DARWINISM 149 



Others live, but has nothing to do with structure when it is 

 concerned with the origination of new varietal characters. This 

 was evidently perfectly clear to Darwin himself, for he more 

 than once insists upon the fact that "■ Definite Variations " 

 have nothing to do with Natural Selection or vice versa. 



Having stated the case thus briefly with regard to the 

 present position of Darwinism, it will be as well to discuss the 

 question more fully in order to show how the materialistic 

 reasoning of Haeckel found a basis in Darwin's theory of 

 Natural Selection. 



M. Leon A. Dumont published an interesting resu?ne of 

 'HdiQckeVs Matiiral History of Creation in 1873, entitled Z^(Z(?(ry^^/ 

 et la Theorie de f Evolution en Allemagne, in which he observes 

 that of all countries Darwinism was best received in Germany ; 

 for it appealed more than any other to the pantheistic aspira- 

 tions of that country. Not only did it apply to natural science, 

 but one tried to extend it to most diverse facts — languages, 

 formation of intellectual faculties, politics, morals, history and 

 the theory of progress. Indeed, Darwinism and its applications 

 gave birth to an entire literature. Thus, Schleicher^ a dis- 

 tinguished professor of languages in the University of Jena, 

 who had already, before Darwin, taught the theory of Evolution, 

 explained by Natural Selection, as soon as it was known to him, 

 the development of languages. 



A little reflection, however, will show that the " struggle for 

 existence" with "Natural Selection" has nothing to do with 

 the changes in words. Philologists invented the word " Brachy- 

 logy " (Short-speech) to express the cause of changes. For 

 whatever happens to be the easier to pronounce takes the place 

 of what is less easy. It is for this reason that the initial aspirate 

 h has vanished from most words in French which commence 

 with it. In England, however, though it is often dropped in 

 some places, as London, it is not yet recognised as correct not 

 to pronounce it. Spelling is much slower in following suit. 

 Ruthven is pronounced " Rivven," Cholmondeley, " Chumley," 

 etc., but there is nothing of the nature of a struggle for exist- 



