working hypothesis, calculated to explain problems otherwise
inexplicable. There were evolutionists before Darwin, from Lamarck and
the author of the _Vestiges of Creation_ to Herbert Spencer; but as
there was no evidence to bear out the orthodox creational view of the
Book of _Genesis_, enlarged upon in detail by Milton, so before Darwin
the evidence in favour of the transmutation of species was wholly
insufficient, and no suggestion which had been made to the causes
of the assumed transmutation was in any way adequate to explain
the phenomena. Under such conditions only an agnostic attitude was
possible. "So," writes Huxley--

I took refuge in that "_thaetige Skepsis_," which Goethe has so
well defined, and, reversing the apostolic precept to be all
things to all men, I usually defended the tenability of
the received doctrines when I had to do with the
transmutationists, and stood up for the possibility of
transmutation among the orthodox, thereby, no doubt,
increasing an already current, but quite undeserved,
reputation for needless combativeness.

Then came the publication of the Darwin-Wallace paper in 1858, and of
the _Origin_ in 1859, the effect of which he compares to--

the flash of light which, to a man who has lost himself on a
dark night, suddenly reveals a road which, whether it takes
him straight home or not, certainly goes his way. That which
we were looking for, and could not find, was an hypothesis
respecting the origin of known organic forms which assumed
the operation of no causes but such as could be proved to be
actually at work. We wanted, not to pin our faith to that or
any other speculation, but to get hold of clear and definite
conceptions which could be brought face to face with facts and
have their validity tested. The _Origin_ provided us with the
working hypothesis we sought. Moreover, it did the immense
service of freeing us for ever from the dilemma--refuse to
accept the creation hypothesis and what have you to propose
that can be accepted by any cautious reasoner? In 1857 I had
no answer ready, and I do not think that any one else had.
A year later we reproached ourselves with dullness for being
perplexed with such an inquiry. My reflection, when I first
made myself master of the central idea of the _Origin_, was:
"How extremely stupid not to have thought of that." I suppose