The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-14

ana electricity. and WELD them To their own
advantage. Mr.. Gordon can see that By this In
fuxof new people the socinl world was widened
and inviRorated. yet withal somewhat vul-
CARRIED. and that at the SANE time IL was sump-
tuous!y equipped and adorned with all THAT ar
lists. architects. and artisans. urged by high
Ray. can do In tho way OF decorating life. The
author OF this book has also grasped the fact
that several OF the largest fortunes In New
York are outside OF the pale OF the Four Hun
dred. and that many Of tho recognized leaders
are by no means plutocrats. while OF the very
rich people in tho smart set" several OF the
richest have only OF late years. and after many
and divers snubs and vast expenditures. sue
ceeded in reaching the goal. There are many
others OF common surate fortunes who. after
strenuous but fruitless efforts. have bctaken
themselves to London or to Paris. where
Americans arc all disdainfuly supposed to be
on the same social plane. and where. by dint
oflavsh entertaining. they have achieved the
mediocre success OF being not in. but OF. So
ciety. a subtle distinction which. as Mr. Cor
don says. means good deal to the Initiated.
Herbert speneer's "Priacipies or Ethics."
It Is we'll known that tho publication OF tho
volume setting forth Mr. HERBEET SpENcEH's
Synthetic Philosophy has not proceeded in
conformity with the authors original scheme
Thus. tho third volume OF The Principles Of
Sociology" has not yet seen tho light, and the
volume brought out last year under the title
OF THE Ethics OF Social Life Justice" should.
in the order Of logical exposition, have fol-
lowed instead Of preceding the volume now
issued by the Applotons entitled The Princi-
pies Of Ethics. Even Of this volume the first
part devoted to "the data OF ethics was sep
aratcly published in 1870 tho author appre-
hending that Ill health might prevent him
from dealing with the subject OF ethics at all
II he waited until 1t was reached in the pre-
scribed course OF his work. To tho data OF
ethics here reprinted are now added the in
auctions OF ethics and the ethics OF individual
life-the ethics OF social life being reserved for
treatment in a separate volume. the first part
OF which appeared rs We have said. last year
under the subtitle of Justice"
It is. OF course. we'll understood that tho
ethical division OF the synthetical philosophy
is intended to be the crown OF the whole
work. In Mr.. Spencer's opinion the establish
ment OF right conduct on a scientific basis Is
pressing need. Now that moral iniunctions are
losing the authority given by their supposed
sacred origin. the secularization OF morals is
becoming imperative. In the auth ors judy
ment few things can happen moro disastrous
than the decay and death OF o regulative sys-
tenn. no longer IT. before another and litter reg
ulative system has grown up to replace it.
Most OF those who reject tho current creed
appear to assume that the controlling agency
furnished by it may safely be thrown aside
and the vacancy left untitled by any other con-
trolling agencies. On the other hand. those who
defend the current creed alleye that in tho Ab
sence Of the guidance 1t yields no guidance
can exist: divine commandments they think
the only possible guide. Thus between these
extreme opponents there is q certain commu-
nifty. The one holds that tho gap left by the
Of the code Of supernatural
ethics need not be filled by code OF natural
ethics: tho other holds that it cannot be so
filed Both contemplate Il vacuum which the
one wishes and the other fears. AS the change
which promises or threatens to bring about
this state desired or dreaded, is rapidly pro-
crossing. those WHO believe with Mr.. Spencer
that the vacuum can be filled and must be
filled are called on to do something in pur-
suance OF their belief Hence the volume be-
fore US and its prospective successor.
The utmost to be hoped for in reviewing a
book so capacious and SO solidly pack ed with
the products OF severe and independent think
ing Is e1empliHcation. To this end we shall
pass over the first part. which was published
some thirteen years ago. and confine ourselves
to the matter now for tho first time printed.
Here. again. in tho inductions Of ethics we
shall mark only tho authors discussion OF
such radical virtues as veracity. industry. and
chastity. and in the ethics OF individual life
shall note by preference what the author has
to say about marriage and parentage.
We have called veracity ono Of the radical
virtues but the term Is scarcely strong
enough. Perhaps We rather ought to call it the
root OF all the rest 1t is certain that sp ech
would never have been invented could the in
ventors OF it have foreseen that 1t would ever
be made the medium OF lies. But such dis
tortion OF tho faculty which differentiates man
from the brutos would have seemed incredi-
bio. 1t Is equally certain that II absolute
truth telling could be enforced by law. as is
said to have been the case in the Inca civiliza-
ton OF Peru. all other criminal legislation
would be rendered wsll-nigh superauous.
For who would commit a crime. or be
guilty OF a vice. II habit stronger than nature
irresistibly impelled him to publish his
own wrongdoing3 Yet. although veracity lies
ut the core OF individual virtue and Of social
we'll being. it is pronounced by Mr.. Spencer the
rarest Of virtues. He reminds us that ever
those who regard themselves as absolutely
truthful are daily guilty Of overstateme nts and
advertisements. ENaggeration 10 almost
universal The per petual use Of tho word
very" whore the occasion does not call for 1t,
shows how widely dinussd and confirmed is
tho habit OF Misrepresentation. This habit.
moreover. sometmes goes along with the
loudest denunciations OF falsehood. After
much vehement talk about the "verac-
ities" will como utterly unveracious &C.
counts OF things and people-accounts
made unveraclous by the use OF ON
phatio words whore ordinary words
alone are warranted-p pictures OF which tho
outlines are correct. but the lights and shades
and colors are doubly and trebly as strong as
they should be. Among. however. the count
less variations OF statements from fact, Mr..
Spencer IL concerned only with those In which
form Is wrong as we'll as coor-thoss In which
tho statement is not merely perversion of the
fact, but practically an inversion OF it Chiefly,
too. he has to deal with cases in which per-
sonal interest OF one or another kind Is the
prompter to falsehood; now tho desire to in
nict injury as by false witness: now the do
sire to gain a material advantage: now the de-
sire to escape punishment, or other threat
ened evil: now the desire to got favor by say
III. k.rIn