Lyell's　character　is　the　lifelong　devotion　to　him　of　such　a　man　as　Darwin。　　Before　the　two　met；　we　find　Darwin　constantly　writing　of　facts　and　observations　that　he　thinks　〃will　interest　Mr　Lyell〃；　and　when　they　came　together　the　mutual　esteem　rapidly　ripened　into　the　warmest　affection。　　Both　having　the　advantage　of　a　moderate　independence；　permitting　of　an　entire　devotion　of　their　lives　to　scientific　research；　they　had　much　in　common；　and　the　elder　manwho　had　already　achieved　both　scientific　and　literary　distinctionwas　able　to　give　good　advice　and　friendly　help　to　the　younger　one。　　The　warmth　of　their　friendship　comes　out　very　strikingly　in　their　correspondence。　　When　Darwin　first　conceived　the　idea　of　writing　a　book　on　the　〃species　question；〃　soon　after　his　return　from　the　voyage；　it　was　〃by　following　the　example　of　Lyell　in　Geology〃　that　he　hoped　to　succeed　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　83。）；　when　in　1844；　Darwin　had　finished　his　first　sketch　of　the　work；　and；　fearing　that　his　life　might　not　be　spared　to　complete　his　great　undertaking；　committed　the　care　of　it　in　a　touching　letter　to　his　wife；　it　was　his　friend　Lyell　whom　he　named　as　her　adviser　and　the　possible　editor　of　the　book　（〃L。L。〃　II。　pages　17…18。）；　it　was　Lyell　who；　in　1856；　induced　Darwin　to　lay　the　foundations　of　a　treatise　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　84。）　for　which　the　author　himself　selected　the　〃Principles〃　as　his　model；　and　when　the　dilemma　arose　from　the　receipt　of　Wallace's　essay；　it　was　to　Lyell　jointly　with　Hooker　that　Darwin　turned；　not　in　vain；　for　advice　and　help。

During　the　later　years　of　his　life；　I　never　heard　Darwin　allude　to　his　lost　friendand　he　did　so　very　oftenwithout　coupling　his　name　with　some　term　of　affection。　　For　a　brief　period；　it　is　true；　Lyell's　excessive　caution　when　the　〃Origin〃　was　published；　seemed　to　try　even　the　patience　of　Darwin；　but　when　〃the　master〃　was　at　last　able　to　declare　himself　fully　convinced；　he　was　the　occasion　of　more　rejoicing　on　the　part　of　Darwin；　than　any　other　convert　to　his　views。　　The　latter　was　never　tired　of　talking　of　Lyell's　〃magnanimity〃　and　asserted　that；　〃To　have　maintained　in　the　position　of　a　master；　one　side　of　a　question　for　thirty　years；　and　then　deliberately　give　it　up；　is　a　fact　to　which　I　much　doubt　whether　the　records　of　science　offer　a　parallel。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　II。　pages　229…30。）

Of　Darwin　himself；　I　can　safely　affirm　that　I　never　knew　anyone　who　had　met　him；　even　for　the　briefest　period；　who　was　not　charmed　by　his　personality。　Who　could　forget　the　hearty　hand…grip　at　meeting；　the　gentle　and　lingering　pressure　of　the　palm　at　parting；　and　above　all　that　winning　smile　which　transformed　his　countenanceso　as　to　make　portraits；　and　even　photographs；　seem　ever　afterwards　unsatisfying！　　Looking　back；　one　is　indeed　tempted　to　forget　the　profoundness　of　the　philosopher；　in　recollection　of　the　loveableness　of　the　man。


XIX。　　DARWIN'S　WORK　ON　THE　MOVEMENTS　OF　PLANTS。

By　FRANCIS　DARWIN；　Honorary　Fellow　of　Christ's　College；　Cambridge。

My　father's　interest　in　plants　was　of　two　kinds；　which　may　be　roughly　distinguished　as　EVOLUTIONARY　and　PHYSIOLOGICAL。　　Thus　in　his　purely　evolutionary　work；　for　instance　in　〃The　Origin　of　Species〃　and　in　his　book　on　〃Variation　under　Domestication〃；　plants　as　well　as　animals　served　as　material　for　his　generalisations。　　He　was　largely　dependent　on　the　work　of　others　for　the　facts　used　in　the　evolutionary　work；　and　despised　himself　for　belonging　to　the　〃blessed　gang〃　of　compilers。　　And　he　correspondingly　rejoiced　in　the　employment　of　his　wonderful　power　of　observation　in　the　physiological　problems　which　occupied　so　much　of　his　later　life。　　But　inasmuch　as　he　felt　evolution　to　be　his　life's　work；　he　regarded　himself　as　something　of　an　idler　in　observing　climbing　plants；　insectivorous　plants；　orchids；　etc。　　In　this　physiological　work　he　was　to　a　large　extent　urged　on　by　his　passionate　desire　to　understand　the　machinery　of　all　living　things。　　But　though　it　is　true　that　he　worked　at　physiological　problems　in　the　naturalist's　spirit　of　curiosity；　yet　there　was　always　present　to　him　the　bearing　of　his　facts　on　the　problem　of　evolution。　　His　interests；　physiological　and　evolutionary；　were　indeed　so　interwoven　that　they　cannot　be　sharply　separated。　　Thus　his　original　interest　in　the　fertilisation　of　flowers　was　evolutionary。　　〃I　was　led〃　（〃Life　and　Letters〃；　I。　page　90。）；　he　says；　〃to　attend　to　the　cross…fertilisation　of　flowers　by　the　aid　of　insects；　from　having　come　to　the　conclusion　in　my　speculations　on　the　origin　of　species；　that　crossing　played　an　important　part　in　keeping　specific　forms　constant。〃　　In　the　same　way　the　value　of　his　experimental　work　on　heterostyled　plants　crystalised　out　in　his　mind　into　the　conclusion　that　the　product　of　illegitimate　unions　are　equivalent　to　hybridsa　conclusion　of　the　greatest　interest　from　an　evolutionary　point　of　view。　　And　again　his　work　〃Cross　and　Self　Fertilisation〃　may　be　condensed　to　a　point　of　view　of　great　importance　in　reference　to　the　meaning　and　origin　of　sexual　reproduction。　　（See　Professor　Goebel's　article　in　the　present　volume。）

The　whole　of　his　physiological　work　may　be　looked　at　as　an　illustration　of　the　potency　of　his　theory　as　an　〃instrument　for　the　extension　of　the　realm　of　natural　knowledge。〃　　（Huxley　in　Darwin's　〃Life　and　Letters。〃　II。　page　204。）

His　doctrine　of　natural　selection　gave；　as　is　well　known；　an　impulse　to　the　investigation　of　the　use　of　organsand　thus　created　the　great　school　of　what　is　known　in　Germany　as　Biologya　department　of　science　for　which　no　English　word　exists　except　the　rather　vague　term　Natural　History。　　This　was　especially　the　case　in　floral　biology；　and　it　is　interesting　to　see　with　what　hesitation　he　at　first　expressed　the　value　of　his　book　on　Orchids　（〃Life　and　Letters〃；　III。　page　254。）；　〃It　will　perhaps　serve　to　illustrate　how　Natural　History　may　be　worked　under　the　belief　of　the　modification　of　species〃　（1861）。　　And　in　1862　he　speaks　（Loc。　cit。）　more　definitely　of　the　relation　of　his　work　to　natural　selection：　　〃I　can　show　the　meaning　of　some　of　the　apparently　meaningless　ridges　（and）　horns；　who　will　now　venture　to　say　that　this　or　that　structure　is　useless？〃　　It　is　the　fashion　now　to　minimise　the　value　of　this　class　of　work；　and　we　even　find　it　said　by　a　modern　writer　that　to　inquire　into　the　ends　subserved　by　organs　is　not　a　scientific　problem。　　Those　who　take　this　view　surely　forget　that　the　structure　of　all　living　things　is；　as　a　whole；　adaptive；　and　that　a　knowledge　of　how　the　present　forms　come　to　be　what　they　are　includes　a　knowledge　of　why　they　survived。　　They　forget　that　the