ckel in his book, _Die Wahrheit ueber
Haeckel_. 2 Aufl Halle a. S., 1902.)

In a word, the manner in which the "Weltraetsel" was received and in
which Haeckel has been defended by Schmidt, are valuable indications of
the decay of Darwinism. I repeat that I am speaking of course of the
leading scientific circles. Those who hold back are never lacking, and
one cannot be surprised that, in the case of Darwinism, their number is
considerable: for on the one hand, to understand it an extraordinarily
slight demand is made on one's mental capacity; and on the other hand
it is a very convenient and even a seemingly scientific means of
obviating the necessity of belief in God. These facts appeal very
strongly to the multitude.

In concluding this section, we shall quote a positive testimony to the
decay of Darwinism. On page 3 of his "Outlines of the History of the
Development of Man and of the Mammals" (Leipzig, W. Engelmann, 1897)
Prof. O. Schultze, Anatomist in Wuerzburg, says: "The idea entertained
by Darwin, that the development of species may be explained by a
natural choice--Selection--which operates through the struggle of
individuals for existence, cannot permanently satisfy the spirit of
inquiry. Even the factors of variability, heredity, and adaptation,
which are essential to the transformation of species, do not offer an
exact explanation."

CHAPTER VIII.

I have already called attention several times to the fact that
Darwinism is indeed on the wane among men of science, but that it has
gradually penetrated into lay circles where it is now posing as
irrefragable truth. Especially the circles dominated by the social
democrats swear by nothing higher than Darwin and Haeckel. In fact,
only a short time ago Bebel publicly professed himself a convert to
Haeckel's wisdom.

It is inevitable, however, that light should gradually dawn even in
these circles, for it would be indeed strange, if no honest man could
be found to tell them the truth regarding Darwinism. This has occurred
sooner than I dared to hope. This chapter can announce the glad tidings
that even in "social-democratic science" Darwinism is doomed to decay.
Much printer's ink will, of course, be yet wasted before it will be so
entirely dead as to be no longer available as a weapon against
Christianity; but a beginning at least has been made.

In the December number of the ninth year of the _Sozialistische
Monatshefte_, a social-democratic writer,