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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 928 



expect even an answer to his letter Dohrn 

 was before him in person. He begged his 

 well-wisher to tell him what were the dan- 

 gerous weapons which according to the let- 

 ter would be directed against him. As 

 Dohrn had suspected, it was, on the one 

 hand, doubt as to his scientific abilities, by 

 which means Professor Peters had preju- 

 diced his Berlin colleagues against the un- 

 dertaking, and, on the other hand, it was 

 rumored that the Zoological Station was a 

 commercial venture, and as such should not 

 be subsidized by the government. As soon 

 as Dohrn received this information he re- 

 plied that he had determined nevertheless 

 to get the money he needed in Berlin ; and 

 so, as in Naples, a similar personal cam- 

 paign was carried on, but with better suc- 

 cess. From one opposing academician he 

 went to another and soon succeeded in dis- 

 arming the most hostilely disposed; the 

 others he convinced of the importance of 

 the beginnings he had made, and of the 

 correctness of the chosen ways and means. 

 One of the amusing pronouncements let 

 fall at this time by the veteran Ehrenberg 

 may be cited here. Ehrenberg affirmed 

 that if Dohrn attacked the fauna of Naples 

 with such an armory of equipment and 

 helpers, in five or ten years there would be 

 nothing left there to investigate. This Ber- 

 lin campaign lasted fourteen days, in which 

 time he was also able to win to the cause a 

 few more valuable patrons to aid in the 

 further development of the station, and 

 through them was enabled to reach the ear 

 of the crown prince. 



He next returned rapidly to Naples, 

 where the opposition to his undertaking 

 had reached the highest point. The Ger- 

 man consul general received him with the 

 information that he believed the day to be 

 lost. Public opinion demanded the tearing 

 down of the building. This rumor was 

 verified at the office of the municipality. 



Every means to turn the tide seemed to 

 have been exhausted. Dohrn 's article en- 

 titled "The Present Position of Zoology 

 and the Establishment of Zoological Sta- 

 tions" had just appeared (translated into 

 Italian) in an important monthly, and this 

 saved the day. This publication Dohrn 

 sent to the most influential of the city au- 

 thorities without indeed hoping much from 

 it; but in one case at least the seed fell on 

 good ground, namely, with Baron Savarese, 

 at that time the powerful leader of the 

 selectmen. He expressed a wish to make 

 Dohrn 's acquaintance and in a conversa- 

 tion that lasted for three hours Dohrn 

 succeeded in winning over for his project 

 this man who was as intelligent as capable, 

 so that Savarese promised to carry the 

 cause to victory in the municipal council 

 despite its enemies. Ten days later he had 

 made his promise good. Almost at the 

 same time the news came from Berlin that 

 the governmental subsidy for the next year 

 was assured. And thus was taken the first 

 step so immensely important for the con- 

 tinued success of the station, in its assur- 

 ance of the repetition of the grants from 

 the German and Italian governments. In 

 this way were these two, perhaps the great- 

 est crises in the history of the station, safely 

 passed. Trying as were such times, they 

 show us Dohrn in his element. He ap- 

 peared as a general on the field of battle. 

 Nothing discouraged, intimidated or turned 

 him aside. In every situation he appeared 

 the same ; what others believed to be impos- 

 sible his penetrating insight resolved into 

 a number of difficulties, but all possible to 

 overcome. No trouble was too great for 

 him to take, no step too hard, no smallest 

 possible opportunity was too insignificant 

 for the forwarding of his plans. His let- 

 ters went in all directions. He quailed be- 

 fore no journey, no matter how difficult. 

 He attended congresses in order to inform 



