286 HAECKEL 



siderably; it may be shown that the laws of 

 evolution which have selected the various species 

 of plants and animals can only be used very 

 sparingly and cautiously for the promotion of 

 human progress. But I believe that is quite an 

 immaterial point in this matter of Virchow's 

 attack. The real influence of Darwinism on 

 political questions is not the chief question. The 

 principle we have to determine is whether the 

 freedom of scientific research and the teaching of 

 what the individual student believes he has dis- 

 covered to be true are to have " external " 

 restrictions or not. The question is whether 

 inquiry and teaching are to be regarded merely 

 as things " tolerated" and interfered with at will 

 amongst the various elements of modern life; or 

 whether they are not to be considered the very 

 bed-rock of civilisation, and every agency that has 

 power for the moment is not doomed whenever 

 it comes into collision with them. 



In this momentous duel of the two men who 

 were regarded at the time as unquestionably the 

 most distinguished scientists in Germany it seemed 

 to most people for a time that Haeckel had gone 

 off altogether into general and public questions 

 with regard to the aim of research and philosophy. 

 He seemed to lend colour to the belief as he 

 published, in quick succession, a number of new 

 popular lectures (Cell-souls and Soul-cells, 1878, 

 and The Origin and Evolution of the Sense- 

 organs, 1878), and at the same time published 

 a collected volume of older and recent Essays 



