RISE OF EVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT 4 X 7 



case. He pointed triumphantly to the four branches of the 

 animal kingdom which he had established, maintaining that 

 these four branches represented four distinct types of organi- 

 zation; and, furthermore, that fixity of species and fixity of 

 type were necessary for the existence of a scientific natural 

 history. We can see now that his contention was wrong, 

 but at the time he won the debate. The vounsr men of 



^ O 



the period, that is, the rising biologists of France, were 

 nearly all adherents of Cuvier, so that the effect of the de- 

 bate was, as previously stated, to retard the progress of sci- 

 ence. This noteworthy debate occurred in February, 18:50. 



/ \j 



The wide and lively interest with which the debate was 

 followed may be inferred from the excitement manifested 

 by Goethe. Of the great poet-naturalist, who was then in 

 his eighty-first year, the following incident is told by Soret : 



"Monday, Aug. 2d, 1830. --The news of the outbreak of 

 the revolution of July arrived in Weimar to-day, and has 

 caused general excitement. In the course of the afternoon 

 I went to Goethe. 'Well,' he exclaimed as I entered, 'what 

 do you think of this great event ? The volcano has burst 

 forth, all is in flames, and there are no more negotiations 

 behind closed doors.' 'A dreadful affair/ I answered; 

 'but what else could be expected under the circumstances, 

 and with such a ministry, except that it would end in the 

 expulsion of the present royal family ? ' ' We do not seem 

 to understand each other, my dear friend,' replied Goethe. 

 *I am not speaking of those people at all; I am interested 

 in something very different. I mean the dispute between 

 Cuvier and Geoffrey de Saint-Hilaire, which has broken out 

 in the Academy, and which is of such great importance to 

 science.' This remark of Goethe came upon me so unex- 

 pectedly that I did not know what to say, and my thoughts 

 for some minutes seemed to have come to a complete stand- 

 still. 'The affair is of the utmost importance,' he con- 

 27 



