PROFESSOR V1RCHOW AND EVOLUTION. 397 



Address delivered by me before the Midland Institute in 

 the autumn of 1877, and published in this volume, were 

 very frequent. Professor Virchow was held up to me in 

 some quarters as a model of philosophic caution, who 

 by his reasonableness reproved my rashness, and by his 

 depth reproved my shallowness. With true theologic 

 courtesy I was sedulously emptied, not only of the 

 ' principles of scientific thought,' but of ' common 

 modesty ' and ' common sense.' And though I am in- 

 debted to Professor Clifford for recalling in the ; Nine- 

 teeth Century ' for April the public mind in this con- 

 nection from heated fancy to sober fact, I do not think 

 a brief additional examination of Virchow's views, and 

 of my relation to them, will be out of place here. 



The key-note of his position is struck in the preface 

 to the excellent English translation of his lecture a 

 preface written expressly by himself. 'Nothing,' he 

 says, ' was farther from his intention than any wish to 

 disparage the great services rendered by Mr. Darwin to 

 the advancement of biological science, of which no one 

 has expressed more admiration than himself. On the 

 other hand, it seemed high time to him to enter an 

 energetic protest against the attempts that are made to 

 proclaim the problems of research as actual facts, and the 

 opinions of scientists as established science.' On the 

 ground, among others, that it promotes the pernicious 

 delusions of the Socialist, Virchow considers the theory 

 of evolution dangerous ; but his fidelity to truth is so great 

 that he would brave the danger and teach the theory, if 

 it were only proved. ' However dangerous the state of 

 things might be, let the confederates be as mischievous 

 as they might, still I do not hesitate to say that from 

 the moment when we had become convinced that the 

 evolution theory was a perfectly established doctrine 

 so certain that we could pledge our oath to it, so sure 



