50 Canadian Record of Science. 



science ought not to be dogmatic ; for we may assume that 

 our present outlook will be left as far behind, at the close 

 of the twentieth century, as the science of a century ago 

 has been left behind by the well ascertained knowledge 

 of to-day. One of the most recent German writers, Pro- 

 fessor Zockler, speaking of Darwinism, says that the pro- 

 cess of disintegration has already to a great extent under- 

 mined the theory and shown its weakness. So great is 

 the difference between the original Darwinian position and 

 the substitute that is now taking its place that the re- 

 semblance can often be scarcely recognized. The biology 

 of the future, he predicts, will practically contain nothing 

 of the one-sided monistic form of the development theory, 

 as formulated hy Darwin and Haeckel, notwithstanding 

 the loud and long protests of the followers of the latter to 

 the contrary. Professor Zockler quotes as the best state- 

 ment of the present status of the theory the recent work 

 of the Wurzburg philosopher, Dr. Stolzle, on " Kolliker 

 and his relations to Darwinism." Kolliker, who is eighty- 

 four years of age, and a veteran authority in his branch, 

 is, on all real points of issue, against the English naturalist. 

 His opposition is chiefly on these points : 



1. Darwinism does not explain the connection and 

 harmony of the different classes of organisms. 



2. Its utility principles do not explain the phenomena 

 for which it aims to account. 



3. The absence of real transitions of one species to 

 another in our day, or in former days, as for as we can 

 trace, is an element of weakness 



I have dwelt at length on this subject because the pub- 

 lication of Darwin's " Origin of Species " was the begin- 

 ning of a new era in biological study, and whatever esti- 

 mate may be formed of the theory which goes under his 

 name, both his spirit and his methods were admirable. 

 He went to work in the true scientific way, and the 

 temper of his writings was marked by moderation, as well 



