The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-09-03

a prophecy in London regarding the last
Presidential election that to-day he said
he felt like making another. '"Taft is
sure to be elected for a second term,
said MIR Herric,,
even if Harmon be nominated. as the
Rryanites are sure TO knife Harmon for
his gold "heresy" Mr. Herrick thinks
that Taft is doing such great work that
the people will realize before the cam
paigr opens that .he election of the Re
publican ticket is certain.
"The Democrats seem in a hopeless
muddle. he said in conclusion. land there
ought to be lots Of fun watching the scrap
I understand that Champ Clark is busy
reading every book that Woodrow Will
son ever wrote and has arranged a won
derful series Of parallel columns. They
ought to be fine reading"
Referring to his experiences with the
strike which he encountered while motor
ing in the North Mr.. Herrick said: 1T
seems TO me that there is a breaking down
Of authority in England politically and
industriaIly. The people are no longer
to be restrained by the leaders. There
is an economic revolution going on.
There seems no doubt that the increase
in the cost of living in England has not
resulted in an increase Of wages. Indus
trially the United States ia better OF
because of the Willingness Of employers
to appreciate that it is obligatory upon
them to maintain a certain ratio between
wages and the cost OF living and they
yield without pressure"
SENSES AND SOUL.
Much attention is being directed to the
theory both of the senses and the soul OF
man as enunciated by Prof Macdonald
before the British Association this week.
According to Prof. Stirling. it is seldom
that an address 40 full of suggestion for
further research is delivered. Prof.
Macdonald said that in dealing with the
central nervous system the suggestion
has been made that it was developed by
just such physical conditions as were
transmitted through it in its adult form.
An admission Of this sort. however. was
not easy with regard to the eyeball during
the process Of evolution. according to the
theory Of natural selection. The eyeball
was formed. according to this theory. by
light. 1t must be so. the selectionists
say. as the eye ia Is perfect an optical in
strument as could be made with full knowl-
edge Of the part played by matter end the
special arrangements Of matter in re-
flecting, refracting and absorbing light.
But in fact it is proved Of necessity that
either an external agency cognizant Of
light. or light itself, had formed and de-
veloped to such perfection this purely
optical mechanism. natural selection not
possibly doing more than TO assist in the
process.
We may say Prof. Macdonald went
on. that In the course OF development
light formed the eye by its action upon
such tissues as those whereof the general
surface Of thebody is composed. In the
same way. there could be little doubt
that sound formed theHsound conducting.
resonant portions OF the ear. But If
this was the case during the evolution
which led to man. what occurs in the de-
velopment Of the individual?
We can afford to admit the possibility
that sound might approach the embryo
and fluid friction be responsible for the
effects observed. but light is obviously
no factor in this process. There is no
doubt that the eyeball has developed into
a very perfect optical instrument in the
absence of light. We must therefore
ask what force it is that in this case
initiates the action Of light"
BRAIN AND MIND.
The professor applied similar argu-
ments To the brain and mind Of man,
The brain, like the eye, is affected by
mysterious causes. Such phenomena as
sleep and deep anRsthesia familiariae
us with the fact that the mind is not
necessarily always associated with the
brain. but only when the brain is in GER
tain conditions. II is still possible that
the brain is an instrument. traversed as
freely as ia the ear by sound by an un-
known influence which finds resonance
within it,"
From these consdera tions. carefully
and logically considered in much detail,
Prof Macdonald deduced the existence
Of the soul--he could find no other word
which may be independent Of life or liv-
ing matter as we know it. 4 scientific
reason for the existence of the soul prob
ably never was argued more logically
simply or persuasvely.
The sTRIKE COMMISSION.
The first weeks sitting of the railway
strike commission has done little to
tighten the atmospher" Of the industrial
world The evidence taken has been en-
'irey in behalf of the men II has shown
that they will have none of the cancellation
boards provided for in 1907. hut unfor-
tunately it indicates no other practicable
scheme for adjusting the difficulties as
being acceptable to them. The repre-
sentatves Of the labor unions in their
evidence admit that il they agree To a
scheme they cannot guarantee that the
men will adhere to it when a decision I'M
favorable to them is given.
The apprehension Of another strike.
perhaps about Christmas. is keen enough
10 cause the Home ONCE, with the assist
ance of ten military STAFF officers. to or
Ranize An elaborate scheme to prevent
London traffic and food supplies from
being tied up again
CHOLERA raging ~ ITALY.