The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1883-02-24
PROGRESS OF SOCIALISM.

Ihe IolloWing IS the Essay of Col.
K. A. Cross, of Baton Rouge, which
was awarded the prize at the meeting
of the Louisiana Press association, in
New Orleans, February 8:
| Herbert Spencer, in illustrating the
law of biology that, specialization of
function and heterogeneity Of struc-
ture, are always accompanied by inter
dependence in vital arrangement,
traces a striking comparison between
the orders of physical and social or
ganization. "The short contractilc
tube, which propeIs backwards and
forwards the crude dilute blood of an
inferior molusc, is neither structurally
nor functionally much entaugled with
the creatures other organs. But on
passing upwards, and on coming to
those advanced types of animals,
which have closed arterial and yenous
systems, ramifying minutely in every
corner of every organ, we find that the
vascular apparatus, while it has be
come structurslly interviewer with the
whole body, has become unable to full
fill its Offices without the help of off.
ces, that are quite separated from its
own. The heart is now a complex
Pump, worked by powerful muscles,
that are excited by local nervous
system; and the general nervous sys-
TEN also takes share in regulating
the contractions, both of the heart and
of all the arteries. On the due dis
charge of the respiratory funetionAhe
function Of circulation IS directly de-
pendent; if the eration of the blood
is impeded the vascular activity is
lowered, and the arrest of one very
soon causes stoppage of the other.
Animals Of low organization will move
about for a considerable time after be-
ing eyiseerated, or being deprived of
those appliances by which force is
accumulated or transferred, but ami.
mails of high organization are instantly
killed by the removal of those appli- |
ances, or even by the injury of minor
parts of them. Thus, while in we'll |
developed creatures the distinction of |
functions is very marked, the combi-
nation of functions is very close.
From instant TO instant the aration of
blood implies that certain respiratory
muscles are made toacontract by GER
tain nerves, and that the heart is pro:
pelling the blood to be 8rated. That
the heart may act it must, from in-
slant to instant, be excited by dis
charges from certain ganglia, and the
from these ganglis are made
possible only by the conveyance to
them from instant to instant of the
blood which the heart propels .n..
Here, as before, an analogy drawn
from social organization helps us.
.... Note, for example, that while
local divisions and classes of the COM
munity have been growing unlike in
heir several occupations, the carrying
IN Of their several occupations has
oeeh growing dependent on the due /
activity of that vast organization by
which sustensnce is collected aud diff
used. During the early stages of |
iocial Development every small group {
# people, and often every family, OBJ l
aimed separately its own necessaries; I
,ut now for each necessity aud for I
,acb superAuity there exists com \
lined body of wholesale and retail t
distributors, which brings its branch Q
d channels of supply within reach of q
II. While each citizen is pursuing \
BUSINESS, which does not aim at the Q
abstraction of his personal wants, his S
ersonal wants are satisfied by a gen ?
raj agency, that brings from all places r
for him and his fellow Q
itizens-an agency which could not S
ease its special duties for few days y
'itbout bringing to an end bis own il
pecial duties and those of most s
Tiers" a
The analogy here used for the pur- o
ose of illustrating q scientific truth a
ln, by a reversal of the process, be Il
lade highly useful to the political o
in estimating the tenden- $
! Of some remarkable phenomena Al
hich are now attracting general at v
.ntion, For example, we fnd in the p
igheE organizations that the life of 81
! animal is dependent on the health il
the parts, and that the combination s.
functions is 80 close that they con
im with one general scheme of vital la
.iion. If the analogy holds We shall b,
.pect to find that, as society deyel- "
Is from lower to higher form of tt
'ganization, the general agency will as
quirc continuously increasing con fo
d of the regimen Of functions, which III
primitive society are safely regu ci
ted by the free and instructive move III
ent Of its members; in other words, th
at as society becomes more complex, in
e function Of the general agency in b
e collection and di stribution of sup ra
les, which can no longer be gathered tll
the family, or the small group, will cl
come SO important that it will con- az
antly increase its control Of the sep al
4
ate members of The society. The n
odiGcatiop of the conditions 81 exist FL
ce will produce a profound modif- ey
ton 10 the relation of these mem ii
is, and the general agency, which III
II have a constantly increasing inhu- Til
&C on the weil-being Of society, will, nj
society becomes more artificial, CO
assume augmented powers ey
/ the exercise Of its constantly grow 10
I functions. And the analogy does en-
"a in fact, for such has been the 50
tual tendency in social development 10
der every civilized government. er
Take for the first example the fnnc- th
II Of the teacher. In tho growth Of ed
;ioty this function has been special ga
a more and more every day, be- ID,
,ea huinan frnaa,Isd0a has HON aY IN,