, 1873-04-27

an pdssa motion ss By a Taine which Tynd. + ono Of h
eloquent sna a0tR
spencors o:olutonsn which N spIte Of the marvel !.
loas Ingenuity and 5nfe9.1a e s Ea af,er xo'in No
esp.s's eas ;so''i han m 5e9n19s. i9 + jads;
assumptions, iogical Inconsistencies, and explanation,
TIT explain nothing, wilo n its general character
tends to the sheerest u.turnliem. Now, WIS right OF
wrong In regarding these aystems speculative
IL, and moi scientic7 Ara to infer from your OBJ
1echons to my rcmarks, that the .Pootttar Science
q '' So tho hsqs Legitimate oaoons q A1d
why am I arraigned for designating them
a. unworthy Of science and as having no
rightful claims to the name, under which their de-
porable concluhlons are commended to the 1nbic7
MY object In these illusions was to indicate two cap
tal distinctions which It slwa5s iportat 70 keep In
trlne Tho ffs is that many que8tions determine
bic by science aZe not yet determined BY it snd until
ta9y are So are to he ressred o
hnent Or this sors hold tho Nebular, the Darwind
an md spencerian views to be, T.. e., hypoth-
and capable to certain extent, Of explaining tie
phenomena to which they refer; highly plausible and
probable even at the first glance but disputed By go9d
into the rank Of accredited science. They suppo
nitions to which the mind resorts to help it in the
Ingenious, @ lou and and even M beautiful; but thus Ia
no TIM saPPosoRs proved a1d
truth. You probably too familiar with tho history
Of scientific enort-whieh like the history Of many
error-not to TINT, whi1e hypothesis ia indispensa
Bile part Of good method, 1t is also the part most
11hs to error Tho records d. sss Of sstr0noe
biological research, arc strewn with the debr1s ct
abandoned sysoua all Of which had their vogue,
hardly remembered Recall for moment the ptole-
sio eyelea md spcycles recall Kspers. ninet*sn
sad the % riatoniEsns and tho keptunt
the and now giving place to the svolu~
5oe IL ghysss tho many n,d
held to be real the rockS only few yeara ago;
recall in chemistry, not to mention the xlchomsts and
phlogsion, doznn different modes Of accounting for
molecular ncton; recall in biology tho anin1isa and
tho vitali.ts, the devotees OF pAst1c forces, Of
archei Of organiztng ideas, and Of central monads
al Of them now deemed purely gzat'titous assump-
tons that explained nothing, though put forth as
science.
Even in regard to the question, so much discussed
6e s 3 81 apa TS
endowed the ultimate units with varying
doses Of passion, consciousness, and spontanelty,
and which built up the more complex structures
snd functions Of organisms, from tho combination OF
these-this kheory, I Say, somewhat modified and
made quite as rational and satisfactory as tho
modern doctrines Of Development. Indeed, some emf
thinter among ths rest-haye cons hact to. thfa
nnion Darwfn,s suggestion o9 uaneeneais. and
Mr. Snencers nhyxiolo3eai units look toWard It: and
ia Shsrenta afIItnn fhst beeet with dicues "a Il
IL thnnoh M more ~ than others II hsa not
1r1 tbat It lesves vav open to os1,ecatiYa t6ourht
liz Tnva4 frn, Tho 1sTiss ~ 7ner1 sntoioo3ca}
s1strsct;on and the entire nbtectton a. mind to
muddy snd h11,te extraction' Thev m1rht Ida .3so
hat this theory shows that, in the Interpretation Of
h,,t m to n choica hetvecn snerifio and
cra.tfons and hjs orn theoyv ~ sVnntinn
y ~ s;rcnce nss,,1nss +hrorrhn Lf
1enmenf ~ Tndced roth;n9 is 1nnra s.s1 +bsn -
nsta thcories Int the dtficnitv II u oet thorn
dnnt.d 1ntn Nat,,ro 40 +bs rorT - 49,
~ocesss1 pn+ n1+T ~ 80 a. -3o33+sd th.u ~
nore than 'fha srsffoldin1 ~ arirnra- Nv