New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-06-13
EFFECTS OF DARWINISM.
pocTON RADICAL CLUB.

MSS TO ANIMALS; ON THE PROGRESS OF |
THE RACE; ON THE BELIEF IN lMMoRIALlLi
--DIsCUssION BY DIR. HEDGE, Mr. ALColI'
n p TRoTuINGHAM, LUCRETIA MOTT, MRS |
RURIFIGH, MR.. LONGFELLoW, AND M''
CHADWICK. .,,,, |
tFROM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBONNI
BosTON, June 3.-One OF the pleasah'esV |
meetings during anniversary week, in Boston, was inc
extra Radical Club at Mrs sargents, which assenDeu
The hest and brightest among distinguished guests "
hear Professor shaler of Harvard College reau a."
on Darwiuism and Civilization, OF inc Iu"uonO0 -
the study Of Natural History on Social Cohuiuons'
Professor shaler was unknown 10 many y, a..
tub having never before been present al one ol us
,noo,,ngs. and was regarded therefore, with that
aniahle curiosity whchis bestowed upon new conner
Uo Il voupg earnest cultured aud agreeable; Win iaee
at once fine and sronethe sort OF person We are WONT
20 cali for want Of a better word scholarly He's
lar thinker aud forcble speaker and he was listened
% with the keenest interest by audience comprising
spcb men as Dr. Hedge, Mr.. Alcott, o. b. rockingham
Mr. Chadwick Edward Everett Hale and many another
whose presence IN itself a compliment.
IL Is the present belief Of most naturasts that man
comes from the animals below him, not necessarily by
natural selection but stn through some simple geneuc
Nav IL may he that the ape mother bore chlla that
was marvel 20 her loving eyes, SO far ala IL go
.ts kind sun 1t was her child, and She though hPPler
than her race in its greatness, was st It's mo'her va
this matter of the genetic connection OF animals SUI
aents are OF more accord than upon any other Droau
o'tNNAA'AAf
the cod Of the human race but most important though
NOT the only agent in creating and perpetuang the di
ferenccs among animals. Probably the most hodolo
influence which be exercised by any pure science Is
brought about through its power OF modifying our con-
eeutions Of life II science had done no more ior man
than TO expand the notion OF the dependence oil ehecs
upon causes OF which the untutored man ihas only
trace II would stn have given an inestimaoe Iorce 10
his sense of duty Who measure the influence winch
astronomy has had on the conception OF hiei "hen
ence took the heavenly bodies from the unsteady hano
f heather detes or the blind rule OF aimess tate ana
acod them I'm the government Of immutabe, benetcent
law IL gave basis for confidence in the destiny OF the
universe and all its parts, which ala not eAst peIoe.
Who can reckon how many lives have been Oroadehed
and brightened since those heavens have been lifted
since the crystal arch which was always ready TO iau
mon an unhappy world has given place TO boundless
spacc and infnitecreatOn When Science, with other
means gave US the earth which we stand not as a
payhng yesterday TO be destroyed In cruel sport TO-
morrow as the infant man had fanced but with Ounda-
tons from all time and architecture so contrved that
decay but brings creation, when 1t peoped IL Win
purposes and made IL the throne, not the grave OF man.
there was indeed new heaven and new earth In the
beglnning the world was vailed with the commonplace
10 It's savage denizen When he beganfo seek Tor ue
trnning cause for the things which stood out prominent
IN against the background OF dark fatality IL was MAUI
yl fo attribute them something ike himself only
c,er and strongera method to be commended for its
simplicity. This anthrOpOmOrphism was mercltu
padding keeping him from bruises against those stern
laws which, though they come to be friends by ana by
are al FIRST sight mpacable and severe. Polytheism
gave man company, in that dreary time when else he
ond have been lonely the babes in the wood In this
wilderness Of things But when came up to a0strac
tions he brought with him polythestc habits. Little
by little sure the gods Of old were put away 10
live in marble, and the world given In charge OF more
purItanica personalities Man would follow his reason
In RENTING an else the operations Of law; but ne was
apart and for himself Force might make or unInake
the world but be the pet Of the supernatural True
he was not god now but he had been in the beginning
and 10 was only ugly mischance some game played
on hin by snake or woman that had dragged him down.
Iu his somber fits be degenerate, fallen poor
worm. but still fallen god held down by the devil
to be lifted to the purple royalty OF his birth
right Yet poor man, what mattered 1t II the heavens
were raised the earth brOad ned the past made vista
Of providentia events the future secured while
suns endure II yet he stands among them the
only accident the only fallen thing; stands
while the universe moves on This nightmare which
held him spellbOund j. gone, now he, too joins the
great procession reaching back into limabe past
and forward to future aglow with hope When man
took the for his kinsman, empty heads laughed
but there can doubt that when he chose to
mp from the rather than down from the god there
the basis laid for moral revolution which exceeded
any that our world has seen. When to believe
that is the last Of series Of determined steps
h, which life has climbed up from inorganic matter,
when that through the space OF hundred mil
lion years one increasing purpose runs"-the building
man-theu he becomes more TO himself than he has
ever been before Man could not seem thoroughly res
pectabe to himself long his future at the
mercy OF an impending millennium he was creature
under sentence and awaiting execution. When he links
himself with the animal series, all this is changed the
wonderful certainty OF that evolution gives logical GER
taiuty greatness the future, and its hope is i'm
mcnse cannot fail 20 illuminate life with something
of the glow of religious faith.
This doctrine Of genesis gives MS new sense OF knshp
with creation; new sense OF duty 30 the life below
and this il the greatest addition 10
days Of Christ There has been little trace Of this
feeling before the beginning Of this line Of thought
while now Il grows apace We have societies for the
prevention of cruelty animals Of modern knights,
who about redressing the Of these helpless
ones, as the knights old forth in defense Of
and children. II is true that other races, long
ago have upon certain kind of for
the creation but il another form of selflOve
when the HndOO refrained from ujuring animal be-
1t might be inhabited by the soul Of Of his
kindred and 20 this complexion might he, too, at
last IL different thing this kindly gratitude with
which look upon the creatures who carried our
lives and left them higher than they found Them The
who feels this is patriarch, and round his tent
cluster knsmen OF every degree none humble but
they may claim share Of his high estate part in his
strong protection In this view sin becomes relapse
into lower forms Of being; spiritual malformaton, 20
he healed II il may be, restrained 1t must be but, In
any case, understood and pited not scorned The
prehension Of our alliance with the past shows the
future IN our keeping Races TO come must ban
bless us, make the the least OF oppOr
tuuities. Already has taken himself OF the
struggle for existence. law Of natural selection no
longer has power over him. The weakly no longer die |
from weakness alone but too often live their
plentiful generation. Better indeed that the
should suffer the loss Of giving its best to the