learned Englishman has called the funda- 

 mental principle of Darwinism : ' the survival 

 of the fittest, the victory of the best.' 



" In every case the principle of the selection 

 is anything rather than democratic : it is, on 

 the contrary, thoroughly aristocratic. If, then, 

 Darwinism, pushed to its final consequences, 

 has, according to Virchow, ' a very dangerous 

 side for the politician,' that is doubtless 

 because it favours aristocratic aspirations." 



I have reproduced in their entirety, and 

 even in their form, all the arguments of 

 Haeckel because they are those repeated 

 in varying tones and with expressions that 

 only differ from these in precision and 

 eloquence by the opponents of socialism 

 who like to assume a scientific manner, and 

 who, to facilitate their dispute, make use of 

 these ready-made phrases which have more 

 currency, even in science, than one would 

 imagine. 



It is easy, however, to show in this discus- 

 sion, that Virchow's point of view was more 

 exact and clear, and that the history of the 

 last twenty years has proved him to be right. 



It has happened, in fact, that Darwinism 

 and socialism have both progressed with a 

 marvellous force of expansion. The first 

 gained from thenceforth the unanimous sup- 

 port of the scientists for its fundamental 

 theory ; the second continued to develop in 

 its general aspirations and political discipline, 

 flooding all Jhe channels of the social con- 

 science like a torrential inundation from 



