430 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE 



then I, for one, would not object to this exercise of ideal- 

 ity." I say it strongly, but with good temper, that the 

 theologian, or the defender of theology, who hacks and 

 scourges me for putting the question in this light is guilty 

 of black ingratitude. 



Notwithstanding the agreement thus far pointed out, 

 there are certain points in Professor Virchow's lecture to 

 which I should feel inclined to take exception. I think 

 it was hardly necessary to associate the theory of evolu- 

 tion with Socialism; it may be even questioned whether 

 it was correct to do so. As Lange remarks, the aim of 

 Socialism, or of its extreme leaders, is to overthrow the 

 existing systems of government, and anything that helps 

 them to this end is welcomed, whether iu be atheism or 

 papal infallibility. For long years the Socialists saw 

 Church and State united against them, and both were 

 therefore regarded with a common hatred. But no sooner 

 does a serious difference arise between Church and State 

 than a portion of the Socialists begin immediately to dally 

 with the former. 1 The experience of the last German 

 elections illustrates Lange' s position. Far nobler and 

 truer to my mind than this fear of promoting Socialism 

 by a scientific theory which the best and soberest heads 

 in the world have substantially accepted, is the position 

 assumed by Helmholtz, who in his "Popular Lectures" 

 describes Darwin's theory as embracing "an essentially 

 new creative thought" (einen wesentlich neuen schopfer- 

 ischen Gedanken), and who illustrates the greatness of 

 this thought by copious references to the solutions, pre- 



"Geschichte des Materialismus, " 2 e Auflage, vol. ii. p. 538. 



