Glocken," Julius Hart, Professor Keller-Zuerich, the philosopher and
"Neokantian" Professor Spitzer of Graz, the popular literateur W.
Boelsche, W. Ule, and a few unknown great men, Dr. Zimmer, Th.
Pappstein, R. Steiner, A. Haese; but stay, I came very near forgetting
the great pillar, Dodel of Zuerich. But where is there mention of the
professional colleagues of Haeckel whose testimonies could be taken
seriously? Under the heading "Literary Humbug," which evidently has
reference to the contents of his own work, Schmidt then meets numerous
objections. Here vigorous epithets are bandied about, as, for instance,
"absolute nonsense," "muddler," "foolish and senseless prattle," "idle
talk," etc.; and from Dodel he copies the words with which the latter
once sought to annihilate me: Job, verse 10, "Thou hast spoken like one
of the foolish women." And he ventures to express indignation at Loofs'
"invectives." As a compliment to Lasson he declares that he could
easily conceive of the possibility of an ape ascending the professor's
chair and speaking as intelligently as he (Lasson); which remark he
probably intended as a witticism. He informs his readers that the
criticism of Haeckel by men like Virchow, His, Semper, Haacke, Baer,
and Wigand have been examined by professional specialists and proved
practically worthless. This statement alone so clearly reveals
Schmidt's lack of critical faculty and judgment that by it he at once
forfeits his right to be taken seriously.

The whole book is nothing more than a collection of quotations from the
reviews of the "Weltraetsel," interspersed with characteristic
expressions like "idle talk," "nonsense," etc., as exemplified above. A
really pertinent reply and refutation of objections is entirely beyond
Schmidt's range; he waives the demand for a direct reply, for instance,
in the following amusing way (p. 28): "Two reasons, however, prevent me
from being more explicit: In the first place I do not like to dispute
with people who adduce variant readings and church-fathers as proofs
and can still remain serious. In the second place I would not like to
fall into the hands of a Loofs." In this manner it is indeed easy to
evade an argument, which for good reasons one is not able to pursue.
Loofs' criticism is so serious and destructive that it should be of the
utmost concern to Haeckel's friends to refute it. Since they are unable
to do so, they content themselves with references to Loofs' cau