322 M. Pictet on the Writings of Goethe. 



ciple which we have stated above. Every one remembers, that 

 in these debates, perhaps the most remarkable that ever took 

 place in a learned assembly upon a question relating to na- 

 tural history, M. Cuvier, strong in his power of observation, 

 his immense labours, and the rigour of his zoological method, 

 denied to the unity of organic composition the right of being 

 erected into a general law. He acknowledged it within certain 

 limits, but would not admit of any other analogies than those 

 which were rigorously demonstrated, and rejected all general- 

 ization conceived a priori and not yet proved by facts. M. 

 GeofFroy St. Hilaire on his part, also attended by a numerous 

 train of remarkable labours and important researches, gave 

 himself up to his fancy, to predetermine the general laws of 

 organization, w hich he conceived were revealed to him by those 

 which are known. He required that the unity of organic com- 

 position should be recognised a priori, leaving to the progress 

 of the science the business of demonstrating it in its details 

 in succeeding ages. We have said enough to show that 

 Goethe, wdth almost the entire body of German philosophers, 

 rendering justice to the science and talents of the two illus- 

 trious champions, were sharers in Geoffroy's views of the sub- 

 ject. He has given his countrymen a history of this great 

 struggle between analysis and synthesis; for he felt that it was 

 a European question, and that it was agitated for Germany 

 as well as for France. These two countries, ordained to march 

 at the head of comparative anatomy* had till then but little 

 understood each other, and Goethe saw well that this discus- 

 sion was the beginning of a new aera, in which the synthetical 

 ideas of the Germans would be more and more appreciated in 

 France. The school at the head of which GeofFroy St. Hilaire 

 placed himself was destined to bring about this union, in 

 which the development of the science is so deeply interested. 

 Goethe was happy in seeing this school appreciate the valu- 

 able labours of his countrymen and himself, and with the me- 

 moirs of this change his literary course terminated. The ana- 

 lysis of which we speak is the last work which came from the 

 pen of this great writer. 



• " Faits pour marcher a la tete," so says our author, — Transl. 



