variations have been unintentional, that is to say, not connected
with effort or intention, devoid of mind or meaning, fortuitous,
spontaneous, accidental, or whatever kindred word is least
disagreeable to the reader? It is impossible to conceive any more
complete denial of mind as having had anything to do with organic
development, than is involved in the title-page of the "Origin of
Species" when its doubtless carefully considered words are studied--
nor, let me add, is it possible to conceive a title-page more likely
to make the reader's attention rest much on the main doctrine of
evolution, and little, to use the words now most in vogue concerning
it, on Mr. Darwin's own "distinctive feature."

It should be remembered that the full title of the "Origin of
Species" is, "On the origin of species by means of natural
selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for
life." The significance of the expansion of the title escaped the
greater number of Mr. Darwin's readers. Perhaps it ought not to
have done so, but we certainly failed to catch it. The very words
themselves escaped us--and yet there they were all the time if we
had only chosen to look. We thought the book was called "On the
Origin of Species," and so it was on the outside; so it was also on
the inside fly-leaf; so it was on the title-page itself as long as
the most prominent type was used; the expanded title was only given
once, and then in smaller type; so the three big "Origins of
Species" carried us with them to the exclusion of the rest.

The short and working title, "On the Origin of Species," in effect
claims descent with modification generally; the expanded and
technically true title only claims the discovery that luck is the
main means of organic modification, and this is a very different