“These experiments have produced Neo-Darwinism. The Neo-Darwinists, with Hugo de Vries at their head, believe that species are not generally gradually transformed, but that they produce new forms in a sudden, brusque way, having children different from the fathers. And if such brusque variations can take place in a characteristic so fixed as physiological form, what may not happen in a thing so unstable as the manner of thinking? Thus, it is very possible that the men of the Italian Renaissance or the French Revolution were mentally distinct from their predecessors and their successors, and they may even have been organically distinct.”
“But this overthrows the whole doctrine of evolution,” said Alzugaray.
“No. The only thing it has done is to distinguish two forms of change: one, the slow variation already verified by everybody, the other the brusque variation pointed out by Hugo de Vries. We see now that the impulses, which in politics are called evolution and revolution, are only reflexions of Nature’s movements.”
“So then, we may hope that Castro Duro will change into an Athens?” asked Alzugaray.
“We may hope so,” said Cæsar.
“All right, let’s hope sleeping.”
They ordered the porter to prepare two berths in the car, and they both lay down.
THE RECEPTION
In the morning Cæsar went to the dressing-room, and a short while later came back clean and dressed up as if he were at a ball.
“How spruce you are!” Alzugaray said to him.