SUPPORT OF DARWINISM 247 



The advancement of the theory of Natural Selection 

 by Darwin and Wallace had a momentous influence on 

 Huxley's career, and greatly modified the character of 

 his scientific work. Enough on this subject has else- 

 where been said, though emphasis must be laid on the 

 altogether disinterested and non-partizan character of his 

 support. The matter is thus summarized by Prof. 

 Ernst Haeckel, who in some respects played the same 

 part in Germany as regards evolution that Huxley did in 

 England : — 



" Thomas Huxley belonged to that small number of far-seeing 

 naturalists who, from the very beginning, saw the epoch-making 

 import of Darwin's work of research carried on through fifty 

 years, and who with unselfish devotion worked out the detailed 

 application of his theories and aided their application. The 

 pre-requisites for such work were not only an extensive and 

 thorough knowledge in all fields of biology and a clear sagacity 

 of judgment, but also that moral courage which, regardless of 

 consequences, assails a ' mountain of prejudices ' many thousand 

 thousand years old, and seeks truth for its own sake. As long 

 as Darwin lives as a reformer in the history of biology, so long 

 will Huxley be celebrated as one of his most faithful friends and 

 most successful fellow-workers" ("Thomas Huxley and Karl 

 Vogt," Fortnightly Review, New Ser., Iviii, 1895, p. 469). 



It is however noticeable that though Huxley's re- 

 searches greatly strengthened the foundations of Dar- 

 winism, especially on the palaeontological side, he can 

 scarcely be said to have made any contributions to the 

 theory of evolution, unless his views on homotaxis may 

 be regarded as such. But, after all, this is not remarkable. 

 Considering that his character was fully formed, and no 

 mean share of his original work accomplished before the 

 publication of the Origin of Species^ it is astonishing, and 

 reflects the greatest credit on his insight and judicial 

 power, that the rest of his career should be so profoundly 



