The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-09-03

fect development that mere instinct
ran reach. Marvellous as this Is, IN
stinct only works with the tools Win
which nature has endowed 1t, while
intelligence constructs its tools out or
inorganic matter, and in consequence
its power is capable OF eA-
pansiOn.
The two theories Of evolution most
In vogue, Radical mechanism and
Radical finaliSm, Bergson K up
in order. The first he defines as an
immense machine regulated by matne-
NAUTICAL laws" and the econd
the realization Of a plan" Both
doctrines" he says. "are reluctant to
see in the course Of things generally,
or even simply in the development OF
life, an unforeseeable creation OF
FORM" (p. 45), AS soon as we go
out of the encasings in which radical
mechanism and radical. finalism con-
fine our thousht reality appears as
a ceaseless upspringing Of something
new, which has no sooner arisen 70
make the present, than it has already
fallen back into the past lp. 10.
For each of acts we shall easily
find antecedents Of which 1t may IN
cal resultant. And it may equally
well be said that each action is h
realization of IN intention. In TINS
sense mechanism is everywhere ana
fnality everywhere in the evolution
of our conduct; but If u action be
" truly ours 1t could not nave
been foreseen even though its antece-
dents explain it when once it has
been accomplished. Mechanism
and finalisxn are therefore here only
external views Of our conduct. They
extract its intellectually. But II
conduct slips between them and ex-
tends much farther. = Once again
TIT, Nono not rnnor fhof froa action Ia
capricious, unreasonable action. To
behave according to caprice Is to
oscillate mechanically between TWO
or more rcady-made alternatives. and
at length to settle on one OF them.
It is no real maturing Of an internal
state"
But to leave Bergson's philoso-
ment against the survival Of the
httest as the sole cause which ac-
counts for evolution. In the long
account which he gives of the de-
velopment of the eye Of a molluse
and the y Of a vertebrate. he gives
a mastery example Of his powers OF
analysis and Of reasoning. but it is
much too long to be quoted here,
and any condemnation OF it would do
it injustice. (See PIP. GOLD.
1t has been impossible, in a short
notice like this, in any respect to dc
justice to the brilliancy and subtlety
Of Bergson's method and to the
knowledge which enables him to offer
such a formidable array of facts. II
is no wonder hat the material!sts are
so bitter in their antagonism to his
theories. If these are correct, they
undermine the very foundation Of
mechanisrn; and. SO far, they do MOI
seem to LAY been satisfactorily dis
proved.
IT. ~%Vlo ~ @on1s~r -i&h fh<
scientific aspects of his subject, i:
delightfully."- clear, is often YER poetic
and beautiful; but his tendency to.
ward the use Of metaphor sometime:
betrays him into pushing them TOT
far. When he comes to tho meta
sometimes obscure. It Is difficult To-
the reader to be certain whether thi
is due to his own lack OF intelligence
to the writer's obscurity of vision, O
to the i~nadequacy OF language to sa,
clearly what he means.
genius into so small a bottle,
there remains to the reviewer only tn
attempt to put into condensed forn
the thread Of theory on which all tn
array Of facts the arguments, an
philosophizing + strung with a fey
quotations to fortify and justify sue,
comments as have been made.
: Nothing hort OF a close study @
: the book itself can give en- adequat
, idea Of tho compass Of Creative Evo
luton" or OF the ability with whic
: its author supports his theory.
S. B.. HERRICK.
! Plainfield. New Jersey.
+ 'CREATIvE EVOLUTION by Hen,
Bergson. Translated by Arthu
Mitchell. New York: Henry He
e & Co., 1911. SO.