characters has been demonstrated, where as actual facts are 

 at hand to prove the contrary." 



It is perfectly evident that the doctrine that acquired 

 characters are not inherted is fatal to Darwinism. Hence 

 Wagner rightly considers its ascendancy a notable factor in 

 bringing about the decay of Darwinism. 



Finally, Wagner briefly indicates that certain new 

 theories necessarily exercised an influence on Darwinism. 

 Haeckel and the palaeontologists of North America sup- 

 plemented it with a number of Lamarckian elements with- 

 out alteration of its essential principles (the Neo-Lamar- 

 ckians); Eimer regards the transmission of acquired char- 

 acters as an established fact, but rejects natural selection 

 as wholly worthless; Weismann, on the contrary, denies the 

 transmission of acquired characters, but nevertheless re- 

 gards natural selection as the main factor in the forma- 

 tion of species (the theory of the Neo-Darwinians). 

 Eimer speaks of the impotence of natural selection, Weis- 

 mann of its omnipotence. All this has shaken men's confi- 

 dence in the trustworthiness of the Darwinian principles. 

 This fact we are in no way inclined to doubt, but we must 

 again differ from Wagner with regard to its significance. 

 We maintaip that matters had to take this turn, since the 

 reason why Darwinism is now meeting with such serious 

 opposition, is to be found in its very nature. This indeed 

 should have been recognized forty years ago instead of 

 just beginning to dawn on men of science at the present 

 day. For if acquired characters are not transmitted by 



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