New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-06-16
The law Of Human Progress.

. j
II vour short account Ct Mr. Sumner essay on
th.. ambitious theme BE- 8 jet sample 90 ,he work
far D., nu.t re pr0ducuon litter 20 prejudice iasn
prono.e che apprehension OF ihe most Important and
-,r, aes-sn OF ths e. AID tie instant F7r aext 70
The general ignorance Il the thing and universal gao
bling q the name q progress there j. nothing per.
as9s 90 uische-ous n The present state 20 the pubic
mind. a. an erroneous or even incomplete explanation
b.. especially 50 q the pretended explanation BE- set
- Will ...t SORT OF e-il,n Which. though easily got
rma hHo-rspical dictionary yet imposes not ne
.ss Ike i-e.s .a -enerrl upon tas m-.at1io. How
a.rrsv be- applicable % the Discourse in question.
the r.nr-i -easer . be- 5e-'er prepared 70 Judge ~
fle following specimen crrs. as contained 10 your a7'
..ract. AID retained u ny memory
Fvr Nr Sumner seems % teach thst tie scientific
f-.- ~ Progress ws- unknown down O. ilc eni OBJ ;he
,., century and farther ha. even the fac .tset
.no5.e,ved by even the a-si poatca philosophers Of
.5e preceding sges. among other, be names Boiu
and Nschavel happen 70 have the works q the az,
,e- a, hand snd can turn a; once . passage which
,oyst ss.uredlv. have escaped Mr - reading
Collection I-rauscrbe-of course IN The authors own
yo-d.-frou tho introduction 20 Book Second OF bis
c1u-se- on Ivy Percl- e-send1 e cose uInane som
u-e n uotu .e sa.-nno .e scfuipro. 3 ffl"-i una
e,,8 ssa-e ordinate al vivere pulco ia quache mono
-ore ariare semprc IN au-lucnto verso d neg.o-
ma, is % say Affairs for s0cefT1 b.iag always f7
,ai4q are evfron fho al vance or the decline Ana We
-f certain communities hv having received their po-
-iral constitution from man OF genius. and certain
times through rne merits ~ such crcst organizers.
proceed both i1 ca mat fare cfrtr ~ 'r1r'r.'1r't
Here surely recognition oi the social movement NJ
f.s-f in far and movement not only in pcrpct1y buy
% rorro-- on The author. farther. goes nn % srccu-
.ate upon thc t'r or theory by which the notion =
governed And - viii no doubt suffice tnrou gnont fl.
NJ
sumner disregard If call 20 mind that saaS.pere
Thought f1en worth stealing when Ac sung 90 tLAt uota
Do. " tide ln tho affairs oi men.
>,r0r1. 10 ftrf tle more systematic theory OF Woo.
which Nr sumner takes tir the one. - substan
nalv bat an ert,ns0n a. the same idea 10 was The m
pr0vcncrt Of ptolemy upon the astronomy OF lhacs.
The smile indeed exact. ne the progression has been
io,,u. in al the sciences for Nicos hypothesis
plains history system OF cy cles and epicyccs Mach
iarc by system OF o-ciati M and transitions What
the former therefore did was simply 20 turn the o-c
aory conception OF his predecessor round into the ro
-aforv But this limrcd and even nugatOry sort
Of urogress-a species OF Pene.ope's web.
TI,rf Accordingly. IL was soon followed by Iurgot
and Cond0rcet. with The notable theory Of me mar
nre per.ecu1ihty And here j. third error OF Mt
sumner who igmbles together these fundamental OPP
no-ires For the latter in TACT rl1n against tie
former Their relation 90 each other - that OF the CIR
Gle and IL tangent Yet so crassy are they conionnded
u yOur report 0i Mr. sumner that DO adopted MS own
definition from the Wild ne-nton of the latter doctrine
after having pronounced the former TO be- the true the
Org % Humanity
r,lr-b no this mass oferr0rs aud Inconsistencies
shall ff add another instance. 10 u less than an
yars sh' of the vcri'ahe law ~ Society rs laid down
NJ 20, ina our own day ly the great Augus'e tomie
This law cerresr ponds with Pho motion 90 ne cyc1id "
thus reconres the Tcra preceding theories by rcsoF
ing al into hi. her and the ultimate general zaton
Another mark oi fs truth and completeness Is this
that DO combines We see. the double mouon-tne rota
tory and revolutionary. routine and fC1rq-wher'-
hv al things c.sc n the known universe seem 20 move
and even ~ live Comte then. 20 resume my asiro-
nomical illustration. is the Newton OF the social ~
Tom Can 3. be- that without having read his book,
Nr sumner has presumed 10 lecture. even in this r.
mote country. upon the actual condition a. Social
SCIENCE or having rcsd TO- did he fear to mention
name decred by the kindred 1gots Of the current phl
osophies and super-Ons, lest n may ofcnd tie ears
polite OF Boston Purifsn.m Hard az i the dilemma.
must think either oi the suppo-iiiuns 20 be- only IN
keeping with the crowd Of fppsncics which appear 10
make no tl- -qu-iu0r and consonan with ne can
d,ror the intelligence oi one who should cap me eli
mas rv pretending gas under-taud you % attribute
IN Nr - that the Progress of Humanity only con
r-nr.f with the Christian Religion. o.