Curt Grottewitz,
undertakes to bring out an article on "Darwinian Myths." It is stated
there that Darwin had a few eminent followers, but that the educated
world took no notice of their work; that now, however, they seemed to
be attracting more attention. "There is no doubt, that a number of
Darwinian views, which are still prevalent to-day, have sunk to the
level of untenable myths. True, the main doctrine of Darwin--the origin
of new species from existing ones--is incontestably established, but
apart from this even some very fundamental principles, which the master
thought he discerned in the development of organisms, can scarcely be
any longer maintained."

It may be well to remark here, that this was not really Darwin's main
doctrine, for it already existed before his time (Lamarck, Geoffroy St.
Hilaire). Darwin's main doctrine is the explanation of the origin of
species by natural selection operating through the struggle for
existence. It is therefore the old error repeated. Darwinism is
confounded with the doctrine of Descent, of which it is merely one
form. It is not our intention to derogate in the least from Darwin's
merit, which consists in the fact that he gained general recognition
for the doctrine of Descent; but that was not his main work. He wished
above all to explain the _How_ of Descent; this is his doctrine,
and this doctrine we attack and declare to be on the point of expiring.

Grottewitz very frankly continues: "The difficulty with the Darwinian
doctrines consists in the fact that they are incapable of being
strictly and irrefutably demonstrated. The origin of one species from
another, the conservation of useful forms, the existence of countless
intermediary links, are all assumptions, which could never be supported
by concrete cases found in actual experience." Some are said to be well
established indirectly by proofs drawn from probabilities, while others
are proved to be absolutely untenable. Among the latter Grottewitz
includes "sexual selection," which is indeed a monstrous figment of the
imagination. There was moreover really no reason for adhering to it so
long. It is eminently untrue, that the biological research of the last
few years proved for the _first_ time the untenableness of this
doctrine, as Grottewitz seems to think. Clear thinkers recognized its
untenableness long ago, and surely Grottewitz and the whole band of
Darwinian devotees as well, could have known that as early as
twe