Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-11-27

language; yet he has only stated long
acknowledged facts. What is his SC
called law of life, hut the law of eve
lulon-the struggle in which the fit
test survives and the weakest sue
cumbsi And, even leaving evolution
out of the question, has not the exist
ence OF This law been known to hu
man thinkers since the dawn of civ
ilizatioR9
Eyes, but" continued the writer,
man is the only being in all nature
that refuses to recognize that law; he
even goes SO far occasionally as to end
his own existence Suicide,
sudden or gradual, is monstrosity
destined to disappear as soon as the
law of life shall be eomprenended by
all and obeyed for the good of all.
We may seek in vain among
mankind for the order and system,
for the social harmony that may be
always found in a monarchy of bees
or republic of ants. The author
proceeds then to point out at length
the dlscordS in the human social fabric
i the errors OF vice, The errors'ot fan
atheism, the errors of politics. the err
rors of industrial organiza.ion-all of
which might, he imagines, be avoided
by general understanding of the law
of life.
Here appears the extraordinary
weakness of M. Monoa's theory. Eth
er there is law of life which every
individual must obey, whether he
he wishes to do SO or not, or there is
no law of life at all Ii man. by his
will alone, can change the order of
the'universe, then it is absurd to speak
of him as child of destiny. And if
he cannot change the law of life, it is
equally nonsenslcal to speak of his re
fusing To recognize it or refusing to
obey it, He obeys it, indeed, as blind
L. as the atom that vibrates under the
influence OF light, as the moisture that
rises 10 the sun, as the vapor that
moves with the wind. He obeys it in
his vices as we'll as in his virtues-iu
bis crimes as in self abregation-ln
his grlefs as in his joys-this law,
which M. Monod may call, if he pleas
es, the law of the expansion of the
Ego" but which the ancient prophet
surely recognized when he penned
those strange words: II am the Lord !;
creating both good and evilp' Moth
ing seems SO curious in this vain, but
eloquent essays as the non recognition
OF the fact that it is by very virtue of
obedience to the law of life those dis
cords occur which NJ Monod mourns
over. Is not this chiefly b, cause he
has considered nature from a human
II ethical point of view2 Natare has
kindness indeed, but she is frightfully
mercilesS; she possesses extreme beau
ty and yet creates extremes of hideouS-
ness; she manifests indeed, the justice
Of an unsparing judge whose code is
framed very differently from the code
which regulates the manners of mar
kind.
The law of life is everywhere visible
as the evolutionist sees it, under the
form of struggle for conservation.
1t is quite true that we find many il
dividuais physically or intellectually
superior to their fellows, who do not
at least knoSingl y-attempt to i'm.
pose their will upon feebler natures /;
but in the aggregate we know that
the strongest and shreWdest men do
obtain the lions share OF the good
things of this life at the expense of
their interiors. All forms of compen-
sation in business, in industry, in
politics, iii arr, are virationS of the
same continuous and irresistible
movement. Contentmcnt with exist,
ing conditions signifies in Nature in
ertla; we progress especially by dissat-
faction, and civilization has been de
veloped by pain. All evils tend to
correct themselves, even though new
evils be afterward developed by the
change; yet the day that visible evil
ceases, progress ends. For ethical
purpose, it may be perfectly good
policy 10 teach that happiness can best
be sought in obedience to tho laws of
nature; but the hard truth is that any
revolt against nature is impossible,
and that we have to obey her, not as
we think she ought to be obeyed, but
as she ordains it. The knowledge of
the law of life would perhaps avail
much if We could fully comprehend
our Individual relation TO the world
at large. But how can it ever become
impossible for a man to know the
whole extent OF his own powers and
of his own weaknesses, without also
knowing everything regarding the
physical, mental, and moral capacities
of every membtr of the society to
which he belongs9 NJ Monod seems
to have an idea that the business of
mankind is to discover as soon as pos
sible what nature wants, and, by coin
Gliding with her in all things, escape
all misfortune. But this is simply
advising US to become perfectly ia
miliar with the Infinite AS yet we
only know, in the words of Grant
Allen, that life, viewed cesmically,
is but superficial phenomenon, pro
duced by arrested radiation on the
outer crust of cooling nebula."