Doubts About Darwinism. By a Semi-Darwinian. (Longmans and Co. 35.
6d.)—Whatever may be the argumentative force of this little book, it is certainly an admirable example of the manner in which argument should be used. There could not be a better example of "sweet reasonableness." The writer mentions in succession various cases in which the theory of Darwin seems to fail in accounting for facts. Of course the first is,—how did life begin? Spontaneous generation is a discredited solution. To suppose that it can have taken place in a condition of things which we cannot describe or even imagine is a purely gratuitous assumption. The origin of consciousness is another; a third is the parental instinct or care for offspring. Drummond's "Ascent of Man" draws out this part of the case with much force ; what we read here goes on much the same lines, though leis necessarily much more brief. We cannot enter into an examination of the "Semi-Darwinian's" treatment of these and other cognate sub- jects, but we can emphatically commend his book to our readers as a valuable contribution to the subject.
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