A MOMENTOUS ESSAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 275, 13 August 1908, Page 9

A MOMENTOUS ESSAY.

y DR, WALLACE ON HIS SHARE IN j , DARWIN'S FAME. I - "ARDENT BEETLE HUNTERS." ; '.Tho .veteran scientist, Dr. Alfred Russol Wallace, gave an interesting. account of his relations with Darwin at a meeting of the Linnean Society on July 1. .Tho rgathering, which Avas held at the Institution of Civil Engineers and presided over by Dr. Duldnfiold; Scott, was : in connection, with celebrations'.on tho occasion of tho 50th anniversary of tho reading of the joint essay by Charles 'Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace "On tho Tendency of Forms and Species to ; Fornv Varieties." Dr. Wallace was tho I recipient of one of the Society'-s medals;

; Tho Chairman said it was not ; possible to cohceivoany second revolution.of our logical thought so momentous as that started fifty years ago by tho reading of the joint paper. (Hear, hear.) In presenting tho medal to Dr. 'Wallace, ;he said-there was .nothing in tho history of - scienco more pleasant than the relation between him and Mr. Darwin. (Hear, hear.) ; It was a .story of generous rivalry, in \vhich each discoverer had' tried to exalt'tho other, and it was a remarkable circumstance that both of them should have arrived at the idea of natural selection.

Dr. Wallace thanked the Society for the honour they, had done .him in associating his name with .that of Gharles Darwin on' this -anniversary: Since the death of Darwin in .1882, ho said, he had found himself iii the somewhat unusual position .of receiving much credit and i>raise from-popular writers under -.a complete misapprehension of what .his share in (Darwin's work really amounted to. It Iliad 'been "stated that ho and Darwin discovered .natural selection simultaneously, while a few 'had said that ho discovered, it first; As a matter of'fact, the idea occurred to;. Damn twenty years before .it •came" to hirri,-ftiid during the whole of that ; time Darwin had ! been''making researches .and observations, and carrying out the most ingenious oxperimfnts.

■ Almost the whole theory of his two great' works - had been collected during that .20 years,; and lie had been urged to publish his theory lost somo other person thought of it.- : Hp ; always refused, however, saying lie had .not got all his materials together. Then it' last the 'prediction was fulfilled, and .the idea occurred to him (the speaker), and it came upon 'Darwin like a thunder-holt from a'clear-sky. This forced a ,premature publication, and it was arranged to 'have the :two ,papers iread -before the society. -Their .respective shares lie roughly estimated, in proportion to the time they had'spent ; on it n'hen first ;it was given to the.' world, as 20 years.are to tine week. (Laughter.) 'Had Darwin 'published a few years ■sooner he (Dr." Wallace) would ihave had no .part in the'-'. discovery <of natural selection. .-'Ho thought the ;idea had come to-them .principally by reason of the fact that .thej ; were such '.ardent beetle-hunters.' .(Laughter.) Both of them : afterwards became 'writers, and the mystor.v of how the species came :into' existence became intensified,' and, .as Darwin said, haunted them. ■ ' ' ;.. 'Presentations -were also made to'.Sir Joseph Diiltoh,Hooker, a friend and of Danvinls;- Prof;- Eduard Strasburgoiy Dr. Francis Galton; : Sir E.Ray iLankester, rrof. Ernst' Haecltel, 'iiltd Prof: August'Weismann.' The two last named woro unable.ito -be "present, and .the medals were Teceived ion :their behalf by. a gentleman from .the * Gorman 'Embassy. ■ '■ ; {Prof. Haeckol wrote 'informing ■'the society itliat' on the 'occasion -of -the .anniversary of itlio'iOnirersify of Jona oil -July -30 innd "3.1, ilie -.woilltl dedicate nn evolution sbienoe -building',l which 'wotild .constitute .a itrue itemple of Barwinism. ,

i .profrEinan Xonnberg, who'represented .the Swedish Academy ,of Sciences, Said he 'had bdeh' -instructed by "the King iof Sweden "to convey 'his hearty .greetings to ;tlie society. ; ;Lord 'Avobury spoke oT ! liow- Darwin :had ■como to -live near-his father's home, and hotfiffucli'tfhe 'friendship 'had meant to him. It'--was "difficult !to' understand iliow, lie said, the 'astonishment :and 'indignation 'with which tlics joint memoir was received.