be able to perceive comprehensively and state fully not only what
is, but also what is not, is a wonderful achievement. I do not think
that such a power has yet been acquired by any of the sons of men; nor
will the semi-educated readers of this country be wise if they pin
their faith and build their hopes on the utterances of any man, however
eminent, who makes this superhuman claim.

Now, in all charity, it must be admitted that in some passages
Professor Haeckel puts himself under the ban implied by the above
paragraph, inasmuch as he conducts a sort of free and easy attack on
religion, especially on what he conceives to be the fundamental
doctrines of Christianity. But, after all, it can be perceived that his
attack, so far as it is really an attack on religion, is evidently
inspired by his mistrust and dislike, and to some extent fear, of
Ecclesiasticism, especially of the Ultramontane movement in Germany,
against which he says Prince Bismarck began a struggle in 1872. It is
this kind of semi-political religion that he is really attacking, more
than the pure essence of Christianity itself. He regards it as a
bigoted system hostile to knowledge--which, if true, would amply
justify an attack--and he says on page 118:--

"The great struggle between modern science and orthodox
Christianity has become more threatening; it has grown more
dangerous for science in proportion as Christianity has found
support in an increasing mental and political reaction."

This may seem an exaggerated fear; but the following extract from a
Pastoral address by the Bishop of Newport, which accidentally I saw
reported in _The Tablet_, shows that the danger is not wholly
imaginary, if unwise opinions are pressed to their logical practical
issue:--

"If the formulas of modern science contradict the science of
Catholic dogma, it is the former that must be altered, not the
latter."[2]

[2] In case it is unfair to wrench a sentence like this from its
context, I quote the larger portion of that instructive report in
this note:--

_Extract from "The Tablet," Aug. 27th, 1904--An Address
by the Bishop of Newport._

"If the Abbe Loisy has followers within the Church, as we are
informed he has, it cannot be doubted that the danger for
Catholics is by no means imaginary. For Loisy teaches that
the dogmatic definitions of the Church [on the