[On the Genesis of Species by St. George Mivart]@TWC D-Link book
On the Genesis of Species

CHAPTER XI
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This was considered towards the end of Chapter VIII.
Turning to the organic world, even on the hypothesis of Mr.Herbert Spencer or that of Mr.Darwin, it is impossible to escape the conception of innate internal forces.

With regard to the physiological units of the former, Mr.
Spencer himself, as we have seen, distinctly attributes to them "an _innate_ tendency" to evolve the parent form from which they sprang.

With regard to the gemmules of Mr.Darwin, we have seen, in Chapter X., with how many innate powers, tendencies, and capabilities they must each be severally endowed, to reproduce their kind, to evolve complex organisms or cells, to exercise germinative affinity, &c.
If then (as was before said at the end of Chapter VIII.) such innate powers must be attributed to chemical atoms, to mineral species, to gemmules, and to physiological units, it is only reasonable to attribute such to each individual organism.
The conception of such internal and latent capabilities is somewhat like that of Mr.Galton, before mentioned, according to which the organic world consists of entities, each of which is, as it were, a spheroid with many facets on its surface, upon one of which it reposes in stable equilibrium.
When by the accumulated action of incident forces this equilibrium is {229} disturbed, the spheroid is supposed to turn over until it settles on an adjacent facet once more in stable equilibrium.
The internal tendency of an organism to certain considerable and definite changes would correspond to the facets on the surface of the spheroid.
It may be objected that we have no knowledge as to how terrestrial, cosmical and other forces can affect organisms so as to stimulate and evolve these latent, merely potential forms.

But we have had evidence that such mysterious agencies _do_ affect organisms in ways as yet inexplicable, in the very remarkable effects of geographical conditions which were detailed in the third chapter.
It is quite conceivable that the material organic world may be so constituted that the simultaneous action upon it of all known forces, mechanical, physical, chemical, magnetic, terrestrial, and cosmical, together with other as yet unknown forces which probably exist, may result in changes which are harmonious and symmetrical, just as the internal nature of vibrating plates causes particles of sand scattered over them to assume definite and symmetrical figures when made to oscillate in different ways by the bow of a violin being drawn along their edges.

The results of these combined internal powers and external influences might be represented under the symbol of complex series of vibrations (analogous to those of sound or light) forming a most complex harmony or a display of most varied colours.


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