The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-30
AT THE PROGRESS CLUB
YESTERDAYS ADDRESS WAS by
JACKSON BOYD.
Views of a Greencast1e Attorney on
the Solution of the Social
Problem.

An address was delivered before the Prog
ress Club yesterday afternoon by jackson
Boyd, of Greencastle, whose topic was "A
Naturalistic Solution of the Social Prob
lem" In part Mr.. Boyd said
1T is impossible for human beings to
change a law of nature but is not impos-
slble TO modify the structures of nature
forms of matter so that natural laws will
WORK to human advantage. 30 it is inn
possible for society to change human ma
ture but 1t is not impossible Ior society to
monty the conditions of the expenditure
of human energy Jaws, institutions and So
ctal torms) so mat 1t will act to social adj
vantage. In each case there are two fac
tors, energies and structures, IN which the
energies eXpend themselves; and while the
energies cannot be changed their condi-
lions or structures can be, and that is all
that is necessary to make the individual the
perfecter of nature and society the per-
fecter OF the individual Just as man can
arrange apparatus TO control electricity,
can society arrange institutions to control
selfishness. Each is problem in mechan-
les; ana one as capable of solution the
The function of the social sense is to d.
rect the opposing, neutralizing and wasting
energies ana IDEAS of individuals by turning
them to one purpOSe-the betterment Of So
clety-by distributing all the knowledge of
the race throughout society," so that it can
direct the energies of the Individual into the
most economic channels possible, and di-
rect its own organic actions by knowledge
as Well as feeling, the moral sense, making
or society higher form of order resulting
from the equilibrium of all the energies of
ali the individuals of society; as the individ-
ual is higher form of order resulting from
an equilibrium of all the energies OF ta.u.e
IhiS IS the third great controlment, a sixth
law or motion, society as an organism di-
recting and controlling the actions of its
units and its own actions by public cor
porate knowledge. To apply these new laws
or society to existing society to-day to
orient the race through public corporate
knowledge VIII require a wonderful power
Well may we ask, whence the motive for
the new order of things? The answer to
this question is the same as it was vester-
day, as it will be forever religion al All
the functions of the Individual that sociefv
has attempted to form concepts Of perbans
there are none more imperfectly underst cd
man fnan mat OF religion, What. is religion?
Religion mas Vulnerable ne nings fl ON The
fetichism of the savage up to the worshin If
the ideal God of the savant, yet when the
truth is Slfted from out the error true reIip
ion is the instinct that perfects the race az
seen displayed IN every family of animals
from the lowest to the highest me sirn1ia
JOY OF life is WONDERFUL, the delight If sexual
love has been the theme of poet since Ian
guage began, but the ecstasy of religion in
world to-day cries out against our nseudo-
science which treats religion as a Kind Of
racial alteration. Religion has been and
VIII always be the great compensation for
What individual corporations have done
Tor themselves, public corporations will be
able to do for society The individuai cor-
poration or to-day Is but a teacher of the
public corporate n of tomorrow
The rich are not asked to give un their
riches but to use them for the benefit of the
race as well as themselves However if
wealth is wasted or persistently used to
the detriment of the race it ought to be
conhscated; for it has ever been a law of
society to condscate the wealth of fra itors. .
and who is more of traitor to the race
than the one who openly defies it, persis-
tently uses it and abuses it? Society simDIv
| lets the individual hold property in trust for
! 1t, because society creates most of its value. .
and when the individual betrays the trust
| by diverting the property exclusively to his
own USE he should forfeit IT, because he las
! stopped its productiveness. This doetri-e s
| but the scientific truth under the teachings
| of Jesus in His sermon on the mount n Is
! stating intellectually what He stated emo
| tionally. He stated the truth as He felt II I.
| it is here stated as seen. Jesus spoke the
| truth from the point Of view of the moral
! sense; it is here spoken from the point of
view Of the social sense