242 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



If the original plan had been carried out, probably 

 only prominent scientists would have taken part in 

 the discussion, whereas at the public meeting 

 speeches were made which were not at all to the 

 point, such, for instance, as those of Count von 

 Hoensbroech and of Itelson the author, and this 

 was almost inevitable. A tempting opportunity 

 presented itself for turning the scientific discussion 

 of Father Wasmann s lectures into a hostile 

 demonstration against them in the name of free 

 scientific research, or, in other words, into a modern 

 religious argument. Without being a prophet, any 

 one might have foretold that such an argument 

 could lead to no mutual understanding. 



Who can claim to have been victorious in this 

 religious argument which took place on February 

 18th, 1907, in the great hall of the Zoological 

 Gardens, in this argument to which, contrary to 

 my wishes, the scientific discussion was reduced ? 



The answer is important. In all previous 

 religious arguments both parties have claimed the 

 victory, and we must therefore see what impartial 

 experts said on the subject. Whatever the result 

 might have been, it was a foregone conclusion that 

 the Vossische Zeitung, the Berliner Morgenzeitung, 

 and other similar journals would claim a brilliant 

 victory won by free scientific research over 

 ecclesiastical trammels. * 



1 Burdmski did the same thing in his already-mentioned article (see 

 Preface, p. v), Der Kampf urn die Weltanschawing in Berlin (The 



