The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-08
Herbert Spencer:

( Herbert Spencer died at London this !
morning. The author Of the most-ira
posing attempt to .*consthuct:a phil
esophy of the universe the .kosnos. he,
won the. intellectual homage of the
whole philosophical world, including
many who do not agree with many of
his conclusions. - - '''-~~ - - ..
8 He was born with mathematical
genius struggling for expression within
him. Curiously enough he read noth--
ing until he was I years Old and then
the book he read was that ldrfavor-
itez of boys Sanford and Merton
When he went to school he was con-
sIyinattentive and even trifling'.
Before he was 1S.. however, he had
shown a preference for electrical and
chemical experiments and soon deNel-
oped q, disposition to make expert
nlents himself and became civil en-
gineer and incidentally took up the
study of geology, and at 10, he an
nounced his belief that all organized
beings. had. arisen. by development.
. He soon arrived at. the conclusion that
a miracle was an impossibility and
dropped the current theology and it's
explanation of the origin of things
While contributing scientific papers
on this basis to the EngliS h. Journals,
Spencer patented" many useful inven-
tions and. in 1928, he began to write
his 'Socal Statics." From that period
his literary labors were incessalit and
it was only last year that he, finished
H. ies
philosophical system. -. ~ = " T.. 80 ." ." =,
..Elru intense application in writing
fThe Principles Of Psychology he lost
his earlier robust: health and has since
been obliged at intervals to suspend
work. in order to gain strength. His
labors were unremunerative for long
time, for his doctrine of the kosm os
was antagonized by many. He sunk
100000 preparings and publishing his
.Descriptive Sociology" =
In giving his testimony as an author
before the copyright. commission a
quarter of d century, ago, he admitted
that his income from hts books, ,was
very meager. : q But in his later, days
the philosophN associated with his
name, founded upon the doctrine of
organic evolution, has won its way to
large acceptance, and his works are
in demand as no other works: of secrl-
lar. philosophy are. - -
Yet the nlighty1in Intellectual, mol1llu-
p1ent which SPENCER raised to. his own
genius, which many, have. made t1leil
guide out Of the Serberian< bog of in
gertrude. and doubt, does not satisfy
or convince still other vast numbers
of people. One can admit that the
daw Of nature embodies, 3 as Spencer
said. progress from the Homogeneous
to the heterogeneous, from the gen.
eral to the special. from simple tt
complex from unity to dffferen tiatior
of functionsaand physiological division
of labor; but when he dreW5-.a line
against going any further and 'iflquir.
ing into the nature ofsthe "Firs
Cause of the Spencerian n .I,h tIosophy
the Absolute, the Infinite, the ~Uncon
sditioned, the Unknowable.at the inquis
itive inquirer could follow tfrr1Eno fur
ther. Many very: Intelligent peop1,
believe that it is irrational to tatten1p
to shut God out. Of his universe.
Spencer WAS Ilol q 1naletld lSt. M
one acquainted with his system
charges him with holding 1.-The crude
snaterialisn which eliminates all SUI
pernatural elements, effacing sou
and deity, for Spencer believed in thu
existence and materially sof mind
and he holds that this is The one fac
which transcends.in absolute certain
rtb foo Of [,io
ever, after formulating his philesopf!
on the basis Of the .posittvist eoncep
ton, nlbodsing all modern. discov
cries in biology anlthropology, eth
a1ology, etc, with eonsumr1late. skill
.teok the: grolrfdssIha & 4 a we can. gos N
further and :acaujrs a 1khoW1edge. 0
the First Cause. : His elaborate phi