, 1892-01-27

a CURIOUS paper Is mat winch Une
British scientist, Professor Alfred Rus
sell Wallace, furnishes to The Arena on
human progress. In the beginning it
disputes fatty two propositions almost
universally accepted in relation to hu-
man progress. The first is that such ad-
vancement is steadily forward mo
such continuous rise of the high water
mark of humanity is perceptible," says
Wallace. The greatest of our architects
and sculptors fall far short of those of
Greece 1000 years ago, and no nation
today has an average of poets, states
men, philosophers and commanders
equal to those of the age Of Pericles.
Mr.. Francis Gallon declares that in
te~nectually the Athenians Of the golden
age of Greece were about as far ahead
of us today as we are now ahead of the
African negro, a statement which may
be commended to the thoughtful con-
sideration of American Fourth of July
orators. The mean level of the whole
human race the world over, however, is
higher in the judgment Of Mr.. Wallace
than it was in the time of ancient
~ a. 80
work, some tending to depress the moral
and intellectual level, others to raise it.
They work, now up now down, and by
balancing these activities we can arrive
at the true average.
The second generally accepted propo-
sition denied by Professor Wallace is
that acquired p~eculiarities of character
or physique can be transmitted. Oar
win believed they could be. The school
of thinkers at the head of whom are
Francis Gallon and Professor Weismann
deny that they can be. Briefly put,
they declare that there is nc transmits
sion of acquired characters" What is
transmitted is the capacity to develop
into a form more or less closely resem-
bling that of the parents or their direct
ancestors" For instance, a bear may
be driven upon a hot plate, forced to
dance at the same time that a hand
organ is played, and ever after when he
hears the hand organ he will begin to
dance; but it is not at all likely that his
descendants will be born dancers, not
one of them.
Are we then to be left altogether with
out hope for the advancement of the
race? VIII nothing, non of u efforts
10 help mankind, to raise them to better
environments and a higher plane Of civ
ilization be of any avail2 Not in the
way of transmitting by inheritance the
virtue we educate into them, answers
Mr.. Wallace. Mankind may, probably
will, grow better, healthier and hand
somer, but by other means.
And in the judgment of Mr.. Wallace,
mankind may well be thankful that ac-
quired characters cannot be transmitted.
If they could be, then just as much &C.
quired bad as good would be handed
dow from generation to generation,
and the race would die out, for the ten
dency of evil is self destructive. II ac-
quired qualities could DO transmitted,
then the greed and a~varice, the dis
honesty, sharp practice, cheating and
lying that characterize the trade and
of our time would be trans
mitted in intensified form to the next
generation and woe to mankind.
But there are agencies at work which
Professor Wallace relies on to bring ny
the high water mark Of human virtue
n intelligence. One of these is the
wedding out by natural destruction anil
decay Of the vicious, sickly and criminal
classes. Many Of the lowest classes o.
humanity nave large families, but these
do not live long. Good people who have
clear consciences and take care of their
health live longer and leave more chill
dren to inherit long life than the drunk
ards and criminals do.
The other agency, 'by far the more
important for the future, " is the law of
natural selection as it will COM into
play through the freedom and higher
education Of woman. When women Sc
cure all their freedom, so that they are
~pecuniarily Independent, capable of TAX
ing care of themselves, then no woman
will be obliged to marry some horrid
old mental, physical and moral deform-
ity for the sake of q home and food.
Women will not then marry till they
find their ideal man. Drunkards, mean
men and i'll favored men will not marry
at all, because no woman will have
them. Men and women beautiful in
mind and body will wed one another,
first and always, by the law of natural
selection, transmitting their fine quail
ties TO their children, and thus the level
of the race will be raised. With the
liberty and pecuniary independence of
women the law of natural selection in
the human, for the first lime in the his
tory of civilization will have free NAV
At least such is the judgment of Profess
sor Wallace.
In reference to the Behring sea seal
arbitration Lord Salisbury says he wants
to show the United States hat he will
not ahata q lot of British rights. but he