LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 97, 18 January 1921, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SOCIAL EVOLUTION Sir, —It seems to mo that it would ho a groat, advantage to politicians and social workers to have some clear idea of the direction in which we ipay reasonably expect to see our highest Western civilisation evolve. We would then have something tangible in front of us and know what to aim at and work for. At present we seem to be to a large extent groping in the dark, different sections of the community pulling various ways and our leaders without, a lead. The writer who seems to me to have had the. clearest and most logical prophetic vision is Benjamin Kidd, author of “Social Evolution,” written nearly thirty years ago. Kidd points out that progress from tho beginning has been the result of the most strenuous and imperative conditions of rivalry and selection, certain fundamental physiological laws rendering it impossible in any other circumstances for life to continue along the upward path which it has taken. He points out that in all the literature that Socialism has produced no serious attempt has been made, and that probably no serious attempt can be made, to deal with even the initial difficulties in the way of the continued success cf a stciety organised on a Socialist basis. In such a society the condition of selection being suspended, the people could not in. any case avoid progressive degeneration even if we could imagine them escaping mere direct consequences. The avowed aim of Socialism is to suspend that ptrsonal rivalry and competition of life which not only is now, but has from the beginning of life been the fundamental impetus behind all progress. Benjamin Kidd holdsthat the evolution which is slowly proceeding in human society is not primarily intellectual, but religious, in character, the process at work is evoking religious character as a first product, and intellectual capacity only so far as it can be associated with this quality. In other words, the most distinctive feature of human evolution is that through the operation of the law of natural selection the race must ever grow more and more religions He conriders that the immense ethical impetus imparted by Christianity -ami renewed at the Reformation has been the fo«n“ation of our Western civilisation It ha. taught us to subordinate tho interest oi the individual to the interest of the race, under its influence we are 'earning to recognise that all men are equal slaicri has been abolished, men are obtaining equal rights, and ihe time is rapidly approaching when they will have pt « aa opportunities. Equal opportunities do not mean that rivalry will be lessened, but, on the contrary, immensely increased, the rivalry being in every way more s!tenuous than in the past. , In, the era upon which we are entering the long uphill effort to secure equality of opportunity as well as equal i(y of political rights, will of ferity involve not the restriction cf the inter ference- of the State, but the extension of its action to almost every departm nt of our social life. Tl ie movement in the direction of the regulating, c'l.tro , a restriction of ihe righ.s of u.ilth ai capital must, be expected to col tinue even to the extent of. itself assuming these rights when it is cleaili pi • that' their retention in P 1 must unduly interfere with the 1 ifch ■’ and opportunities of Ihe body < necinle tut the State will assume these functions in order to P^”' 6 free competition rather than to s-t spend it Hence the general tendency must be expected to be toward State interference and State control rather than towald State management, Judd i.elds ti at tne main function of that ethical on which our civilisation is t< i nded has 1,0011 in the first place to l' ro ' lda 11 e sanction necessary to secure tln con tinued subordination of U ! e . 1 the self-assertive individual to ihe laigei interest of society, and in Ibe second nlace it has been to generate that great £nd of altruistic feeling whi; h saturating our entire social I:fp ly undermined the position < f the P c " p holding classes, and so tendered possible the movement which is lending to ultimately bring all the people nto the rivalry of life on conditions of eqi.rlitj. 1 commend the study of Kidd’s "Social Evolution” to all those who lune the welfare of-the community nt hen .If wo move, let us move Toiler • .h i e law of our being than against .r. Hoi ever, I think that we .an Mifclj tiiibl our steady British common se.'se te keep us from making any irretrievable mis take.-I am, etc., j , pEVNENT . Masterton, January 17, 1921.

TOTALISATOR FRACTIONS

Sir _The vexed question of the d sposal of the fractions lifter the dividends .have been computed on a race cin be fi.irl.l adjusted if the following p.an is ’ lp< ‘ out:-The fractions after each race to be retained until the last race of Im daj, and then added to the sum available ioi that race before the dividends are declared. Bv this means Ihe investois obtain all the money due to I hem which up to tho present has boon urlav inl y retained by the clubs. Any S remaining after the last race to be c.u ried forward to- the next i.aj = lacn ’"- I commend the above seneme to t.-e attention of the Wellington l- ming Club, to adopt at this etc.,