REVIEW OF THE POSITION 15 



This trenchant essay contains fifty-seven pages, of which 

 reasoning forms the greater part. As to the facts it might well 

 pass for an essay from Professor Poulton's pen, for Weismann's 

 special province of insects occupies nearly all the evidence from 

 facts. Outside this highly specialised group there are exactly 

 fifty-three lines, or one and a half pages, which deal with other 

 animal groups, and there are four casual allusions to plants occupy- 

 ing twelve lines in all ! In the essay of 1909 on the Selection Theory 

 this treatment of animated life in the world is improved upon 

 and thirteen out of its forty-seven pages refer to animals outside 

 his favourite group of insects. Such exclusive dealing with these 

 little things does not commend the reasoning, at any rate to a neo- 

 Lamarckian ; such a circle is too select for him. 



Weismann's Twelve Points. 



The most striking remarks from the 1895 essay on germinal 

 selection are : — 



1. " The real aim of the present essay is to rehabilitate the 

 principle of selection. If I should succeed in reinstating this 

 principle in its imperilled rights, it would be a source of extreme 

 satisfaction to me." 1 



2. Speaking of the whole theory of selection he claimed to 

 have found a position " which is necessary to protect it against the 

 many doubts which gathered around it on all sides like so many 

 lowering thunder-clouds." 2 And he speaks on page 26 of " the 

 flood of objections against the theory of selection touching its 

 inability to modify many parts at once." 



Thus Weismann stood forth to defend the crumbling edifice 

 of Darwinism and threw his shining sword into the scales, a scientific 

 Athanasius " contending for our all." Again is seen a friend of 

 Darwin from another camp than that of Mendel, whose support 

 needs to be received with some caution. Toujours en vedette is 

 a useful rule. 



3. Speaking of adaptedness in animated nature he says, 

 " We know of only one natural principle of explanation for this 

 fact — that of selection." 3 



4. " Germinal selection is the last consequence of the applica- 

 tion of the principle of Malthus to living nature." 4 



5. ' Without doubt the theory (Germinal Selection) requires 

 that the initial steps of a variation should also have selective 

 value." 5 



1 Preface to Germinal Selection, 1895, p. xii. a p. 38. 3 p. 43. * p. 



43. 6 p. 38 



