MARXISM AND DARWINISM. 19 



In doing this they made the theory of evolution ac- 

 ceptable to the masses as the basic conception of social 

 and biological development. 



III. MARXISM AND THE CLASS STRUGGLE. 



While it is true that for a certain theory to have 

 a lasting influence on the human mind it must have 

 a highly scientific value, yet this in itself is not enough. 

 It quite often happened that a scientific theory was 

 of utmost importance to science, nevertheless, with 

 the probable exception of a few learned men, it evoked 

 no interest whatsoever. Such, for instance, was New- 

 ton's theory of gravitation. This theory is the foun- 

 dation of astronomy, and it is owing to this theory 

 that we have our knowledge of heavenly bodies, and 

 can foretell the arrival of certain planets and eclipses. 

 Yet, when Newton's theory of gravitation made its 

 appearance, a few English scientists were its only 

 adherents. The broad mass paid no attention to this 

 theory. It first became known to the mass by a popu- 

 lar book of Voltaire's written a half century after- 

 wards. 



There is nothing surprising about this. Science 

 has become a specialty for a certain group of learned 

 men, and its progress concerns these men only, just 

 as smelting is the smith's specialty, and an improve- 

 ment in the smelting of iron concerns him only. Only 

 that which all people can make use of and which is 

 found by everyone to be a life necessity can gain ad- 

 herents among the large mass. When, therefore, we 

 see that a certain scientific theory stirs up zeal and 

 passion in the large mass, this can be attributed to 



