Workmen's advocate., 1888-12-15
HUMANITY.
BY T. II. GAESIDE.

In speaking of this world we often unconsiousy use the possessive case and term It " ours, and this simply because we live in it; we exist upon its products, and at death return toits embrace. We are constantly surrounded by proof that it is our environment always of the "earth earthy.' Of our fellows We know but little; of their manner of living we may know all; of their lives, their mind selves. nothing which they themselves do not reveal. Seldom do we know much of mems failures, but always of their triumphs. Happiness makes proud the possessor, while misery seeks to hide the head in shame and modification. The sociabiity of man is not only evnced by what he does, but also by what he does Hot dO The remark that he is a social animal is true only of man in primitive, or if you will, in a nor maj condition, and his unsociabjlity is to be judged upon the same principle.
 Life is constant demonstration of certain effects. Men falsely and super ciiousy attribute these effects to luck surrounding" circum- stances" while the truth is that duck, surrounding, circumstances, are just as much the effects of some prime cause as the direct effects of human existence.
 Our knowledge of the good, the true, the pure, is limited to the evidences of such as seen demonstrated by men, while their evidences. or the revelation of them is absolutely governed by eX. isting conditions. Goodness, truth and purity, as abstract properties, exist in dependent of any demonstration. but only in an abstract sense, and as much above humanity as the stars. Condition or environment is the necessary link to a true development of inherent capacity. Inherent tendency or unequal environ ment are the causes of all crime, and to the latter may be traced all the infu- ences of the former. The transmission of any peculiar phase of lshmaelism :" is but evidence of previous condition of some progenitor surrounded by an | environment constituting him such.
 The creation of such environment must be some abnormal and unnatural power, since its effects are plainly to pro- l duce an unnatural, and therefore, un- l healthy condition of morality. The natural is good, because it is true; the prostitution of the natural, whether by abuse or misuse, will produce an un- natural effect. Consequently, 1t IS no argument to say that the natural is evil, because certain products of an in iured and miSused nature are evil. Neces- sarily this creative power exists apart from and independent of it's creations, the effects of its action being evil, and the continuation of its increase being also evil, plainly its source must exist in | contradiction to, and to the detriment of that portion surrounded by the envi- ronments of its creation. Circumstances are never spontaneous they arise from some previous condition of things and by reason of some action, either foreign to or akin to conditions affected by the change.
 Nature predetermines harmony of re
 lationships, without insutfiCiency or in
 adequacy in any portion of existing properties, and the existence of harmony
 also predetermines a true and normal
 development of all existing life. On the
 other hand, the existence of any abnOr
 nal condition of life is positive evidence
 that the harmony of nature has beer
 broken, that there has been an eXploita
 tion of some portion of human sutfici
 ency, that the equilibrium and ade
 quaCy of environment in some manner
 has been destroyed. Holding these
 views, existing social conditions art
 easily understood, and it will be seer
 that these principles are attractive il
 their nature; they draw the dividing line which interprets human relation , ships. For what do men live? Why do they live; The pessmist gloomily responds that there is nothing wortI living for, while the optimist holds ou , bright hopes of brighter days, But w wish to deal with present facts, and ye
 in doing so life is presented as contra dictory; existence is problem de flying combined skill to solve. For thi
 reason that to men there are ditferen - methods of existence to one an exist , ence in which the question of suppl,
 never enters; he possesses Hot only ca ,, paCity for personal and dependent sup 1 ply, but also retains control over tn ' supply of limitless numbers. EXistenc , is not life Men in a normal condition : do not consider the question as to hoy
 they can simply exist, but as to hoN 3 they can in their term of longevity nee r all that required by nature to mak p such life one of natural comfort. Ed a ward Atkinson attempts to reduce tn
 problem to one of per centages of nutri 5 tion required for sustenance of stand l ard strength amongst those clacSe . whose office it is to produce by labol F But any distinction made between me
 as to advantage over the natural oppol
 tunity (which is equality of opportunity