The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1877-02-28
Science prophesfes The future of
the race.

NJ. Alphonse de Candolles is to be credited
with the strikingly original idea of applying the
principle of the Darwinan theory to determine,
not the past, but the future OF the human race.
That principle he defines as I" the forced adapta-
ton of organized beings to surrounding circum-
stances OF every kind the result of which is that
the notifications preserved are sometimes good,
sometimes bad, that is, according to our human
conception Of what is good or bad" Reasoning
from tie truths determined as to the past history
of the world as demonstrated by geology and
from the known records of the origin and pro-
gress, extinction or growth, of the various types
OF mankind which have existed or now exist upon
the earth, he de1uces logical conception OF life
on our planet centuries hence.
The argument presented is based on these
premises first, that organized beings endowed
with will and the faculty OF loc0mOtion always
seek to adapt themselves to their environment,
and none do SO more effectuay than mar because
OF his superior intelligence Secondly, that those
individuals least able thus to accommodate them.
selves are most likely to perish, and hence pop
ulations are principally recruited by individuals
that possess the qualities best adapted to the cir
cumsiances OF the country and the age in which
they live. Thirdly, that the violent contests be-
tween nations and individuals accelerate mOditi-
cations and adaptations to new circumstances.
]
two possible conditions of the race at once pres
eut themselves, or rather two questions are be-
| fore us to answer: What will be the state oil
mankind one thousand years hence during which
period it 10 reasonably certain that the physical
| condition which affect the species will remain
stableI And what will be the state of mankind
several hundred thousand years in the future
when vast cosmicai changes may possibly have
occurred?
The period of one thousand years is an ex.
tremely short one 10 the earths history. We have
historic documents dating even further back and
since their origin no material change in climate
| has taken place. nor have the confguratons oil
the globe altered. The supposition OF a contin
uation Of present physical conditions during sew
eral generations Of man is thus presumable ; and
such being the case, two phenomena may be fore
seen. namely The land will be more thickly
inhabited, for everywhere the population is in
creasing and seeking new places of abode and a:
n consequence, there will be more frequent ming
ling of races. Conformahy to the doctrines oil
natural selection and survival OF the 6ttest, the
weaker races must then either be Destroyed or alb
sorbed by the stronger ones This is already tax
ing place with the Indians. the Australians, the
Hottentots, and other aboriginal tribes. There
are three great races, however. endowed with ad
mirable qualities for invasion, which will mix with
the inferior races more or less, according TO cir
cumstances. These are the white race, represen
ted by the Europeans and their American descen
dants, the yellow race or Chinese and Japanese
and the negroes. The whites have the advan
tage of intelligence and ability to bear cold eli
mates but they cannot endure tropical heats