Darwinism and Race Progress

eding chapters, has been that our race, viewed from a phys

ased upon facts, and forced upon us by the knowledge of our surroundings gained impartially in other fields. Still, all social problems are of extreme complexity, and one must not lay

dow of doubt, for of its truth, humanity has had wide experience. It is, that we can improve our race by adopting the one and only adequate expedient, that of carrying on the race through our best and most worthy strains. We can be as certain of our result as the gardener who hoes away the weeds and plants good seed, and who knows that he can produce the plants he wants by hi

to carry out S

ection, England in a hundred years might have its average man and woman as well endowed in body and mind as are the best of us to-day. This is not much to claim, for this potent agent selection has formed the higher animals and man himself from lower forms, and has evolved the multitudinous varieties of structure and form we see around us.

idual, and Obligati

of others. At a time when the labouring classes had too little power of establishing their claims to just treatment and proper consideration, the sense of public obligation was naturally not so strong. Men and women were struggling, and very rightly, for what unjustly was withheld from them; for though men had united in communi

t these either by contract or neglect. Before the Act to amend the law relating to the custody of children passed in March, 1891, a man who had deserted his children could afterwards insist on their returning to him, and, although a reprobate in every way, he could claim them from the parish or custodian who had been responsible for their upbringing. These and many other injustices have been and are being removed, and it must be remembered that this has been done not by a forcible adjustment gained by strength of numbers, but by the force of public opinion and the sense of justice of all classes and of both sexes. The rights have been given, they have not been taken; the poor have had rich men on their side, and the promoters of women's independence and advancement have in large numbers been the men themselves. It is true that much unnecessary inequality remains, and that we treat certain sections of the community in a most undesirable fashion-witness the herding of the prof

ren and our Obl

ews and enlisted sympathy in their own troubles. But infants and children, although provided with most effectual means of calling attention to certain of their personal wants, are unable eve

go, public opinion expressed itself in public rule that a man and woman in begetting a child must take upon themselves the obligation and responsibility of seeing that that child is not subjected to cruelty and hardship.[32] It is but one

Obligation

tence to others, but we owe to them most of our necessities, all our luxuries, our intellectual food, our music, poetry and language. Our possessions and even our ideas we owe to those millions who have for numberless generations toiled in their own behalf and ours. Alone we mi

ts of life and history. We shall increasingly be prepared to forego our pleasures, and to undertake that which may be personally disagreeable for the sake of others. The good of others

o sacrifice itself if cause be shown; that men and women will go far beyond the lengths of their devotion to self-interest, in their devotion to a cause, a hero, a religion, an ideal. If then it be shown that by sacrifice of t

ophers and So

hose suggestions which the public would be prepared to view with an open mind and eventually to act upon. It is true that this will take us but one step towards the end, but the futility of discussing further steps, for which people are not prepared, has often enough been demonstrated in matters social. After all we have not to argue these questions in the ab

is Not yet

can be discussed in a practical form, the criminals and vagrants must be separated from the deserving poor; it is probable that this step would commend itself to all, indeed in all probability the present system continues to exist solely on account of a widespread ignorance of the real state of things. Our workhouses and institutions for the relief of the poor have never elicited much personal interest; they are rarely visited by the public, who have never realised the scandalous herding together of the ver

dea, and Ultimately

ion, in order to fulfil what they considered to be a higher duty. Believing in the advent of some sudden change, of the destruction of the present condition of things, they naturally thought and cared little for the preservation of a race, destined soon to have spiritual existence alone. Thus, it came about that millions of the most thou

incapables are reckless as to the condition of their offspring. The "ins and outs" of our workhouses take refuge there; they live on the organised charity of the land; they have not the physical and moral power to support themselves; they can leave at any moment and return mothers and fathers of children, who, like themselves, must be clothed and

ght the Main Facts of

very endeavour may with advantage be made to further a clear understanding of the action of selection in general evolution, and in this undertaking we sha

ne or two of the children, bred under conditions like the rest, who are delicate, of ungovernable temper, or have some deformity. They will know by experience that these children will in their turn have children like themselves, and the wonderful benefit to the race which would result from the selection of the strongest in mind and body as race producers will of necessity follow. It would then be possible to develop a strong public feeling against any marriages contracted by obviously sickly people, for the suffering which may be inflicted by producing sickly offspring may reasonably be urged against those who would

nd Aim of

k much of an alliance with one of good family. Men and women have already, therefore, learned to tread with caution on the pathway which leads towards the altar, and for the most part no longer give full play to vanity and passion pure and simple. We are prepared, therefore, to l

deas regard

ism which makes every cat prefer her own kittens to any others. These natural instincts have, however, up to the present led us to desire wealth and position for our offspring rather than robust constitutions a

ream o

s, even races, disappear. Yet man is here to-day, he has come down from remote posterity, and some of us will give our blood in large measure to mankind as he will be found in future ages. In this stream of life the shepherd who weds a healthy, thrifty wife is of more account than an emperor who destroys the chances of his posterity by marriage with a sickly princess. Life is brain and muscle, wealth and position are apa

ividuals. If the community undertakes its own selection we can dispense with the selecting influence of the micro-organism of whooping-cough, scarlet fever, or tubercle.

OT

to, and the Better Protection of, Childr

END

his later writings especially, the reader who searches for the facts and reasoning which refer to such questions as the non-transmission of acquired characters will find everywhere an abundant comm

dy or somatic cells will be subject to such influences as affect the cells, and will naturally transmit any change to which they have been subjected to the offspring that they eventually build up. Darwin's view may be graphically represented by Fig. 2. Since Darwin's time most biologists have come to doubt whether there is any evidence that acquired characters are transmitted at all, and incline rather to view racial change as altogether due to inborn variations, some of which variations have an advantage over others; Darwin himself, as Huxley pointed out,[34] laid less weight on the influence of acquired habits in his later than in his earlier writings. Modern biologists tend, therefore, to be more Darwinian than Darwin in respect to their thoroughgoing adherence to the action of selective influence; but of necessity they discard his theory of pangenesis, which was a pictorial expression of Darwin's lingering Lamarckian tendencies. Let me give some idea of what the Neo-Darwinians picture to themselves as the "process of heredity." It has been known now for many years that every cell

g.

lls, three of which are shown. These cells give off gemmules, which collect and form the substance of the ovum of the next generation. One can see how the gemmules formed by the body cells will be influenced

ilation, must be transmitted, the continuity of the germ plasm in the isolated reproductive cells of the parents renders this extremel

ain circumstances." So far Weismann was a fact man, and gave to the facts observed their true and full significance. Since that time, however, he has speculated upon the nature of the germ plasm. To him it consists of ultimate living particles, to which he assigns various and specific purposes, and groups them at will, group within group, like nests of Chinese boxes. The biophores (his conceived units) have the capacity of growth and reproduction-a generous concession indeed. They are groups of chemical molecules, far beyond the highest powers

l serve to bring together a multitude of facts which are at present left disconnected by any efficient cause." Weismann's speculations, equally unfounded on fact, are nevertheless viewed by him as being of sufficient importance to demand the most detailed elaboration. Do not suppose for an instant that I am decrying the use of fancy or provisional hypotheses; the world advances upon the steps, generally the ruined steps, of hypotheses. The value of an hypothesis depends, however, entirely upon whether we can put it to the test of experiment. If it is intangible, then it remains an hypothesis, while the great body of fact workers go on building their sciences, and in the completion of these it has no part. Darwin's pangenesis has no value as an h

us men generalised from their commoner experiences, and got the idea that all things are built up of small parts or molecules. Anaxagoras (70th Olympiad), from experiences such as those just described, in all probability arrived at his theory of elements (hom?omeri?), viewing all things as built up of elementary things of the same nature, flesh and blood of elements of flesh and blood, etc. Similar views are held to the present day, and are an expression of the fact that you can break most things into similar but smaller parts. Quoting from Tait's "Properties of Matter," 1885, p. 21, we find: "But the really extraordinary fact, already known in this part of our subject, is the apparently perfect similarity and equality of any two particles of the same kind of gas, probably of each individual species of matter, when it is reduced to a state of vapour. Of such parts, therefore, whether they be further divisible or not, each species of solid or liquid must be looked upon as built up." It will be noted that the moderns would make a distinction which the ancients did not; a modern will speak of a molecule of a gas or of incandescent iron, but he hesitates before speaking of a molecule of an ordinary solid at ordinary temperature, and would certainly, if an exact thinker, never dream of speaking of a molecule of wood or flesh or bone. If we carefully prepare as perfect a cylinder of wood as we may wish, and divide it into two equal parts, these (unlike the piece of chalk or iron) will not be the same; the graining will show a difference to the naked eye. The microsco

E

TNO

ers," first edition

d Letters," v

nd in vol. i.; Engli

n Heredity, op

and Essays," vo

wan & Co., Li

SCIENCE

LOTH, EAC

es. Prof. J. E.

rites can fail to be of interest

ts Cause and Cure.

mics, but a permanent pos

e of Socialism

ded. Brief, lucid, fair a

olitics. D. G. Rit

wo additional Essay

stive books we have me

f Socialism.

Socialism. E.

of the English exponents of

Question. Dr.

ting matter for re

neral Happiness. P

and most enlightened utilitarian doctrine

Ideal, &c. Ed

eir freshness of style, their humour, a

in England. Si

the subject from the moder

k and State Social

f German social and economic legisl

Justice (On Property)

h an interesting and informing

he French Revoluti

thy outline

ive Commonwealth.

f the Socialism of the Marx

esses. Bernard Bosa

f every student of the Nine

g able to understand what Mr. Bo

C. S. Loch, Secretary to C

ittle manual

ide circulati

very and Reform Papers

llection of essays

Hundred Years Ag

who are interested in the amelioration o

ory at Elmira. Alexander Winter

to the literature of pe

e about Women.

ocating in the most liberal spirit the

ned Increment

comprehensive

tiny. Laure

with the influence of Socialism on m

vement in America. Dr. E

orking classes in America, and of the various or

Prof. Emile

and economical grounds for

he Labourers. Rev.

irculated in every village in th

on of Property.

profitable to all students o

ts Causes. W. D

eaders several new and pregnant refl

tate Interference.

the controversy on the functio

ism and F. Lassal

listic movements during this century it ma

Conscience. H. M. Th

and fairness in his

in Land. Fustel de Co

the English Manor, by

stated, and are worth r

lic. W. J. Linton. Ed

lity which has marked his long life of lite

ative Movement.

ophical analysis of the Co-Operative Move

ood Guilds. Dr

to anyone interested in the soc

umanists. J.

ven brilliant-and his purely literary crit

the New Standpoi

complished student of history a

e Societies. Dr. Luigi Pizza

grouped a wide array of facts and statistic

ocialism. By A. Nacque

French politician of the New Socialism

Programme. Si

cellent ideas.

State. Paul L

th a place in the library of every

ion of Labour.

ty, and sure to attract atte

g the French Revolution. Felix Rocqua

l find in it an excellent introduction to

's Marx. Edward

ally useful of any in th

f Parliament. B. C. S

letely with this side of const

Genesis and Exo

with great force and cle

of Imperial Federatio

ution to the discussion

Radicalism. J. B

nant, perhaps, with political instruction than an

Arnold White; Montague Crackanthorpe, Q.C.

n concerning a burning qu

fluence of Seasons on Condu

on statistics which is more continuou

of the Nineteenth Ce

rmanently useful volumes of

s in Old Age. J. A. Spend

ous examination of t

of Saving. Joh

ation of our social and i

rish Peas

blem by a close, patient and dispassi

hinery on Wages. Prof.

stated, impartially wr

ocial Hor

ook, bright, clear, and unco

pian and Scientifi

is still fresh and str

onalisation.

ncing of the popular works on t

sury and Interest.

genuine ability."-North

pation of Wome

netrating work on this question that I have yet

urs' Question. J

argument on what is at presen

ss. George R.

ed, free from cant, and full of

formation. Ram

religion, how best to realize the person

ltural Laboure

n, with appendices on wages, ed

lle as a Social Ref

e Social Science Series.

gn Trade in XIXth C

nformation, careful

cy of Labour Protec

e a conservative programm

ochdale Pioneers

to the Rochdale Congre

f Women. M.

of precedents, convenient

f the People. L

e of the most pressing problem

s, and Producti

essor Brentano's clearness

dern Democracy

me, characterised by exact

ms of Australa

e present time of depressio

ocialism. Yves Guyot

ly, trenchant, and inter

and the Social

rk of an Italian ec

ur Question.

d extremely u

Freewomen. C

of the Women's Suffrage q

d Insanity. Dr

h dealing exhaustively w

of Tithes. Rev

who desire an accurate idea

Workshop. P. Gohre, wi

state of mind of Germa

Race Progress. Pro

treated in an attractive

ion and Finance

British Trad

ct. J. J. Rousseau. E

e Land. Edited by

ogy. Arthur E. G

nic and Social. Mass

and Small Holdi

Relations to Pri

of Parliament.

their Industrie

nd Counter-Revol

tion and Crises

ment and State A

rican Trade.

VOLUMES

obert Owen.

racy: a Second Part of "The Quintess

king Class in England i

s of Social Econ

e. G. von Schu

of Socialism.

owth and Outcome. W.

ndations of Soc

CHEIN & CO.,

HARLES SCRI

riber'

errors wer

hyphenation

adings in Contents was match

ges, spelling has been preser

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Social Science Series, "Ostrogo

"and" changed from "anb" and "inter

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f the table on page 6

E

1866–70. (4) 1871–75. (5) 1876

nisms; C: Diseases of dentition, parturition, convulsions

. (1) (2) (3)

OU

3300·2 2940·6 28

6 4677·2 4055·8 32

UP

2191·0 2077·2 18

UP

·4 6594·6 7199 75

l defined fever, whooping cough, diphtheria, miasmatic diseases, ch

ry and respiratory systems, cancer, dia

n to p

the table on page 149

E

Kingdom.

s, Deaths. Year. Population.

Bths.

409,132 15·

,749 15·7

555,694 15·

,067 14·4

838,758 15·

,163 16·4

302,557 13·

,544 15·1

449,411 14·

,000 15·0

598,235 13·

,000 14·5

795,475 14·

,000 15·0

n to p