236 MISCELLANEA (continued}. [1878. 



any one who had taken the trouble to read the book, more 

 especially as in the opening lines of the introduction I specify 

 how the subject arose in my mind. This answer disposes of 

 your two other questions ; but I may add that, many years 

 ago, when I was collecting facts for the ' Origin,' my belief in 

 what is called a personal God was as firm as that of Dr. 

 Pusey himself, and as to the eternity of matter I have never 

 troubled myself about such insoluble questions. Dr. Pusey's 

 attack will be as powerless to retard by a day the belief in 

 Evolution, as were the virulent attacks made by divines fifty 

 years ago against Geology, and the still older ones of the 

 Catholic Church against Galileo, for the public is wise enough 

 always to follow Scientific men when they agree on any 

 1 subject ; and now there is almost complete unanimity 

 j amongst Biologists about Evolution, though there is still 

 : considerable difference as to the means, such as how far 

 natural selection has acted, and how far external conditions, 

 or whether there exists some mysterious innate tendency to 

 perfectibility. I remain, dear Sir, 



Yours faithfully, 



CH. DARWIN. 



[Theologians were not the only adversaries of freedom in 

 science. On Sept. 22, 1877, Prof. Virchow delivered an address 

 at the Munich meeting of German Naturalists and Physicians, 

 which had the effect of connecting Socialism with the Descent 

 theory. This point of view was taken up by anti-evolu- 

 tionists to such an extent that, according to Haeckel, the 

 Kreuz Zeitung threw " all the blame " of the " treasonable 

 attempts of the democrats Hodel and Nobiling . . . directly 

 on the theory of Descent." Prof. Haeckel replied with vigour 

 and ability in his ' Freedom in Science and Teaching ' (Eng. 

 Transl. 1879), an essay which must have the sympathy of all 

 lovers of freedom. 



The following passage from a letter (December 26, 1879) to 



