PROFESSOR VIRCHOW AND EVOLUTION. 643 
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 mis- 
chievous 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 perfectlv established doctrine so 
certain that we could pledge our oath to it, so sure that we 
could say, 'Thus it is' from that moment we could not 
dare to feel any scruple about introducing it into our 
actual life, so as not only to communicate it to every edu- 
cated man, but to impart it to every child, to make it the 
foundation of our whole ideas of the world, of society, 
and the state, and to base upon it our whole system of 
education. This I hold to be a necessity." 
It would be interesting to know the persons designated 
by the pronoun " we " in the first sentence of the foregoing 
quotation. No doubt Professor Haeckel would accept 
this canon in all its fullness, and found on it his justifica- 
tion. He would say without hesitation: " I am convinced 
that the theory of evolution is a perfectly established 
doctrine, and hence on your own showing I am justified 
in urging its introduction into our schools." It is plain, 
however, that Professor Virchow would not accept this 
retort as valid. His " we " must cover something more 
than Professor Haeckel. It would probably cover more 
even than the audience he addressed; for he would hardly 
affirm, even if every one of his hearers accepted the theory 
of evolution, that that would be a sufficient warrant for 
forcing it upon the public at large. His " we," I submit, 
needs definition. If he means that the theory of evolution 
ought to be introduced into our schools, not when experts 
are agreed as to its truth, but when the community is pre- 
