ABSTRACT
Charles Darwin’s theory of the struggle for life is, to a certain extent, a general application of Malthus’ theory of population to the whole of organic nature. The thoughtless and narrow-minded opponents of Darwin are never tired of asserting that his theory of selection is a groundless conjecture, or at least a hypothesis which has yet to be proved. Both natural and artificial selection are quite simple, natural, mechanical relations of life, which depend upon the interaction of two physiological functions, namely, on Adaptation and Inheritance, functions which, must again be traced to the physical and chemical properties of organic matter. The alterations produced by artificial selection are turned to the advantage of those who make the selection; in natural selection, to the advantage of the selected organism. Man in his artificial selection can produce very important changes in a very short time, while in natural selection similar results are obtained only after a much longer time.
