Mr. Romanes was, of course, intensely interested, and set himself not to dispute so much as to examine and to test it.
He devoted a large part of his last year at the Royal Institution to lecturing on Prof. Weismann's theory, which lectures he worked up into his book, 'An Examination of Weismannism,' published in 1892.
He devised many experiments to test that theory, experiments which have a pathetic interest for those who love him, for they occupied his mind up to the very day of his death.
Of this theory it may safely be said that since the promulgation of Mr. Darwin's great doctrine, no problem has interested the world of science so profoundly.
For the most part the younger English naturalists have accepted Professor Weismann's theory, which, by the way had long ago been anticipated by Mr. Francis Galton, and Mr. Romanes was not much supported in his opposition, or, rather, his non-adherence to Weismannism.
Linnean Society, Burlington House, London, W.: March 21, 1890.
My dear Dyer,—I have come to the conclusion that anything published in 'Nature' might as well never have been published at all; and therefore have come here to-day in order to look through the back numbers of 'Nature,' with a view to republishing as a small book the various things that I have contributed during the past twenty years. Thus it is I find that the explanation which I gave to Herbert Spencer re Panmixia and his articles on the 'Factors of Organic Evolution,' appeared in August 25, 1887, and showed that his whole argument was in the air.
I have also read my own article on Panmixia, written about two mouths ago, and published last week. The result is to satisfy me that your 'intelligent' friends must have had minds which do not belong to the a priori order—i.e. are incapable of perceiving other than the most familiar relations. Such minds may do admirable work in other directions, but not in that of estimating the value of Darwinian speculations. A few years ago they would have thought the cessation of selection a very unimportant principle, and one which could not possibly sustain any such large question as that of the transmissibility of acquired character. And a few years hence they will wonder why they raised such an ado over the no less obvious principle of physiological selection.
Yours very truly,