Not long ago, when materialism revelled in its orgies, especially in Germany, when _Vogt_, _Buechner_, and _Moleschott_ were writing their books, and science with _Du Bois-Reymond_ was hunting _Laplace’s_ theory in the evolution of the world, the Syllabus, undaunted, put its anathema upon the (58.) proposition: “No other forces are acknowledged but those of matter.” The summer-night’s dream came to an end, and people rubbed their eyes and saw the reality they had lost a while. The materialism of the 60’s and 70’s has been discarded by the scientific world, and finds a shelter only in the circles of unschooled infidelity. _J. Reinke_, in the name of biology, bears testimony in the words: “In my opinion materialism has been disposed of in biology; if, nevertheless, a number of biologists still stand by its colours, this tenacity may be explained psychologically; for, in the apt words of _Du Bois-Reymond_, in the domain of ideas a man does not willingly and easily forsake the highway of thought which his entire mental training has opened up” (Einleitung in die theoretische Biologie, 1901, 52). A few decades ago a number of scientists declared it impossible that the different races could have descended from one pair of ancestors, as taught by faith: the difference between the various families being too great and radical, it was said; the difference being rather of species than of race. Moreover, there was announced the discovery of people without religion, without notions of morality and family life; of tribes incapable of civilization and culture; it was asserted in the early days of _Darwin_ enthusiasm that there had been discovered a race of men that clearly belonged to the species ape. Assertions of this kind have gradually ceased. Now the different human races are considered to belong to the same species, and their common parentage is considered possible from the view-point of the theory of evolution. The anthropologist _Ranke_ expresses his opinion thus: “We find the bodily differences perfectly connected by intermediate forms, graded to a nicety, and the summary of the differences appears to point to but one species.... This is the prevalent opinion of all independent research of anatomically schooled anthropologists” (Der Mensch, 2d ed., II, 1894, 261). Ethnology denies the existence of nations or tribes without religion (_Ratzel_, Voelkerkunde, I, 1885, 31). _Peschel_ says: “The statement that any nation or tribe has ever been found anywhere on earth without notions and suggestions of religion can be denied emphatically” (_O. Peschel_, Voelkerkunde, 6th ed., 1885, 273). “The more recent ethnology knows of no tribes without morality, nor does history record any” (_W. Schneider_, Die Naturvoelker, 1886, II, 348).