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From Ernst Haeckel1   21 December 1871

Jena

21. Dec 1871

Mein theurer, hochverehrter Freund!

Ehe das Jahr 1871 zu Ende geht—das Jahr, in welchem der “Descent of man” erschien!—muss ich Ihnen nothwendig noch einen herzlichen Gruss, und einen besten Glückwunsch für das folgende Jahr schicken. Möge Ihnen 1872 frische Gesundheit und neue Kraft zu neuen bahn brechenden Werken schicken! Ich habe mich in diesem Jahre jeden Tag mit Ihnen viel beschäftigt, da meine “Monographie der Kalkschwae” die mich fast ausschliesslich beherrscht hat, den “Darwinismus” und namentlich die beiden Fundamental-Probleme der Erblichkeit und Veränderlichkeit überall zur Basis hat.2 Ich habe versucht, die ganze Frage jetzt einmal nicht synthetisch—wie bisher—sondern analytisch zu behandeln, und im Einzelnen durch Unmassen von Thatsachen den gemeinsamen Ursprung aller Arten einer Gruppe zu beweisen. Die Spongien, und vorzüglich die Calcispongien sind die “most Darwinistic animals” unter allen Wesen, welche ich kenne, und die Erscheinungen der Vererbung und Anpassung lassen sich leichter verfolgen und im einzelnen sicher erkennen, als es sonst wohl möglich ist.3 Da das Buch von 60 Tafeln begleitet ist, wird es erst im Sommer oder Herbst des nächsten Jahres erscheinen. Jetzt wird daran schon eifrig gedruckt. Ich hoffe dass es Ihnen viel Freude machen wird.

Das Material für diese Spongien-Arbeit habe ich grösstentheils selbst in Norwegen und Dalmatia gesaelt, vorzüglich auf der Insel Lesina (im südlichen Dalmatia) wo ich im Frühling einen wundervollen Monat in einem Franciscaner Kloster(!) verlebt habe.4 Nun hören Sie! Der Prior dieses Klosters, Padre Buona-Grazia, ist ein begeisteter Darwinist! Ein Verehrer und Kenner von Goethes Werken und Darwins “Origin of Species”!5 Ehe noch mein Fuss die Insel betreten hatte, ehe noch unsere Barke gelandet war, stand schon der Prior am Ufer und rief mir entgegen: “Nicht wahr, Herr Professor, Darwin hat Recht, und wir stammen Alle von einem und demselben Catarrhinen-Affen ab!! So ist gewiss noch niemals ein Naturforscher in einem Katholischen Kloster aufgenommen worden.—

Leider haben später die Jesuiten von der Haeresie des Padre gehört und ihn in Rom beim Papste verklagt: “er habe affengläubige Ketzer im Kloster aufgenoen und dasselbe entheiligt”. Der arme Prior sollte ausgetrieben und womöglich eingekerkert werden. Da er jedoch eine sehr beliebte und geachtete Persönlichkeit und zugleich der unentbehrliche Schullehrer der Insel ist, wird man wohl nicht wagen, ihm zu Leibe zu gehen.6 Ist diese Geschichte nicht kostbar? Meine Reise in Dalmatien (Ragusa etc) und Montenegro war auch sonst sehr interessant. Auch ein Stück Türkei (bei Skutari) habe ich besucht.7 Die Spongien Ausbeute war sehr reich.

Von dem colossalen Erfolge, den Ihr Werk “Descent of man and sexual selection” auch bei uns in Deutschland gehabt hat, haben Sie sicher bereits gehört. Fast jede Zeitschrift hat das Buch besprochen, die meisten allerdings ohne jeden Verstand!8 Wie lange wird es dauern, ehe die Menschen die einfachsten Dinge begreifen lernen! Wie sehr ich mich über das Buch im Ganzen und in allem Einzeln gefreut habe, brauche ich Ihnen nicht erst zu sagen.

Mir geht es gut. Nur habe ich jetzt zu Viel zu thun! Ausser dem Schreiben und Drucken der Spongien auch noch die III. Aufl. der “Schöpfungsgeschichte”9— und dann—leider—die Geschäfte als Decan (Dean) unserer philosoph. Facultaet (ein schreckliches Amt)—

Mit den herzlichsten Grüssen und den besten Wünschen für das neue Jahr 1872 | Ihr treu ergebener | Ernst Haeckel

Footnotes

1
For a translation of this letter, see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix I.
2
Descent was published in February 1871. Haeckel’s monograph on calcareous sponges (Haeckel 1872a) was published in December 1872 (see Correspondence vol. 20, letter from Ernst Haeckel, 10 December 1872).
3
Haeckel relied on embryology in his classification of sponges. He emphasised the similarity of the early embryonic stages of the entire group, and noted similarities in development to other groups. He argued that divergent forms of development only occurred after what he termed the ‘Gastrula’ (gut-forming) stage and concluded that this was extraordinarily important for the general phylogeny of the animal kingdom (Haeckel 1872a, 1: 333–4). Haeckel inferred that a hypothetical ancestor, ‘Gastraea’, was the progenitor of most major divisions of the animal kingdom and created a genealogical tree in which he gave phylogenetic equivalents of developmental stages (for example, Gastraea corresponds to Gastrula; Haeckel 1872a, 1: 465). For more on the significance of Haeckel 1872a, see Di Gregorio 2005, pp. 203–17, and S. J. Gould 1977, pp. 170–3.
4
Lesina was the Italian name for the Croatian city of Hvar on the island of the same name in the Adriatic Sea off the Dalmatian coast. The Franciscan church and monastery were built in the fifteenth century (Columbia gazetteer of the world).
6
Marojević was head of the state school (Velnić 1969). Marojević had written to Haeckel on 7 July 1871, telling him about his censure by the Vatican (Archiv, Ernst Haeckel Haus, Friedrich Schiller Universität, Jena).
7
Ragusa was the Italian name for the city of Dubrovnik (Croatia). The region (now country) of Montenegro was technically part of the Ottoman Empire until 1878, although its independence had been recognised by the Ottomans since 1799. Scutari is now the Albanian city of Shkodër (Columbia gazetteer of the world).
8
For the German reviews of Descent in CD’s collection of reviews, see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix V.
9
Haeckel refers to the third edition of his book of lectures on the natural history of creation, Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte (Haeckel 1872b).

Bibliography

Columbia gazetteer of the world: The Columbia gazetteer of the world. Edited by Saul B. Cohen. 3 vols. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998.

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Di Gregorio, Mario A. 2005. From here to eternity: Ernst Haeckel and scientific faith. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Gould, Stephen Jay. 1977. Ontogeny and phylogeny. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Velnić, Vinko J. 1969. O. Bonagracija Marojević. Prilozi povijesti otoka Hvara 3: 123–31.

Translation

From Ernst Haeckel1   21 December 1871

Jena

21 December 1871

My dear, most esteemed friend!

Before the year 1871 draws to a close—the year that saw the appearance of the “Descent of Man”!—I absolutely must send you my cordial greetings and my best wishes for the year to come. May 1872 bring you fresh health and new strength for yet more pioneering work! Every day this year I have been preoccupied with you, since my “Monographie der Kalkschwämme”, which has dominated my attention almost exclusively, is based on “Darwinism” throughout, in particular on the two fundamental problems of heritability and variability.2 Now, for a change, I have tried to treat the entire question not synthetically—as before—but analytically, and to demonstrate the common origin of all species of a group in detail through a vast quantity of facts. Sponges, and particularly the Calcispongiae, are the “most Darwinistic animals” of all beings that I know of, and in this group the phenomena of inheritance and adaptation can be more easily traced and more clearly recognised in detail than is commonly the case.3 As the book is accompanied by 60 plates, it will only appear in the summer or autumn of next year. At the moment it is already in press. I hope that you will be very pleased with it.

The material for this work on sponges I have for the most part collected myself in Norway and in Dalmatia, mainly on the island of Lesina (in southern Dalmatia), where I spent a wonderful month in a Franciscan monastery(!) last spring.4 Now listen to this! The prior of that monastery, Father Buona Grazia, is an enthusiastic Darwinist! An admirer of and expert on Goethe’s work and on Darwin’s “Origin of Species”!5 Before my foot had touched the island, before our bark had landed, the prior was already standing at the shore and crying out to me: “Darwin is right, isn’t he, professor, and we are all of us descended from one and the same catarrhine monkey!! Surely a scientist has never yet been received in this manner in a Catholic monastery.—

Unfortunately the Jesuits later heard about the father’s heresy and reported him to the pope in Rome: “he has received ape-believing heretics in the monastery and thus desecrated it”. The poor prior ought to be expelled and possibly incarcerated. Since, however, he is a very popular and respected personality, and also the indispensable schoolmaster of the island, I’m sure they won’t dare attack him.6 Isn’t this story priceless? My travels in Dalmatia (Ragusa etc) and Montenegro were very interesting also in other respects. I even visited a part of Turkey (near Scutari).7 The yield of sponges was very rich.

You have certainly already heard of the colossal success that your work “Descent of man and sexual selection” has had with us in Germany. Almost every journal here has reviewed it, albeit without any understanding!8 How long will it be, I wonder, before people begin to grasp the simplest things! How delighted I was about the book as a whole and in every detail I need hardly mention.

I am well. Only I now have too Much to do! Apart from writing and publishing the sponges, there is the III ed. of the “Schöpfungsgeschichte”9—and then—unfortunately—the duties as decan (dean) of our philosophical faculty (a dreadful office)—

With my most cordial greetings and the best wishes for the new year 1872 | Yours most faithfully | Ernst Haeckel

Footnotes

1
For a transcription of this letter in its original German, see Transcript.
2
Descent was published in February 1871. Haeckel’s monograph on calcareous sponges (Haeckel 1872a) was published in December 1872 (see Correspondence vol. 20, letter from Ernst Haeckel, 10 December 1872).
3
Haeckel relied on embryology in his classification of sponges. He emphasised the similarity of the early embryonic stages of the entire group, and noted similarities in development to other groups. He argued that divergent forms of development only occurred after what he termed the ‘Gastrula’ (gut-forming) stage and concluded that this was extraordinarily important for the general phylogeny of the animal kingdom (Haeckel 1872a, 1: 333–4). Haeckel inferred that a hypothetical ancestor, ‘Gastraea’, was the progenitor of most major divisions of the animal kingdom and created a genealogical tree in which he gave phylogenetic equivalents of developmental stages (for example, Gastraea corresponds to Gastrula; Haeckel 1872a, 1: 465). For more on the significance of Haeckel 1872a, see Di Gregorio 2005, pp. 203–17, and S. J. Gould 1977, pp. 170–3.
4
Lesina was the Italian name for the Croatian city of Hvar on the island of the same name in the Adriatic Sea off the Dalmatian coast. The Franciscan church and monastery were built in the fifteenth century (Columbia gazetteer of the world).
6
Marojević was head of the state school (Velnić 1969). Marojević had written to Haeckel on 7 July 1871, telling him about his censure by the Vatican (Archiv, Ernst Haeckel Haus, Friedrich Schiller Universität, Jena).
7
Ragusa was the Italian name for the city of Dubrovnik (Croatia). The region (now country) of Montenegro was technically part of the Ottoman Empire until 1878, although its independence had been recognised by the Ottomans since 1799. Scutari is now the Albanian city of Shkodër (Columbia gazetteer of the world).
8
For the German reviews of Descent in CD’s collection of reviews, see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix V.
9
Haeckel refers to the third edition of his book of lectures on the natural history of creation, Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte (Haeckel 1872b).

Bibliography

Columbia gazetteer of the world: The Columbia gazetteer of the world. Edited by Saul B. Cohen. 3 vols. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998.

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Di Gregorio, Mario A. 2005. From here to eternity: Ernst Haeckel and scientific faith. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Gould, Stephen Jay. 1977. Ontogeny and phylogeny. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Velnić, Vinko J. 1969. O. Bonagracija Marojević. Prilozi povijesti otoka Hvara 3: 123–31.

Summary

Comments on Die Kalkschwämme [1872].

A Franciscan prior, Padre Buona-Grazia, agrees with human descent.

His trip to Dalmatia.

German reception of Descent.

Mentions current work.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8114
From
Ernst Philipp August (Ernst) Haeckel
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Jena
Source of text
DAR 166: 56
Physical description
ALS 4pp (German)

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8114,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8114.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19

letter

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