4 DARWINISM TO-DAY. 



But the educated reader, the scientific layman, the thinker 

 and worker in any line of sociologic, philosophic, or even 



theolosfic activity is bound to be disturbed and 



Present-day 



anti-Darwin- unsettled by rumours from the camp of pro- 

 fessional biologists of any weakness or mortal 

 illness of Darwinism. We have only just got ourselves and 

 our conceptions of nature, of sociology and philosophy, well 

 oriented and adjusted with regard to Darwinism. And for 

 relentless hands now to come and clutch away our founda- 

 tions is simply intolerable. Zum Teufel with these German 

 professors ! For it is precisely the German biologists who 

 are most active in this undermining of the Darwinian 

 theories. But there are others with them ; Holland, Russia, 

 Italy, France, and our own country all contribute their 

 quota of disturbing questions and declarations of protest 

 and revolt. The English seem mostly inclined to uphold 

 the glory of their illustrious countryman. But there are 

 rebels even there. Altogether it may be stated with full 

 regard to facts that a major part of the current published 

 output of general biological discussions, theoretical treatises, 

 addresses, and brochures dealing with the great evolutionary 

 problems, is distinctly anti-Darwinian in character. This 

 major part of the public discussion of the status of evolution 

 and its causes, its factors and mechanism, by working 

 biologists and thinking natural philosophers, reveals a 

 lack of belief in the effectiveness or capacity of the natural 

 selection theory to serve as a sufficient causo-mechanical 

 explanation of species-forming and evolution. Nor is this 

 preponderance of anti-Darwinian expression in current 

 biological literature to be wholly or even chiefly attributed 

 to a dignified silence on the part of the believers in selection. 

 Answers and defences have appeared and are appearing. 

 But in practically all these defences two characteristics are 

 to be noted, namely, a tendency to propose supporting 

 hypotheses or theories, and a tendency to make certain 



