The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-11-04
POPULAR ~APoLoGETlcs.
Adapted from the German of Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
XL'IlIl. (A) Prof. Haeckel and Father
Wasmann, S. ].


Objection: In the spring of 1906
Prof. Haeckel delivered lectures in
Berlin on his theorytof evolution and
anti-Christian ~world-yiew. He quoted
Father Wasmann's latest work HDie
Modernc Biologic und die EntWfck-
l~ung6theorie' Modern Biology and
the Theory of Evolution), and remarks
rriumphantly that there is an impor-
tant turning-pOint; for the Catholic
Church and especially the militant
Jesuit Order were about to enter into
Il compromise with Darwinism.
Answer: Father Wasmann answered
in an Open Letter to Prot. Haeckel,'
from which we quote the following:
You remarked in your first lecture
that | knew myself bound to make the
could only be explained by Darwinism.
Nay, you even praise the ninth chap
ter. of my book SO highly, saying that
it is So instructive and logical that it
could just as we'll have been Il chapter
in DarWin's work (the Origin of
$pecies). l there bring the proof that
tor the ant-cows and the termite-coWs
we must assume an evolution Of
species by which they, from originally
free-liying forms, have become by
adaptation, what they are now, and
that this development is Il corrobOra-
ton Of Darwinism.
Whilst Darwin, however, considered
natural selection as a principal factor,
I consider this principle Of only
secondary moment compared to the
inner determined evolutionary causes
which are in reciprocal action with the
outward influences. l say with Cor
rens, the b%otanist, (p. 209) Natural
selection only eliminates, and has re-
moved numberlesS forms and thus has
created gaps, but has not brought
forth anything new" This means
that natural selection is not able to
explain the origin of { appropriate
forms and thereby the development
of new organic species. Hence the
development of species which assume
is therefore not D~arWinistic.
The natural kinds in their different
generic forms have been created by
God immediately out of matter, The
divine power and wisdom is shown in
~ clearer light il we assume that the
various species have been evolved
from primal forms (Created inme-
diately by Cod into the many mani
fold morphological and biological re-
cations, than if the different species
had been created Immediately opp. ri
and 2I2 of my book.
Would Darwin have written this
sentence? Perhaps, but only the be-
lieving Darwin (of earlier days..
In the first place, DaTwinism i'll the.
true and real and exact historical
Of the word means the theory
of the origin of species by natural Sc
lection. In the second place, Darwin
ism means an extension OF the theory
of selection to q so-calIed Darwinistic
world-view by which the present or
der i'll the world is to be explained by
the survival of the fittest.
In the third sense of the word Oar
winism means the extension of the
theory of selection to man. And
finally i'll the fourth sense of the word
i'll popular circles, "DarWinism'' means
the theory of evolution or theory of
descent III general, leaving out of the
question its basic principles and its
extension
Go be Concluded.)