The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1894.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6062, 22 September 1894, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1894.

The sufficiency of the Darwinian law of natural seleotion as the chief cause of the evolution of animal and plant forms has been seriously questioned of late. Many active scientific and philosophic minds uninfluenced by what may be called theological preconceptions, are declaring with an increasing certainty of tone tbat there is something more m the machinery which produces " adoption to environment," than mere accidental trial and error and " survival of the fittest "; — something of the nature of a directive force ; producing trials which are not accidental, and result m a minimum of error. So far science and philosophy is retracing its steps towards the old theory of creative design, which biology has endeavoured to dispense with. Lord Salisbury, who presided at this year's meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science last month, spoke of this Buhjeot, and is admitted to have traced a line of thought which as a reaction from pure materialism or naturalism, is both extending and broadening. His Lordship referred to the enormous lengths of tip* e, whioh the biologist demands for the perfecting of the myriad types of animal and plant life, and to the denial of the astronomer that euch lengths of time have been available for the purpose. But even if the time were a ' past eternity, the puzzle would still remain how mere chance could have operated to such definite, complicated, and beneficent ends. The noble President of the British Association did not rely upon j his own knowledge of the subject, bub used his powers of logical criticism with good effect, and supported his criticisms by quotations from scientific mea of acknowledged standing.- Dr A. R. Wallace, for instance— wbo discovered and disclosed independently the law of j natural selection but did not attach so great importance to it as did Darwin — referring to the difficulty m the element of time, has said — "Introduce a superintending power, a design carried out by a designer, atid the difficulty is gone. It is natural selection superintended, directed, used." And he quoted also Lord. Kelvin — more famous as Sir William Thompson — who said twenty years ago:— -"I have always felt that the hypothesis of natural selection does not contain the true theory of evolution, if evolution there has been m biology. I feel profoundly convinced tbat the argument of design has been greatly too much lost sight of m reoent zoological speculations, Overpoweringly strong proofs of intelligent and benevolent design lie around us, and if ever perplexities, whether metaphysical or scientific, turn us away from them for a time, they oome back upon us with irresistible force, showing to us through nature the influence of a free will, and teaching ns that all living things depend on one everlasting Creator and Ruler." It may be thought that, apart from religion, this is a subjeot of no concern to tbe public at large. Tbis however is by no means the case. Human society is subject to the law of evolution, whatever the forces of evolution are, and responds to the pressure of those forces I very rapidly. The President of the economic and social science section at tbe British Association meeting, speak-

ing of three causes which have oper- 1 ated to change the position of the L science he represented there, named as j ' one of them " the growth of the doctrine of evolution, which has been, perhapß, more potent iv its effects on the social than even on the biological ( sciences." "Evolution of human society " is now as familiar a phrase as " evolution of species. " "It was henceforth clear," said Professor Baatable, " that no interpretation of industrial or other economic phenomena could claim to be adequate unless it took into account the particular forms of social structure and the special politioal conditions which had helped to produce them." This speaker made no allusion to any other than the human aud natural conditions, but if Lord Salisbury was right there is another condition to be taken into account. The professor recommended a widened course of study for tbe economist. and sooial reformer, and contrasted the interest taken m the most speculative works on social development with the apathy shown towards formal works of the older type. The specula- . tive works he alluded to are, doubtless, some recently published, which insist upon " design carried out by a designer " m human affairs. The matter is brought to our doors m this way, we conceive that if the biologists find themselves compelled to give up pure naturalism, the politicians cannot long avoid following BUit.