f, without the intervention of Darwinism."
* * * "From which it follows as a matter of course, that the question,
whether the manner indicated by Darwin for the origin of species is the
correct one, has decreased by no means inconsiderably in significance,
inasmuch as Darwin's theory could now, if it were necessary, be
abandoned with less concern than formerly because it could be
relinquished without detriment to the doctrine of Descent."

It is unintelligible how one can attempt to explain a fact of such
importance so superficially. With naive unconcern there appears on the
face of it the acknowledgement that Darwinism has really not been based
on actual observation but has been enunciated for the sake of the
doctrine of Descent. Come what may, this must be vindicated. Other
means are now said to substantiate it, hence the Darwinian crutches may
safely be discarded. The principle of action twenty or thirty years ago
was therefore: a poor explanation is better than no explanation. I
cannot understand, how Wagner dares to credit present-day naturalists
with such motives.

When he then proceeds to say "that with the advance of the principle of
development, new lines were entered upon, which led primarily to the
corroboration and empiric demonstration of the doctrine of Descent, and
not of Darwinism"--that the theory of Darwin was consequently neglected
and, in fact, forced into the background--"that the labors specifically
attributable to Darwinism as compared with the theory of Descent, put
the former more and more into a false position to the detriment of its
prestige"--when, I say, Wagner has marshalled all these considerations
to explain the present aversion to Darwinism, he is guilty of a total
subversion of facts. The true state of the case is the very contrary.

The credit given by Wagner to the Darwinian theory for stimulating
research, is the very same as I also accorded it. The purpose of this
research undoubtedly was to substantiate not only the doctrine of
evolution in general, but also the Darwinian hypothesis in particular.
To verify this, one need only glance over the various numbers of the
"Kosmos," the periodical, which Haeckel and his associates established
for that very purpose and which continued to publish good and bad
indiscriminately until some time in the eighties when lack of interest
compelled its discontinuance. Wagner therefore misconstrues facts when
he asserts that there have been no specif