The Washington times., 1894-07-16
Prof. Lester F. Wards Lecture in the
Peoples Church.
A CRITICISM OF KIDD'S BOOK
Attributes Its Usefulness to Fundamental Err
ror in the Work-Religion's Powerful Hold
on Mankind the Safeguard Against Hetrc-
doxy-It Is the Product of Reason.

upon which Prof. Lester +. Ward, OF the
Smithsonian Institution, delivered a lengthy
and interesting lecture yesterday morning at
the Peoples church, on G street northwest.
The professor began by referring to the
author OF Social Evolution as one "hitherto
little known to literature" but whose book
"has already produced considerable stir in
the social world, and seems destined TO be
widely read, at least, whether its sentiments
are generally indorsed or not" For bis own
part, Professor Ward welcomes the book
heartily, and believes it is destined to do
great good.
"Curiously enough" said he, 81 am obliged
to attribute its usefulness largely to what
regard as a fundamental error in the work.
The way in which l apprehend that Kidd's
error is chiefly TO do good is by popularizing
II book that contains great many highly use
full truths.
I've all know the powerful hold that relig-
ion has on mankind. No matter how true
doctrine may be, il it conflicts with religious
sentiments it can never penetrate to the minds
OF the great mass. Per contra, no matter how
false a doctrine may be. IL it appeals to those
sentiments, its popularity is assured.
This book portrays the resistless march OF
the lower elements OF society towards the pos
session OF political and social equality with
the higher elements, and pictures the slow
but uninterrupted retreat of the classes before
the masses a retreat which in the last quarter
Of the nineteenth century has almost been
converted into n rout which has been accom-
plished by the power of deep-seated and
ever-growing moral sentiment that is destined
completely to master the world and Danish
every yestige OF preventible wrong.
REASONS FROM BIOLOGY.
"My principal object in discussing the book
is to combat the error referred to. Kidd
ascribes all social progress to religion He
denies that it is attributable in any way to
reason or to the intellect. But by religion he
means something very different from the cur
rent acceptation of the word. His first reas-
oning is from biology. He recognizes mans
development from the sub-human or animal
world, and understands that animal evolution
has been the result Of blind struggle for ex-
istence in which reason has played no part
'He applies the same law to the human
race. and SAYS man must continue to be con-
trolled by something that is equivalent to,
and the homologue OF, those blind instincts of
self-preservation that have made him truly
man. He finds in the religious beliefs of
civilized men. against which reason so often
rebels, the true homologue OF those of the
unthinking savage. The answer to this is
that religion itself is product OF reason.
The religion OF both civilized and savage is
simply philosophy, an attempt to explain
the phenomena OF the universe.
''It is all the result of the reason and could
come from no other source. No being not
endowed with reason could under any cir
cumstances possess a religion.
'kidis next contention is that there is no
rational sanction for the condition of social
progress. He looks upon progress as mean
ing simply the preservation and perpetuation
n n show
yidual guide by reason alone would not Sc
cure this end: that the individual has no con-
cern for posteriiy. and if guided solely by
reason the race would perish. This is so
even of enlightened peoples.
IMPROVEMENT WITHOUT RELIGION.
Kidd says that without the aid of religion
the race could not have increased numeri-
cally and that without it there could have
been no Improvement in the condition of the
masses. Religion has in neither the one case
nor the other anything in particular to do
with it. Dir. Kidd's statictics confirm the be-
lief that cultivated and enlightened people
have smaller families than the ignorant and
uneducated and also a larger percentage of
celibates. his deductions being that society is
recruited from the base.
Both the self-restraint exercised in limit
ing families and the fastidiousness Of choice
which prevents marriage are due to superior
tributing the opposite results TO religion. II
the one is due TO intelligence, why is not the
other due TO the opposite of intelligence-ig-
norance?
Religion is supposed to subdue impulse
and make men live according to an i9eal, but
in the matter OF multiplication it results from
the least restraint, the most complete obedi- |
ence to impulse and the absence of ideals.
''If the instincts of misrepresentation can be
ascribed to religion, l see no reason why the |
instincts of birds, bees, ants, and animals can
not also be so explained.
Kidd argues that in the absence OF re-
ligious influences. man may grow so rational |
as to cease to replenish the earth. and he
points to France. the most rational of ma
tions. where the birth rate scarcely exceeds |
the death rate. The ratios have been dimin- |
ishing ever since statistics began to be col |
lected. The population of France is no |
longer increasing. But then other countries |
are tending in the same direction, though in |
less degree. 1t seems to follow that the |
spread OF intelligence is destined to bring the |
world to standstill sooner or later.
AMELIoRATE CONDITIONS OF EXISTENCE.
"For my own part believe that unless the |
tendency is checked the earth will finally be |
depopulated. The way to prevent this Is to |
ameliorate the conditions of existence. In |
telligent men and women refuse to add TO
those who are carrying on n life and death |
struggle in hostile social environment. |
But for the fear OF want, the dread Of pov-
erty, the deliberate attempt would not be |
made 10 curtail population. Intelligence
could be made spur instead of check to |
"kidd's contention is that religion is the
cause of the general improvement noted in
the condition Of the lower classes. But
among the lower races there does not seem to
be any parallel to the oppression of the many
by the few that has almost uniformly existed
among the more enlightened
1T seems to begin with the enslavement of
captured nations and progresses to the con-
quest by power of lesser nations. and the par
tition of their lands. The masses have been
ever since human history proper began been
struggling 10 free themselves from slavery.
Kidd says the progress is due to religion. l
am unable to go with him. He does not re-
view all religions. forgetting the oriental re-
liGions. which are based on a system Of caste.
and which have rendered the elevation of the
masses so hopeless that pessimism has be-
come cardinal doctrine.
kidd confounds religion with ethics. and
after having dogmatically declared that social
progress was brought about by religion, he
proceeds to show that it is the result of the
growth and spread OF altruistic sentiments. /
Of mutual sympathy of man with man, and
Of the softening influences Of ethical IDEAS"
e
Got WOrsted at His Own Game.
Unwarned by the disastrous results attend
ant upon all previous attempts to resist ar
-est Augustus Dyson. a dead-game sport
rom St Mary'S court when taken in custody