16 MARXISM AND DARWINISM.. 



only be explained through the wise superintending 

 care of God. Now, however, this natural descent is 

 clearly understood. For this conformity is nothing 

 else than the adaptation to the means of life. Every 

 animal and every plant is exactly adapted to existing 

 circumstances, for all those whose build is less con- 

 formable are less adapted and are exterminated in 

 the struggle for existence. The green-frog, having 

 descended from the brown-frog, must preserve its pro- 

 tecting color, for all those that deviate from this color 

 are sooner found by the enemies and destroyed or find 

 greater difficulty in obtaining their food and must 

 perish. 



It was thus that Darwin showed us, for the first 

 time, that new species continually formed out of old 

 ones. The theory of descent, which until then was 

 merely a presumptive inference of many phenomena 

 that could not be explained well in any other way, 

 gained the certainty of an absolute inference of defi- 

 nite forces that could be proved. In this lies the 

 main reason that this theory had so quickly dominated 

 the scientific discussions and public attention. 



II. MARXISM. 



If we turn to Marxism we immediately see a 

 great conformity with Darwinism. As with Darwin, 

 the scientific importance of Marx's work consists in 

 this, that he discovered the propelling force, the cause 

 of social development. He did not have to prove that 

 such a development was taking place ; every one knew 

 that from the most primitive times new social forms 



