THE SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS OF 1863 145 



certain polish of scientific and impartial dignity. 

 There are features of his work that amuse us 

 to-day, but those were evil days, and every 

 particle of goodwill had to be appreciated. 

 However, there was a serious difficulty. 



The bolder elements met in congresses, and 

 encouraged each other in the pursuit of their 

 ideal. But it at once became clear in their 

 public discussions that some of their purely 

 scientific discoveries were dangerous and heretical 

 in such a period of reaction. This or that had 

 hitherto been buried innocently in scientific mono- 

 graphs, quite unknown to the crowd, and the 

 author might be a royal councillor, receive decora- 

 tions, and almost be an elder of the Church. 

 Suddenly, by means of these assemblies, the sin- 

 . fulness of all this lore about snails or insects or 

 vertebrates was brought to light and put before 

 the profane public, and there was much anger. 

 The whole of scientific research was full of secret 

 plots, heresies, and bombs against God. 



There was a most appalling illustration of this 

 in the Scientific Congress, held in September, 1863. 

 Nothing is more amusing to-day than to run 

 through the yellow and almost unknown papers 

 of the Congress. They are illuminating to some 

 extent. An idea that belongs to humanity is 

 openly brought into the debate for the first time. 

 Ages lie behind this hour. We must grant all 

 that savours of human comedy, of triviality even, 

 in such an assembly, but after all we must see 

 in it the swell and clash of great waves. Haeckel 



10 



