302 HAECKEL 



and teaching for which he had fought with 

 unsparing vigour was, he thought, imperilled by 

 the new alliance, no less than the very existence 

 of culture was endangered by the triumph of 

 Social Democracy, His academic colleagues 

 remained in that isolation which he had ever 

 bitterly resented. 



In face of this situation, which seemed to grow 

 more sombre as the last years of the century 

 dragged on, his zeal for truth and progress had 

 but one outlet. He must appeal to the people. 

 He must take the conclusions he had so laboriously 

 worked out in his Systematic Phylogeny^ and trans- 

 late them from scientific hieroglyphics into a 

 demotic tongue. He must nail his theses with 

 his own hand on the cathedral door, like the 

 great monk whose work seemed in danger of 

 perishing. The partial success of his History of 

 Creation was encouraging, though that work had 

 only penetrated into the first circle beyond the 

 sacred academic enclosure, and was still unknown 

 to the crowd. Gathering his strength for what 

 he believed to be his final effort, he blew a blast 

 that would reach the far-off shop and factory. It 

 must be no gentle note, no timid suggestion that 

 the scientific work of the nineteenth century had 

 thrown doubt on current religious notions. He 

 was quitting the stage. He believed these things 

 were true, were established. The world must 

 listen to them, must discuss them; and then the 

 twentieth century would pass its informed verdict 

 over his grave. 



