rprise at the contents of the book and at
the manner of its presentation is, however, only increased by this
ruse. All modesty has vanished, monistic doctrines are presented as
absolute truth, every divergent opinion is contemptuously branded as
heretical; in short, the book reveals a Darwinian orthodoxy of the
purest type, with all the signs of blind bigotry and odious intolerance
which the author imagines he discovers in his Christian adversaries. It
is difficult to see where, in view of such a contradiction between the
work and its Preface, there is room for an honest striving after truth.
Personally I do not wish to deny Haeckel all honesty of purpose, for it
is my endeavor to understand the _whole_ man. The one prominent
feature of the "Weltraetsel" is the fact that, owing to a very marked
deficiency in philosophical training, Haeckel has become so completely
absorbed in his system that he has lost all interest in everything else
and takes cognizance only of what suits his purpose. What he lacks
above all, is the ability to appreciate even the "honest" opinion of
others; hence, from the very outset he brings into the discussion that
bitterness of which he complains in others (in the Weltraetsel he once
makes this accusation against me). Notwithstanding all this, honest
conviction may be present, but if so, it is joined with total
blindness. But what is to be thought of his search after truth since he
completely ignores his adversaries? For instance, in spite of Loofs'
attacks, he continues to have his book reprinted without alteration,
without submitting it to revision. The "Reichsbote" is perfectly in the
right when it says: Haeckel, in fact, takes account only of what suits
his purpose.

As regards the contents of the "Weltraetsel," it is not my intention to
enter here upon a criticism of it but merely to discuss it as
illustrating the general status of the theory of Descent. It is to be
noted, in the first place, that it is really not a scientific book at
all; for of its 472 pages, the first or "Anthropological Part," with
which alone we are here concerned, occupies only 74 (from pages 27 to
100), even less than one-sixth of the whole, whereas the "Theological
Part" is almost twice as long. The book is, in fact, rather a
theologico-natural-philosophical treatise than a work of natural
science. The scientific part is, however, the foundation on which
Haeckel builds up his natural philosophy, and which he uses as