Darwin, and After Darwin An Exposition of the Darwinian   By: George John Romanes (1848-1894)

DARWIN, AND AFTER DARWIN

AN EXPOSITION OF THE DARWINIAN THEORY AND A DISCUSSION OF POST DARWINIAN QUESTIONS

BY

GEORGE JOHN ROMANES, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S. Honorary Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

I THE DARWINIAN THEORY

FOURTH EDITION

Chicago THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING COMPANY 1910

The Illustrations of this book (with the exception of the Frontispiece and the colored plate facing page 332) are copyrighted under the title "Darwinism Illustrated."

THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING CO.

PRESS OF THE BLAKELY OSWALD PRINTING CO. CHICAGO

[Illustration: Letter to Mr. Hegeler

Transcription:

Ch. Ch. Oxford: March 15th 1892.

My dear Sir,

As we have now agreed that the Open Court Publishing Company is to undertake the American edition of my work entitled "Darwin and after Darwin," I have much pleasure in transferring to you the copyright thereof, with all that this includes.

Thanking you very much for the kindness and liberality which have marked your conduct of these negotiations,

I remain,

Yours very faithfully,

George J. Romanes

To Edward C. Hegeler Esq. La Salle, Ill. U. S.]

PREFACE

Several years ago Lord Rosebery founded, in the University of Edinburgh, a lectureship on "The Philosophy of Natural History," and I was invited by the Senatus to deliver the lectures. This invitation I accepted, and subsequently constituted the material of my lectures the foundation of another course, which was given in the Royal Institution, under the title "Before and after Darwin." Here the course extended over three years namely from 1888 to 1890. The lectures for 1888 were devoted to the history of biology from the earliest recorded times till the publication of the "Origin of Species" in 1859; the lectures for 1889 dealt with the theory of organic evolution up to the date of Mr. Darwin's death, in 1882; while those of the third year discussed the further developments of this theory from that date till the close of the course in 1890.

It is from these two courses which resembled each other in comprising between thirty and forty lectures, but differed largely in other respects that the present treatise has grown. Seeing, however, that it has grown much beyond the bulk of the original lectures, I have thought it desirable to publish the whole in the form of three separate works. Of these the first or that which deals with the purely historical side of biological science may be allowed to stand over for an indefinite time. The second is the one which is now brought out and which, as its sub title signifies, is devoted to the general theory of organic evolution as this was left by the stupendous labours of Darwin. As soon as the translations shall have been completed, the third portion will follow (probably in the Autumn season), under the sub title, "Post Darwinian Questions."

As the present volume is thus intended to be merely a systematic exposition of what may be termed the Darwinism of Darwin, and as on this account it is likely to prove of more service to general readers than to professed naturalists, I have been everywhere careful to avoid assuming even the most elementary knowledge of natural science on the part of those to whom the exposition is addressed. The case, however, will be different as regards the next volume, where I shall have to deal with the important questions touching Heredity, Utility, Isolation, &c., which have been raised since the death of Mr. Darwin, and which are now being debated with such salutary vehemence by the best naturalists of our time.