The herald., 1893-02-27
DANGERS TO MODERN SOCIETY,
Man Part Of an Evolving, Grad
ually Developing Universe.
The Element Of Disorder Found in
Human Society.
a Study Of Some OF the Sociological
Problems Which Confront People
who Think About What They
See and Hear
rBY MRS. ANNIE BEsANr.l

TBY MRS. ANNIE BEsANr.1
With the growth of thought in our
time. and what may be called the deeper
view Of mans nature and evolution, it
has been recognized that man is part
of an evolving universe; that mans
growth ia matter of gradual develop
ment. 1t is the nature of some or
ganism, gradually developed, passing
through various stages, evolving fresh
forces as it proceeds, and building itself
up more and more toward ideal perfec-
ton.
The growth of that social organism
must depend for its health upon the
growth and development of the individ-
ual cells that compose it, and
are co-ordinated into the common
growth. The great thing that
presses itself upon our attention
with regard to the individuals who COM
pose society is, that he seems not
go much an individual who Is standing
on his rights, but rather the nobler con-
ception OF an individual bound by duties
to the society Of which he is part, re-
garding the common good as the su-
preme aim willing to subordinate him
self in order that the greater self may
evolve. Thus we begin to recognize
society as q whole, and ourselves as a
unit in its gradual growth. All lower
forms of life seem instinctively to obey
the law of their organization. In the
society OF bees, for instance, We find
every working bee cooperating in the
common storing of the hive.
When we come into human society an
element of disorder manifssts itself. and
we find men fighting against each other,
instead of cooperating in the law OF
brotherhood. We notice that in the in
telligence of man there is essentially the
individualizing principle, that in it's first
evolution is an element OF rebellion, self
assertion and separation, and thus So
ciety becomes warning chaos instead OF
an ordered cosmos. Looking over his
tory we have seen how great civilizations
perish. Take as an example the mighty
civilization OF Hindooetan. Take their
literature, with it's subtle, far-reaching
knowledge; not only in literature was
1t great, but in science and co.
cial life. 1t had the popularity
that knowledge and not wealth
and rank gave authority. That Hin
doostan has perished. Why? Because
India was selfish to the very core. The
knowledge she had she accumulated into
the hands of q class, to be used aa
q dominance over the people instead Of
for the common service and common
good. The Brahmin caste became
simply a class of parasites living on the
labor Of the people.
In our own civilization do we not find
the same causes, selfish tendencies,
class divisions and oblivion of the COM
mon good? No law of nature can be
broken. The law remains and crushes
those who disregard it. The fundamen-
tai law Of humanity is brotherhood.
Out of the root of self-cohsciousnes
grows the desire to get the better OF our
neighbors, and always to get from him
something more than we give in return.
This is the evil which has always been
apparent in society. You have it in the
ancient states in the form of widespread
slavery, and with the fall of ancient
empires serf-slavery grew up, instead.
Under feudslism eerf-slavery persisted,
leaving in its place another form of
slavery in which mans labor was paid,
not in food, clothing and shelter, but by
money, which was denominated wage.
From the system of wagedom old slave.
dom came back. For what is slavery :?
It is having to give your life. your time,
everything you possess for the mere
right OF living. Why should one man
labor for 16 hours a day, while another
man never does an honest hours work
through his whole life, and yet the man
who labors is poor, while the one who
does not is wealthy?
One great danger is the extreme OF
wealth and poverty. Where you have
the millionaire and the pauper side by
side in society you cannot call it BROTH
erly or just. In London we are educat-
ing the poorest from the slums. Every
child learns certain lessons--cleanlines
color, form and music. The child grows
up; he is going into the terrible strug-
gle for life in the London streets. What
have you done for him? You have added
new pain to his life, you have walked up
in him faculties which society forbids
him to cultivate; he is shut out by the
inexorable conditions of the social eys-
tenn, and that is one OF the dangers
which menace society. Education in q
land where man could crafty the in
tellectual cravings within would render
him more useful citizen, firmer sup
pOIbcI vi tuc OIucI Jlhb JouuH lO Auluhii
happiness.
No system ought to be endured which
lives on the ignorance OF the people in
stead of on the knowledge of the people.
Here Is another danger-the social ideals
of today. The successful man is your
social ideal. But what is he? The rich
man, the fashionable beauty What
contemplate ideals for nation to set
up for it's worship What ideals for
thinking men and womenl What is
the truly successful man? Not the con-
querer, not the financier, not the gen.
eral, not even the mighty monarch
not these, but those who live in the
hearts OF the people, whose success was
that OF service, not of dominance not
the Cesars and Napoleons, but
the Buddhas and the Christs, who
gave up everything that men might
evolve. And as ideals mold nations, it
ie for you to take care what are the
ideals OF America. Great natians grow
out OF great ideals, and great people
grow out Of great thoughts.
There Is another danger menacipg
society today more subtle in its charac-
ter than the more obvious ones before
mentioned, and that is the divorce of
intellect from religion. You find the
pick OF the intellect Of the nation stand
ing outside the churches. In Europe