1 1 6 IGNORABIMUS E T RES T RING A MUR. 



mastery over them. His firm conviction of the truth 

 of the theory of descent is all the more remarkable 

 because he was at the same time a spotless character, 

 a pious Christian in the best sense of the word, and 

 an extremely conservative politician; a striking ex- 

 ample that these convictions can dwell side by side 

 with the principles of the recent doctrines of evolution 

 in one and the same person. But in comparison with 

 the powerful influence of the rest of the Berlin natur- 

 alists who, for the most part, are decided opponents 

 of transmutation, and who have only lately a few of 

 them, to follow the fashion become converts to it, 

 a man like Alexander Braun could have no effect in 

 procuring that it should be taught. 



However, this is not the first time that this very 

 Berlin society of learned men has set itself with 

 remarkable firmness against the most important 

 advances of science. Virchow's former colleague, the 

 deceased Stahl, with a similar purpose and with great 

 success, preached this principle : " Science must turn 

 back again." Just as at the present day the Berlin 

 biologists have opposed the most obstinate and pertina- 

 cious resistance to the greatest scientific stride of 

 this century, so did it happen in former times with 

 regard to other doctrines of progress. We have only 

 to recall Caspar Friedrich Wolff, the great inquirer, 



