bt."

To what outcome reference is made, appears from two sentences in the
Introduction: "Thus it happens that a theory which was once accorded
enthusiastic approval, is treated with cold disdain or vice versa.
Examples of this are to be found in the history of all sciences and
circumstances seem to indicate that Darwinism is to add another to the
number of these theories."

Is not this exactly what we have repeatedly asserted? It is most
significant that these words are not written by an opponent of
Darwinism, but by one who seems to be thoroughly convinced of the truth
of Darwinism. I am of opinion that it can be no longer a matter of
doubt to any one, that the position of Darwinism is hopeless. If this
were not true, a Darwinian would be very careful about making such an
open and unreserved statement.

We therefore accept Professor von Wagner's words as a very welcome
endorsement of what we have constantly maintained. Professor von
Wagner, however, proposes to himself the further question: Whence comes
the unfavorable attitude of present-day natural science towards
Darwinism? A discussion of this question by a Darwinian cannot but be
of interest to us, and indeed is an important contribution to the
problem. With Goette, Professor von Wagner admits that the objections,
which are raised against Darwinism to-day, are the very same which were
raised from thirty to forty years ago. But when he then proceeds to
assert that this is not to be explained on the assumption that the
pristine enthusiasm for selection was due to a serious over-estimation
of that theory, he fails to furnish even a shred of evidence in support
of his assertion.

Anyone can readily point out that Darwinism explains the totality of
the world of organisms by interlinking them, but has generally failed
to account for the individual case, Wagner admits this as far as the
"actual" is concerned, for it is quite impossible to trace with any
certainty the action, in any particular case, of natural selection in
the process which results in the production of a new species. At the
outset it was reasonable to hope, that with the progress of science
this difficulty would be solved or at least lessened; but this
expectation has not been realized. * * * It is wholly unintelligible
how a naturalist can make this statement five hundred years after Bacon
of Verulam, without drawing therefrom the proper conclusion. This lack
of logic reminds me strongly of the ass