The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-04-22

| the use OF images and shrincs by idol worship.
| The obvious answer to him Is that progress
from II lower to higher form OF religion i'm
plies a goal toward which that progress is
directed. and that SO FAR from the higher being
the result Of the lower. both are results
| Of n superior power which slowly lifts
! man from his degradation into a better state.
Succession in order Of time is no proof OF a con
| nection Of cause and effect The various stages
| OF the growth ~ a plant do not Indicate go much
! that the coed is the cause Of the sprou,. the
| sprout OF the stalk, the stalk OF the flower. and
the flower Of the fruit. rs they do the prcscncc
in the seed Of an ideal and potential plant which
struggles through successive grades Of impcr-
fiction to its full embodiment When an archi-
tcct conccivcs a building In his mind and SITS
to work to construct IL. he first lays cut the
ground. cxcnvatrs for the foundations. and
collects the necessary materials Thereafter the
building proceeds step 10y step to completion:
hut when completed il is not in consequence of
any inherent formative power In the ground
and the materials. but " the controlling dircc-
| tion Of the architect. So. when we find that
| Abraham. In obedience To- what he supposed tu
bc Ills duty, prepared to slay his only and dearly
| loved son Hs an or ring to God. he showed. pr
| hAps grieVOus miscOnccption Of Gods true
nature. but the =, ntimcnt which inspired him
| WIS admirable. and in mora enlightened mind.
has produced acts of srlf-sacrncc which, W.,
! doubt not. Mr. Spencer himself would applaud.
And so it may hc said Of the most barbarous
religious practices. that their rcpusivc features
are external and non rssc AL and. SO far from
bcins the origin of the purcr rites which succeed
them. are really hindrancrs to their adoption
more philosophical and a more interesting
! portion Of the book il that in winch Mr.. Spencer
| th,. rpapuntlant,pa of T.,
an individual human being. At the outset he
had enunciated the proposition that "httween
the individual organ 1.,tiOn of the hive-boe and
the organ1at.o on Of the hive as an orderly AZ
! grcsate Of individuals. with n regularly formed
hahitttiOn. there exists a fixed connections - and
! here he proceeds to apply the pr nriple to or
| gnn.2ntions OF men. The division OF labor
among their various professions and trades an
! swcrs to the division OF functions among the
several organs and parts Of the body. As one
SIT Of men produces food. another q istrlhut.s IT,
another makes clothing. and another TOOLS So
| have the stomach, the lungs. She BRAIN the
limits. and other members eath their appro.
/ priat' work and as an injury to one OF them
| affects the whole body. so docs an injury to one
class of society inJurc the whole ui 1t.
Again. as n body grows 10y excluding useless
matter and Incorporating new matter. So docs
society: and as the degree NJ perfect ton in the
ale Of being OF an animal organization is
measured bv the compleXity and variety Of its
| pHrts 80 Is that II society. Furthermore there
is 10 the physical applian 'es Of civilization. its
houses. its roads. Is mark ITS and particularly
in is electric trln.rnphH. a resemblance based
on funt on. 10 the compliments OF the human
! frame. Mr.. Spencer deNot's over hundred
pages 60 thu c.u 'idato and Illustration of this
| point andas il seems a. us. with complt' SUI
Ga
which W. cannot account he aherward OK
pr sss in q foot note his emphatic republic
ton Of The hniiof that there Is any special
analogy between the social organism and the
human organism"
Tho volume ,loees with tho npplication OF tho
theory Of ovo'ut on To- the relations OF the sexes
| Among harllrnus tribes. as among animals
marriage is only The capture Of the female 10y
~" male. nnl her retention So Ion. us he II
willing nnl all" ~ k'"p possess on II her
! Th're is M r"sfri ton upon the number ~
wives nor upon that ~ husbands Il Is. indeed
! NOR" common for amnn 81 hhV" several W ~
than Tor woman 20 hnv" several husbands. but
! iustan - are cited NJ the prevalence OF the lat
ter custom H. D Us the former at H." prDsent
day. Nor Is blood relationship always "A bar 10
intermarriase. Connections which W. abhor
M in'estuous such IT, tlos,. between father and
daughter mother AMI son and brother AMI SIS
ter. have boon and now are in some parts of the
world regarded as allowable Nor has conju-.ll
inftol'ty always been treated as a crime. or I'M
chast ~ In "A woman before marriage n dis
| graceful. Christian monogamy il the outgr0wth
| II Il slow advance" but r. moi. Mr. Spencer seems
o. think. the natural form Of sex ual relation Of
| the humnn race. Tho same argument may be
employed IN replying Ia him on this point. Ms on
that % religious development. The permanent
union Of one man with ono woman mny h,'
treated a. the ideal marriage ~ which all other
sexual relations are hut degraded and imper-
feet forms. and what Mr.. Spencer calls a Do
voopmcnt IS simply the attainment Of "a pprfrr-
ton aimed ut from the beginning of human ex-
lstence.
The volumes yet 10 be published will treat Of
political organization. eccles astical orgnniza-
ton, the customs and usaSes Of social life the
various Industries Of society. language. science.
art and the general result OF all the combined
el"m"nts which enter into tho composition of
the social fabric. The work laid ont Ii imin.ts ,
and. n performed with the thorouehn.s ~ whi d
marks 50 much 81 il IA is now before us the
labor which will require il Of APPALLING ca
tent. May M" and health he granted TO the
author with which to accomplish Il.