survives, while the non-purposive perishes in the very act of arising.
This is the old wisdom taught long ago by Empedocles.

II. THE LAMARCKIAN PRINCIPLE.

Lamarck, as is well known, formulated a definite theory of evolution at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, exactly fifty years before the Darwin-
Wallace principle of selection was given to the world. This brilliant
investigator also endeavoured to support his theory by demonstrating forces
which might have brought about the transformations of the organic world in
the course of the ages. In addition to other factors, he laid special
emphasis on the increased or diminished use of the parts of the body,
assuming that the strengthening or weakening which takes place from this
cause during the individual life, could be handed on to the offspring, and
thus intensified and raised to the rank of a specific character. Darwin
also regarded this LAMARCKIAN PRINCIPLE, as it is now generally called, as
a factor in evolution, but he was not fully convinced of the
transmissibility of acquired characters.

As I have here to deal only with the theory of selection, I need not
discuss the Lamarckian hypothesis, but I must express my opinion that there
is room for much doubt as to the cooperation of this principle in
evolution. Not only is it difficult to imagine how the transmission of
functional modifications could take place, but, up to the present time,
notwithstanding the endeavours of many excellent investigators, not a
single actual proof of such inheritance has been brought forward. Semon's
experiments on plants are, according to the botanist Pfeffer, not to be
relied on, and even the recent, beautiful experiments made by Dr Kammerer
on salamanders, cannot, as I hope to show elsewhere, be regarded as proof,
if only because they do not deal at all with functional modifications, that