My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
222 MY LIFEnot wait. The hypothesis is sublime in its simplicityand the wonderful manner in which it explains themost mysterious of the phenomena of life. To meit is satisfying in the extreme. I feel I can nevergive it up, unless it be positively disproved, which isimpossible, or replaced by one which better explainsthe facts, which is highly improbable. Darwin hashere decidedly gone ahead of Spencer in generalization.I consider it the most wonderful thing he hasgiven us, but it will not be generally appreciated."This was written when I was fresh from the spellof this most ingenious hypothesis. Galton's experimentson blood transfusion with rabbits first staggeredme, as it seemed to me to be the very disproof I hadthought impossible. And later on, when Weismannadduced his views on the continuity of the germplasm,and the consequent non-heredity of acquiredcharacters ; and further, when he showed that thesupposed transmission of such characters, whichDarwin had accepted and which the hypothesis ofpangenesis was constructed to account for, was notreally proved by ;— any evidence whatever I wascompelled to discard Darwin's view in favour of thatof Weismann, which is now almost everywhereaccepted as being the most probable, as well as beingthe most in accordance with all the facts and phenomenaof heredity.The subject on which Sir Charles Lyell andmyself had the longest discussions was that of theeffects of the glacial period on the distribution ofplants and animals, and on the origin of lake basins.On the question of the ice-origin of Alpine lakesI could never get him to accept my extreme views.In March, 1869, I received from him a letter ofthirteen pages, and another of thirty pages, on this
—LYELL AND DARWIN 223and allied questions, setting forth the reasons whyhe rejected ice action as having ground out the largerlakes, much as he states them in the fourth editionof "The Antiquity of Man." At page 361 he saysthat "the gravest objection to the hypothesis ofglacial erosion on a stupendous scale is afforded bythe entire absence of lakes of the first magnitudein several areas where they ought to exist, if theenormous glaciers which once occupied those spaceshad possessed the deep excavating power ascribedto them." He then goes on to adduce numerousplaces where he thinks there ought to have beenlakes on the glacier theory, which are the same ashe adduced in letters to myself, and which I answeredin each case, and sometimes at great length, bysimilar arguments to those I have adduced in vol. i.chap. V. of my "Studies, Scientific and Social." Ifany one who is interested in these questions, afterconsidering Sir Charles Lyell's difficulties and objectionsin his "Antiquity of Man," will read the abovechapter, giving special attention to the sectionsheaded The Conditions that favour the Production ofLakes by Ice-erosion, and the following section onObjections of Modern Writers considered, I think hewill, if he had paid any attention to the phenomenain glaciated regions, admit that I show the theoryof ice-erosion to be the only one that explains allthe facts.In a letter written on April 28, 1869, after referringto Darwin's regret at the concluding passages ofmy Quarterly Review article on "Man," which he"would have thought written by some one else," Iadd the following summary on my position, perhapsmore simply and forcibly stated than in any of mypublished works :
- Page 218 and 219: 176 MY LIFEwork again till six : co
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- Page 222 and 223: l8oMY LIFEfashionable society at th
- Page 224 and 225: ai82MY LIFEhe cannot bring the dead
- Page 226 and 227: i84MY LIFEIn a letter to Bates, dat
- Page 228 and 229: —1 86 MY LIFEin Borneo and Bates'
- Page 230: i88MY LIFEwet in Celebes, while it
- Page 234 and 235: And190 MY LIFEsharp attack of inter
- Page 236 and 237: 192 MY LIFEThe effect of my paper u
- Page 238 and 239: 194 MY LIFEtherefore, that I may ha
- Page 240 and 241: —196 MY LIFEcontinued perseveranc
- Page 242 and 243: 198 MY LIFEbecause they are so much
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- Page 246 and 247: 202 MY LIFEfor a place to stand the
- Page 248 and 249: 204 MY LIFEbeetles,and land-shells,
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- Page 256 and 257: 212 MY LIFEMany of these had appear
- Page 258 and 259: 214 MY LIFEthus became intimate wit
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- Page 263 and 264: SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY WORK 217and
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- Page 271 and 272: LYELL AND DARWIN 225Sir Charles quo
- Page 273 and 274: LYELL AND DARWIN 227he usually did
- Page 275 and 276: —LYELL AND DARWIN 229" My dear Wa
- Page 277 and 278: LYELL AND DARWIN 231I was so anxiou
- Page 279 and 280: LYELL AND DARWIN 233" Down, January
- Page 281 and 282: LYELL AND DARWIN 235" I am delighte
- Page 283 and 284: LYELL AND DARWIN 237subdued colorat
- Page 285 and 286: "CHAPTER XVIHERBERT SPENCER, HUXLEY
- Page 287 and 288: —SPENCER, HUXLEY, AND OTHERS 241e
- Page 289 and 290: SPENCER, HUXLEY, AND OTHERS 243see
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222 MY LIFEnot wait. The hypothesis is sublime in its simplicity<strong>and</strong> the wonderful manner in which it explains themost mysterious <strong>of</strong> the phenomena <strong>of</strong> <strong>life</strong>. To meit is satisfying in the extreme. I feel I can nevergive it up, unless it be positively disproved, which isimpossible, or replaced by one which better explainsthe facts, which is highly improbable. Darwin hashere decidedly gone ahead <strong>of</strong> Spencer in generalization.I consider it the most wonderful thing he hasgiven us, but it will not be generally appreciated."This was written when I was fresh from the spell<strong>of</strong> this most ingenious hypothesis. Galton's experimentson blood transfusion with rabbits first staggeredme, as it seemed to me to be the very dispro<strong>of</strong> I hadthought impossible. And later on, when Weismannadduced his views on the continuity <strong>of</strong> the germplasm,<strong>and</strong> the consequent non-heredity <strong>of</strong> acquiredcharacters ; <strong>and</strong> further, when he showed that thesupposed transmission <strong>of</strong> such characters, whichDarwin had accepted <strong>and</strong> which the hypothesis <strong>of</strong>pangenesis was constructed to account for, was notreally proved by ;— any evidence whatever I wascompelled to discard Darwin's view in favour <strong>of</strong> that<strong>of</strong> Weismann, which is now almost everywhereaccepted as being the most probable, as well as beingthe most in accordance with all the facts <strong>and</strong> phenomena<strong>of</strong> heredity.The subject on which Sir Charles Lyell <strong>and</strong>myself had the longest discussions was that <strong>of</strong> theeffects <strong>of</strong> the glacial period on the distribution <strong>of</strong>plants <strong>and</strong> animals, <strong>and</strong> on the origin <strong>of</strong> lake basins.On the question <strong>of</strong> the ice-origin <strong>of</strong> Alpine lakesI could never get him to accept my extreme views.In March, 1869, I received from him a letter <strong>of</strong>thirteen pages, <strong>and</strong> another <strong>of</strong> thirty pages, on this
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