Evening star., 1897-04-28
EVOLUTION VS.. REVOLUTION.
The Two Methods COntrnsted as They
Have Affected Politics.


Ex-President Andrew d. White of Cor
nell University the new ambassador to
Germany delivered an address before a
large and cultured audience at the Church
of the Covenant last evening. His subject
was Evolution VS. Revolution in Politics."
and in the course of his remarks he said:
1T is certain that the theory of an evo-
lutIonary method in the universe of some
sort has taken fast hold of thinking men.
Especially is this the case as regards the
life of man upon our planet. I shall not
enter into the relation of mans structure
and life to the structure and life of other
animals, but simply point out the fact, in
passing, that all the great array Of
sciences which have been brought to bear
upon the history of humanity from the
earliest prehistoric times in which we can
trace man by his works show evidences of
his upward evolution-evdences that man
is not a fallen being, but rising being.
But while a quiet evolution Is easily
seen in the long series of ever-improving
implements, laws. policies, ideas, and in
-stitutions, a more violent process is no less
evident. More and more 1t becomes clear
that the same law of evolution extends
even through national catastrophes. The
old doctrine of ever recurring cycles Of ma
tional birth, growth and death-the doc
trine of national catastrophes without any
effect. save, possibly, to point a moral or
adorn tale-has virtually disappeared
More and more is it seen In historic times
as In prehistoric. that there has been not
only an evolution. quiet and gradual, but
also an evolution in which not only each
national struggle, but every national ca
taStrophe Is a part"
Continuing, President White said that so
lar In the history Of the world the progress
OF humanity, as regards political, social
and religious questions seems to have been
far more largely than we could wish by
catastrophes. He cited a number of Incl
dents In history to illustrate this state
the British colonies and the mother coun-
try, the French revolution and the civil
war In this country. Speaking of the last
named event, President White said that,
assuming that the change from slavery
was inevitable, the only question was
whether 1t should be accomplished peace
fully and gradually as advocated by Henry
Clay, who proposed a gradual emancipa-
tlon by purchase. Such a method would
have involved an expenditure of perhaps
$2o.OOO.OOO. But the revolutionists of hot h
sides opposed this plan, and the result
which was accomplished by revolutionary
means cost nearly million of lives. he
sides about ten billions of money. This
ne considered progress secured by catastro-
phe rather than by growth. 1t was a
progress by revolution as against progress
py evolution. AS another instance of the
operation of the two systems he cited the
case of the breaking up of the old German
empire. Russia. he said, also furnished an
example OF the revolutionary as opposed
10 the evolutionary form Of DEVELOPMENT
After furnishing these Illustrations to
show that progress up till the present had
been by revolutionary means he said the
great question which naturally arose was
whether this was the law of human pro-
gress, whether the future Of mankind was
to be no better than the past in the strue-
gle toward better things.
The whole question was. in the speakers
opinion, one of price. Development would
surely go on; the question was what would
the world or people have to pay for it. It
was question whether the deyelopment
and progress of the future must be se-
cured at the great sacrifices which have
characterized that of the past, or whether
1t would be secured by reason and the spirit
of justice.