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in reality stages in the transformation of various plants and animals
into human beings。 。 。 。 They had no distinct limbs or organs of
sight； hearing； or smell。〃 They existed in a kind of lumps； and were
set free from the cauls which enveloped them by two beings called
Ungambikula； 〃a word which means 'out of nothing；' or 'self…
existing。' Men descend from lower animals thus evolved。〃 ｛7｝
This example of the doctrine of evolution in an early shape is only
mentioned to prove that the idea has been familiar to the human mind
from the lowest known stage of culture。 Not less familiar has been
the theory of creation by a kind of supreme being。 The notion of
creation； however； up to 1860； held the foremost place in modern
European belief。 But Lamarck； the elder Darwin； Monboddo； and others
had submitted hypotheses of evolution。 Now it was part of the
originality of Tennyson； as a philosophic poet； that he had brooded
from boyhood on these early theories of evolution； in an age when
they were practically unknown to the literary； and were not
patronised by the scientific； world。 In November 1844 he wrote to Mr
Moxon； 〃I want you to get me a book which I see advertised in the
Examiner： it seems to contain many speculations with which I have
been familiar for years； and on which I have written more than one
poem。〃 This book was Vestiges of Creation。 These poems are the
stanzas in In Memoriam about 〃the greater ape；〃 and about Nature as
careless of the type： 〃all shall go。〃 The poetic and philosophic
originality of Tennyson thus faced the popular inferences as to the
effect of the doctrine of evolution upon religious beliefs long
before the world was moved in all its deeps by Darwin's Origin of
Species。 Thus the geological record is inconsistent； we learned；
with the record of the first chapters of Genesis。 If man is a
differentiated monkey； and if a monkey has no soul； or future life
（which is taken for granted）； where are man's title…deeds to these
possessions？ With other difficulties of an obvious kind； these
presented themselves to the poet with renewed force when his only
chance of happiness depended on being able to believe in a future
life； and reunion with the beloved dead。 Unbelief had always
existed。 We hear of atheists in the Rig Veda。 In the early
eighteenth century； in the age of Swift …
〃Men proved； as sure as God's in Gloucester；
That Moses was a great impostor。〃
distrust of Moses increased with the increase of hypotheses of
evolution。 But what English poet； before Tennyson； ever attempted
〃to lay the spectres of the mind〃； ever faced world…old problems in
their most recent aspects？ I am not acquainted with any poet who
attempted this task； and； whatever we may think of Tennyson's
success； I do not see how we can deny his originality。
Mr Frederic Harrison； however； thinks that neither 〃the theology nor
the philosophy of In Memoriam are new； original； with an independent
force and depth of their own。〃 〃They are exquisitely graceful re…
statements of the theology of the Broad Churchman of the school of F。
D。 Maurice and Jowetta combination of Maurice's somewhat illogical
piety with Jowett's philosophy of mystification。〃 The piety of
Maurice may be as illogical as that of Positivism is logical； and the
philosophy of the Master of Balliol may be whatever Mr Harrison
pleases to call it。 But as Jowett's earliest work （except an essay
on Etruscan religion） is of 1855； one does not see how it could
influence Tennyson before 1844。 And what had the Duke of Argyll
written on these themes some years before 1844？ The late Duke； to
whom Mr Harrison refers in this connection； was born in 1823。 His
philosophic ideas； if they were to influence Tennyson's In Memoriam；
must have been set forth by him at the tender age of seventeen； or
thereabouts。 Mr Harrison's sentence is； 〃But does In Memoriam teach
anything； or transfigure any idea which was not about that time〃 （the
time of writing was mainly 1833…1840） 〃common form with F。 D。
Maurice； with Jowett； C。 Kingsley； F。 Robertson； Stopford Brooke； Mr
Ruskin； and the Duke of Argyll； Bishops Westcott and Boyd Carpenter？〃
The dates answer Mr Harrison。 Jowett did not publish anything till
at least fifteen years after Tennyson wrote his poems on evolution
and belief。 Dr Boyd Carpenter's works previous to 1840 are unknown
to bibliography。 F。 W。 Robertson was a young parson at Cheltenham。
Ruskin had not published the first volume of Modern Painters。 His
Oxford prize poem is of 1839。 Mr Stopford Brooke was at school。 The
Duke of Argyll was being privately educated： and so with the rest；
except the contemporary Maurice。 How can Mr Harrison say that； in
the time of In Memoriam； Tennyson was 〃in touch with the ideas of
Herschel； Owen； Huxley； Darwin； and Tyndall〃？ ｛8｝ When Tennyson
wrote the parts of In Memoriam which deal with science； nobody beyond
their families and friends had heard of Huxley； Darwin； and Tyndall。
They had not developed； much less had they published； their 〃general
ideas。〃 Even in his journal of the Cruise of the Beagle Darwin's
ideas were religious； and he naively admired the works of God。 It is
strange that Mr Harrison has based his criticism； and his theory of
Tennyson's want of originality； on what seems to be a historical
error。 He cites parts of In Memoriam； and remarks； 〃No one can deny
that all this is exquisitely beautiful； that these eternal problems
have never been clad in such inimitable grace 。 。 。 But the train of
thought is essentially that with which ordinary English readers have
been made familiar by F。 D。 Maurice； Professor Jowett； Ecce Homo；
Hypatia； and now by Arthur Balfour； Mr Drummond； and many valiant
companies of Septem ＇why Septem？＇ contra Diabolum。〃 One must keep
repeating the historical verity that the ideas of In Memoriam could
not have been 〃made familiar by〃 authors who had not yet published
anything； or by books yet undreamed of and unborn； such as Ecce Homo
and Jowett's work on some of St Paul's Epistles。 If these books
contain the ideas of In Memoriam； it is by dint of repetition and
borrowing from In Memoriam； or by coincidence。 The originality was
Tennyson's； for we cannot dispute the evidence of dates。
When one speaks of 〃originality〃 one does not mean that Tennyson
discovered the existence of the ultimate problems。 But at Cambridge
（1828…1830） he had voted 〃No〃 in answer to the question discussed by
〃the Apostles；〃 〃Is an intelligible ＇intelligent？＇ First Cause
deducible from the phenomena of the universe？〃 ｛9｝ He had also
propounded the theory that 〃the development of the human body might
possibly be traced from the radiated vermicular molluscous and
vertebrate organisms；〃 thirty years before Darwin published The
Origin of Species。 To be concerned so early with such hypotheses；
and to face； in poetry； the religious or irreligious inferences which
may be drawn from them； decidedly constitutes part of the poetic
originality of Tennyson。 His attitude； as a poet； towards religious
doubt is only so far not original； as it is part of the general
reaction from the freethinking of the eigh