New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-22
CLIMAX OF INDIVIDUAL1SM.
1ogN GRAHAM BROOKS LECTURES ON
HERBERT SPENCER.
.1yr IS WRITER WHO WILL DO WOMEN
GREAT SERVICE IF THEY WILL STUDY
HIM" SAYS THE SPEAKER

yobo Graham Brooks continued his lectures on
.r8e,ls OF a New Society yesterday morning be-
fore the League Cor Political Education. the subject
y, ire dav being Herbert Spencer. or tho climax
O. Indivdualsm.
soancer.s great service 10 sociology. the lecturer
sa,4 has been In creating n habit OF mind that
tests every remedy that comes before us lie SHOWS
&c 10 other writer has done the great danger OF
Interfering with nature. and only as we seriously
reckon with him We reckon with the deepest
.orces o. nature. He is a writer that can 40
women a great service II they will study him. Mr.
Brooks thinks for their great weakness in public
life il an abstract in law. and they can learn
from SPENCER as from no other that the power OF
legislation has many limitations
The gist OF Spencer's philosophy. the lecturer
stated is that there should be as little interference
as possible with the individual
He would have laws against murder violence ana
fraud. but in every other respect would leave men
absolutely free Sanitary laws may save child
here and there ne argues. pehaps many chiIaren
but they cause evils than thNy prevent
ny interfering with the Independent gro"'A OF
faculty and habit. For the same reason popular
education is a huge mistake. and public herar'~s
= stu greater one Modern science and p2ilaH-
,a-opv have caused the death rate 20 sink all over
The world but 10 Herbert Spencer this only means
the preserving Of thousands Of lives thht nature
would have got rid OF fo- the sake OF the race
In all this there is a vast amour: OF truth. me
,e,.urAr said He confessed 10 having wondered
himself sometimes. # II would not he good th'nS
N burn the Boston Free Library 10 the grou 1d
since es per cent OF the books taken from 1t wore
the worst ones in II: and he said he had heard
eminent educators express the same feeling with
regard 20 public education.
There seems 20 exist in US" he continued. "A
Nmitlcss capacity for being dead heats. ano from
wha' ! have seen g Seems to me Just as common
in one class another.
But Notwithstanding all this. the lecturer main
hat,
quoted Frederick Harrison TO the effect that ne
stands against the great body OF English expert
ence
Because many attempts to interfere with nature
have produced disastrous results said Mr. BROOKS
~ does not follow that we cannot learn 20 lnte'-
fere for the general good. No one denies that We
have learned 70 make about one wise law IN
,veo.v NJ one denies that the German laws
against the adulteration of food have worked TO
the immense advantage of the health and strength
O. the people Every one knows that the English
factory laws have been productive Of great good
and few would deny that our own Ci|il service II"
has worked great and important results Most
laws fail tn they are made over two or three
lines but by experiment can sometimes gct
something that will work The great thing Is 10
know where We have got 10 leave thirss alone ana
where VIC can interfere to advantage 80 lar d
connection is absolutely fair It is rigat, and va
cannot prevent IL; but 1t IS not far nov" Inc
strong &c; artificial helps and the weak ar" nam
pered with artificial hindrances. ii Is not worhng
.rat,s, ,a,ure but with her 10 Try change this
Mr. Brooks concluded his lecture by reading a
passage from Spencer whlcn cefrfa WI c ~, tr
said us own OBVIOUS disPopl ~ IL as an iIius.
iron plate with punch on II az aa ' a.,
,raiion Of society and argues thar no one can nai
zen ne plate ny H nrse 1 by irving to do so
But h admits hat r. is poss!oie 70 na,tch "~
Ia,e one xn9% Nv" acW said to nave admitted
the same thing OF society