8 DE VEL OPMENT AND CREA TIOX. 



every ear is too much deafened by the noise all round 

 to hear the voice of individuals. It is best to leave 

 things to go their own way, deeper and deeper into the 

 mire, till they come to a stand-still there of their own 

 accord ; for ' Quos deus vult perdere prius dementat.' 

 Thus it is in this case. "When the extravagances of the 

 descent hypothesis, encouraged as they were by mutual 

 incitement, had reached their highest pitch in the ravings 

 that were uttered at Munich, the too pointed point broke 

 in this superabundance of absurdity almost by its own 

 pointedness, and so we were quit of it with one blow. 

 Xow, happily, all is over with the theory of descent, 

 or ascent, but natural science will not on that account 

 fare any the worse, for many of its adherents belong 

 to her ablest youth, and as they now need no longer 

 waste their best time on romantic schemes, they will 

 have it to use at the orders and for the advancement 

 of science, so as to enrich her through real and solid 

 contributions." 



Furthermore, Bastian quotes Virchow's maxim : 

 " The plan of organisation is immutable within 

 the limits of the species ; species is not produced 

 from species." The fundamental teleological idea 

 of that school, that each species has its constant 

 and specific plan of structure, certainly cannot be 

 more emphatically expressed. Thus it is undoubtedly 

 certain that Virchow has become a Dualist, and 



