aring as it did at a moment when several
naturalists of the first rank were still occupied with these
problems, should have passed wholly unnoted, will always remain
inexplicable, the more so as the Bruenn society exchanged its
publication with most of the great academies of Europe, including
both the Royal and the Linnean societies of London.

The whole history of Mendel's work, its long period without effect
upon scientific thought, its thoroughly simple yet satisfactory
character, its basis in manifold observations of problems simplified
to the last degree, and its present complete acceptance illustrate
very well the chief defect of the last two generations of workers in
biology. {221} There has been entirely too much theorizing, too much
effort at observations for the purpose of bolstering up preconceived
ideas--preaccepted dogmas of science that have proved false in the
end--and too little straightforward observation and simple reporting
of the facts without trying to have them fit into any theory
prematurely, that is until their true place was found. This will be
the criterion by which the latter half of nineteenth century biology
will be judged; and because of failure here much of our supposed
progress will have no effect on the current of biological progress,
but will represent only an eddy in which there was no end of bustling
movement manifest but no real advance.

As stated very clearly by Professor Morgan at the beginning of this
paper, and Professor Bateson near the end, Darwin's doctrine of
natural selection as the main factor in evolution and its practically
universal premature acceptance by scientific workers in biology are
undoubtedly responsible for this. The present generation may well be
warned, then, not to surrender their judgment to taking theories, but
to wait in patience for the facts in the case, working, not
theorizing, while they wait.

End of Project Gutenberg's Catholic Churchmen in Science, by James J. Walsh

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