The times., 1901-04-07
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s3rily arises from the educable quallty
OF an the individualities of that group;
that i'm proportion to the advance IN
station of any group of animals and
plants the duration of its members mas
to be more and more accurately nXed,
until In man and other of the higher
forms the term is as firmly established
as are the features of the boOy. 1t
is in the considerations relating to the
nature and history of Individuality
that we may hope 20 find whatever of
moral help that natural science can
give us The facts when clearly seen
certainly lead Us TO a better under
standing Of what death means in the
great order
And again:
For obvious reasons the subject viii
not be treated in what is commonly
termed the religious way-in the man
ner that goes behind the facts. or
perhaps we should say, above them;
but in The rnattor-Of-fact way-that
which looks alone TO the phenomenal
for the explanation sought. The
reader should understand that this
Limitation is by no means to Toe con-
Sidered as q denial OF the Importance
of the other method OF approach. but
that il is taken I'm order to avoid the
mixture Of religious and scientific
methods which has been SO generally
prohUess. No man should cndeavor TO
journey on two paths al the same
time. or on the same way In two We
hicles should he do SO he is sure
40 fail OF his end
I'm the chapter on the effect Of re-
HEi1u uu the attitude of men toward
death So should he understood that
Tlt statements which are there made
are directed NOT against faith in the
higher sense. not Ga the least against
Christianity in its native form. but
against fhs curious remnants Of primi-
tive religions which have Crcpt into
this most maEnaufmous of beliefs.
turning SIS blessings into curses and
its liEht into darkness. thereby lay
ink q burden uDon human life and
hope iu WAYS even more gricyous than
those of pagan times.
I'm effect this book rs plea for an
ftluCatiuu CAS- regards the place Of the
individual lie lu the whole OF nature
which shall De- consistent with what
We know ~ the universe. IL IS plea
fer an understanding Of tho relations
81 the person with the realm which is
IN the fullest sense. his own, with his
fcll0w-neiugs Of all degrees which are
his kiuSmsu- with the past and the
future Of which he is an integral part.
u is protest against the idea, bred
Of many natural misconceptions. that
human being Is something apart
from its fellows: that II is born into
the world and dies out of it into the
loneliness OF supernatural realm 1t
is this sense Of isolation which. more
than all else. is the curse Of life and
the sting Of death"
IT viii be seen from these extracts that
the book is one which will be welcome to
that large class OF reading and thinking
people who have outgrown the modified
and poetic theology with a sauce of NOR
ality which is dished up as the spiritual
food of many congregations. and who
are yet averse to the thought that the
dry bones of what is commonly known
as materialism are all that there is out
side theology. Such men and women do
not wish to consider themselves as no
better than animals, neither do they see
mt to declare the human race as of
separate origin and nature from the rest
Of creation. They do not wish to think
of death as annihilation, nor are they
willing TO accept any cut-and-dried con-
ception Of a future world. Prof Shaler S
book WILL at any rate, be welcome as
logical argument tending to the solution
of the great problem.
In the fifteen chapters of the book the
various phases and problems of human
life are taken up, one by one, in the clear
and precise style with which those who
have read the authors previous scientific
works are familiar While many Of the
phenomena cited in his argument will not
be new to the reader accustomed to deal
with scientific subjects. others viii afford
considerable interesting and instructive
information to the average person. Here,
for example, is brief reflection on the
changes of anatomy due to mans upright
position, which will show with sufficient
clearness the difference between Prof.
Shaler's method of thinking and that
common 10 the pseudo-scientilic religious
writers Of a former generation, who We're
wont to discourse pensively on the Won
derful care with which everything in the
universe was adapted to the use Of man,
and man himself was constructed with
absolute perfection Of organism. The
idea Of the present writer seems to be
that all kinds Of advantages are bought
with a price.
"One Of the effects of the upright
position OF man, perhaps the most
important for our problem at least. is
the increased tax which il puts upon
the strength of the creature The
draft II makes on the body is in
part shown by the difference in the
rate Of the pulse when lying down
and when standing up. This often
amounts TO about twelve beats in the
minute, or as much as one-siXth Of
the average pulse rate. While many
fOur-legged animals can sleep in
standing attitude any repose in that
position IS denied TO man. 1t re-
quires the ceaseless activity Of many
muscles 10 keep him erect There
are various secondary taxes which the
vertical trunk and the consequent
great relative height infict upon US.
That trunk took its shape in the long
experience Of our kind from the fishes
upward. il was formed in the thou
sands Of species through which our
life came in its later vertebrate stages
of ascent In that original position
parallel to the earth the several
organs Of the Viscera, heart, lungs,
digestive system, the reproductive
apparatus found q fit storage; no one
OF the parts TO any considerable eX-
tent presses upon the other. When,
however, the trunk is brought into the
vertical position these organs press
one upon the other in a way that
tends TO produce serious dislocations
and diseases. 1t is not unlikely that
the price man has TO pay for convert
ing his fore limbs to the higher uses
Of his will. the inestimable price for
very great gain, has had much TO do
with his general liability TO disease,
and the consequently relatively brief
duration Of his career
There is no room IN the limited space
Of a review TO recapitulate the entire
argument Of the book. The author takes
up. among other things, the relation Of
altruism To the fear of death, and points
out the fact that whatever draws man
out Of himself, and into the concerns Of
others, removes his terror Of personal dis
solution. He also takes up creative work,
as an expression Of individuality, taking
the view that such work IS done pTimar-
lily because 1t is n means Of self-expres-
sion. which is a pleasure. the question
Of gain or applause being secondary.
One Of the most interesting chapters is
that on Tho Utilization Of Old Age"
The author takes the view that under the
right conditions, during this period, there
is, so far from being a decline Of the
powers, a positive growth in mental and
spiritual things, and he asks whether we
haNn not IN an nec conlnaratiyclv free