Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-09
NATURAL SELECTION

As Applied to CustOms, Law and Morals-The Scientific Method Ap- piled to History and Economies | Brilliant Lecture in the Mechanics, | Course by Professor Hadley.
 In the Mechanics lecture course Pre- lessor Hadley lectured last night on sDar- winian Methods in Political Science" He said: I hope tonight to give some ac- count of the change of method in looking at questions of economies, law and ethics within the last half century. The Dar- winian method, though not the product of one man, yet is so closely associated, and win as to derive it's name from him.. It does not mean evolution, That had been believed for several centuries before Dar- wins time. Darwin discovered the prin- ciple of natural selection which is the means at work in directing development. The bright color of the flower was ex plained at one time as occurring by acci- dent and at another by design. Science discovered that this bright color was the sect so necessary to its fertilization was at tracted to it and so the flower of the beautiful hue survived and the one less bright perished.
 Development and natural selection was traced in the animal and vegetable world, l in cell life, but here it stopped. By properly applying the same process we will find that there has been 8 clear selec- l tion of laws, customs, forms of govern l ments and beliefs. The preservation of | the individual has been through the fitness | of his customs and institutions. The in dividual man is, as the cell in animal or ! vegetable life, part of great organism and he stands or falls with the organism. | Let us apply the law of natural selection | to slavery. Men were accustomed to look | into their inner consciousness and decide whether human slavery was a natural or unnatural institution, and adduced exam ples to prove the theory espoused, discard l ing those as of no account that did not make for it. In f790 this country was di- vided into two sections, nearly equal in size, the one a free territory and the other 8 slave territory. The census of each suc- ceeding decade saw disproportionate in- crease in favor of the territory over the slave country. This was due to the supe- riority of free labor over slave labor and the greater inducement of the more favorable economic condition resulting
 
 immigrants. So when the final struggle came the question of slavery had already been decided in the superior resources o1 ! the north over the south, which had been brought about by the superiority of the institution of free labor over slavery. Ye this was not always so. The savage peo pies killed their captives because theil civilization was of so low type that they had no use for them. At length it becam, question of slave labor or no labor and the captives were enslaved
 lives were spared and an advantage to thu
 state also, as long as no man would worl
 except by competition. When the motiv'
 of ambition and hope was substituted
 for that of fear, the basis on which slayer,
 had seemed to Aristotle a natural institu
 tion was taken away and resulted in tn
 downfall of feudalism in Europe and hu
 man slavery in this country.
 Professor Hadley next applied natura
 selection to the question of civil liberty
 which has been discussed in this city b.
 Mill who has championed it and Carlyle
 the advocate of the rule of one man : Among savage peoples the less discipline tribes went down before the more dis : ciplined. Through this discipline peopl
 began to respect authority, and it wa found that the private judgment thu trained could be trusted.
 The anarchic nations went to pieces a : first, because they could not fight at all
 and the over disciplined nations becaus
 they were not ready in great emergencies
 The basis of morals was next discussed Whatever prevails is right, because it pre- , vails; and whatever is right will prevail.
 The lecture was closed with the applica
 tion of the law of natural selection of pri
 vate property. Is property in land based O priority of occupancy?
 : Has every one right to the product o l his own labor? In the historical develop
 ment of private ownership it was foun that certain security of tenure was net l essary in order to have work carried on { 8 | all. The series of causes that create , landed property is prima facie evidence i
 it's favor If the effect of inequality
 property is likely to prove weakening {
 morals and productiveness, in this it l. weak and requires change. If the defect
 of private property in land are greatt than the advantages of it it must fall. IT great permanency of it is the argument 7 it's favor.