Darwin, His Work and Influence: A Lecture Delivered in the Hall of Christ's College, CambridgeMethuen, 1894 - 40 pages |
Common terms and phrases
adaptation admirable advantage animals and plants apes assuredly attended Jameson's lectures Beagle as naturalist BEAGLE VOYAGE bird-stuffing board the Beagle Cambridge CHARLES DARWIN Chimpanzee Christ's College civilised collected CORAL REEFS Darwin says Darwin's subsequent labours Darwinian factor delightful Descent difficulty division of labour doctrine of Evolution dogs doubt Edinburgh emitted by animals enable Erasmus Darwin ethical explanation extent factors of Evolution favour feeling Fittest future career gained little geological give HALL OF CHRIST'S Harvard College Hence Humboldt imagination importance individual inherited interest Josiah Wedgwood Lamarck Lamarckian factors language Malthus Mankind marked changes mind modification could never monkeys Natural History number of facts observations Origin of Species preservation principle of Natural produced published race ranked realisation regarding says Darwin scientific Sexual Selection Sir Charles Lyell Social Evolution social organism specific differences struggle for existence subject of SPECIES teaching theory of Natural this-That tion upward development views words
Popular passages
Page 36 - The astonishment which I felt on first seeing a party of Fuegians on a wild and broken shore will never be forgotten by me, for the reflection at once rushed into my mind — such were our ancestors. These men were absolutely naked and bedaubed with paint, their long hair was tangled, their mouths frothed with excitement, and their expression was wild, startled, and distrustful.
Page 36 - For my own part, I would as soon be descended from that heroic little monkey who braved his dreaded enemy in order to save the life of his keeper; or from that old baboon who, descending from the mountains, carried away in triumph his young comrade from a crowd of astonished dogs, — as from a savage who delights to torture his enemies, offers up bloody sacrifices, practices infanticide without remorse, treats his wives like slaves, knows no decency, and is haunted by the grossest superstitions.
Page 36 - Man may be excused for feeling some pride at having risen, though not through his own exertions, to the very summit of the organic scale; and the fact of his having thus risen, instead of having been aboriginally placed there, may give him hope for a still higher destiny in the distant future.
Page 30 - Although in the Origin of Species, the derivation of any particular species is never discussed, yet I thought it best, in order that no honourable man should accuse me of concealing my views, to add that by the work in question 'light would be thrown on the origin of man and his history.
Page 25 - It may metaphorically be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinising, throughout the world, the slightest variations...
Page 25 - ... those that are bad, preserving and adding up all that are good; silently and insensibly working, whenever and wherever opportunity offers, at the improvement of each organic being in relation to its organic and inorganic conditions of life. We see nothing of these slow changes in progress, until the hand of time has marked the lapse of ages, and then so imperfect is our view into longpast geological ages, that we see only that the forms of life are now different from what they formerly were.
Page 25 - What Natural Selection cannot do. is to modify the structure of one species, without giving it any advantage, for the good of another species; and though statements to this effect may be found in works of natural history, I cannot find one case which will bear investigation.
Page 11 - Considering how fiercely I have been attacked by the orthodox, it seems ludicrous that I once intended to be a clergyman. Nor was this intention and my father's wish ever formally given up, but died a natural death when, on leaving Cambridge, I joined the Beagle as naturalist.
Page 15 - The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important event in my life, and has determined my whole career...
Page 25 - This preservation of favourable individual differences and variations, and the destruction of those which are injurious, I have called Natural Selection, or the Survival of the Fittest.