﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  235 
  

  

  recent 
  times. 
  I 
  will 
  only 
  very 
  briefly 
  draw 
  your 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  indirect 
  

   results, 
  i. 
  e., 
  results 
  which 
  were 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  Agassiz 
  nor 
  aimed 
  at 
  by 
  

   him. 
  

  

  1. 
  Agassiz' 
  work 
  and 
  Agassiz' 
  method 
  prepared 
  the 
  whole 
  ground 
  and 
  laid 
  

   the 
  whole 
  foundation 
  for 
  the 
  modern 
  doctrine 
  of 
  evolution. 
  The 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  

   simi/arity 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  series 
  mentioned 
  above 
  — 
  the 
  natural 
  history, 
  the 
  embry- 
  

   onic, 
  and 
  the 
  palasontological 
  — 
  and 
  therefore 
  the 
  light 
  which 
  each 
  sheds 
  on 
  the 
  

   others, 
  a 
  view 
  so 
  long 
  insisted 
  on 
  by 
  Agassiz 
  and 
  so 
  tardily 
  and 
  grudgingly 
  

   accepted 
  by 
  zoologists, 
  forms 
  the 
  whole 
  scientific 
  basis, 
  and 
  comparison 
  in 
  these 
  

   three 
  series, 
  the 
  whole 
  scientific 
  method, 
  of 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  evolution. 
  Evolution 
  

   is 
  development. 
  Evolution 
  of 
  the 
  organic 
  kingdom 
  is 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   organic 
  kingdom 
  through 
  geologic 
  times. 
  No 
  one 
  insisted 
  so 
  long 
  and 
  

   so 
  strongly 
  on 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  organic 
  kingdom 
  through 
  geologic 
  

   times, 
  as 
  did 
  Agassiz. 
  All 
  that 
  is 
  grandest 
  and 
  most 
  certain 
  in 
  evolu- 
  

   tion, 
  viz 
  : 
  development 
  from 
  lower 
  to 
  higher, 
  from 
  simpler 
  to 
  more 
  complex, 
  

   from 
  general 
  to 
  special 
  by 
  a 
  process 
  of 
  successive 
  differentation, 
  has 
  always 
  

   been 
  insisted 
  on 
  by 
  Agassiz, 
  and 
  until 
  recently 
  only 
  grudgingly 
  accepted 
  by 
  

   English 
  zoologists 
  and 
  geologists. 
  In 
  this 
  sense, 
  therefore, 
  Agassiz 
  is 
  

   the 
  great 
  apostle 
  of 
  evolution. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  the 
  present 
  theoi-ies 
  of 
  

   evolution, 
  or 
  evolution 
  by 
  transmutation, 
  which 
  he 
  rejected. 
  His 
  was 
  an 
  

   evolution 
  not 
  by 
  organic 
  forces 
  within, 
  but 
  according 
  to 
  an 
  intelligent 
  plan 
  

   without 
  — 
  au 
  evolution 
  not 
  by 
  transmutation 
  of 
  species, 
  but 
  by 
  substitution 
  of 
  

   one 
  species 
  for 
  another. 
  In 
  the 
  true 
  spirit 
  of 
  inductive 
  caution, 
  perhaps 
  of 
  

   excessive 
  caution, 
  he 
  confined 
  himself 
  strictly 
  to 
  the 
  formal 
  laws 
  of 
  evolution, 
  

   and 
  no 
  man 
  has 
  done 
  so 
  much 
  in 
  establishing 
  these 
  as 
  he 
  ; 
  but 
  he 
  regarded 
  the 
  

   cause 
  of 
  evolution 
  as 
  beyond 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  science, 
  and 
  all 
  attempts 
  at 
  a 
  

   causal 
  theory 
  as 
  at 
  least 
  premature 
  if 
  not 
  altogether 
  vain. 
  

  

  2. 
  Agassiz' 
  work 
  and 
  Agassiz' 
  method 
  has 
  laid 
  the 
  only 
  foundation 
  of 
  a 
  

   possible 
  scientific 
  sociology. 
  Society 
  also 
  is 
  an 
  organized 
  body, 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   subject 
  to 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  organisms. 
  Society, 
  too, 
  passes 
  by 
  evolution 
  from 
  lower 
  

   to 
  higher, 
  from 
  simpler 
  to 
  more 
  complex, 
  from 
  general 
  to 
  special, 
  by 
  a 
  process 
  

   of 
  successive 
  differentitation. 
  Society 
  progresses, 
  develops. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   glorious 
  doctrine 
  of 
  modern 
  times. 
  The 
  phenomena 
  of 
  society, 
  however, 
  are 
  

   even 
  more 
  complex 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  organisms, 
  and 
  therefore 
  still 
  more 
  in 
  want 
  of 
  

   a 
  method. 
  But 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  seen 
  that 
  phenomena 
  which 
  are 
  too 
  complex 
  

   to 
  be 
  analyzed 
  by 
  experiment 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  brought 
  into 
  subjection 
  by 
  the 
  method 
  

   of 
  comparison. 
  If, 
  then, 
  there 
  shall 
  ever 
  be 
  a 
  scientific 
  sociology, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  

   by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  methods 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  biology 
  ; 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  by 
  the 
  

   comparison 
  of 
  social 
  institutions, 
  governments, 
  civilizations, 
  etc., 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  

   of 
  development 
  ; 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  by 
  extensive 
  comparison 
  of 
  social 
  phenomena 
  in 
  

   three 
  series, 
  first, 
  as 
  exhibited 
  in 
  different 
  races 
  and 
  nations 
  in 
  various 
  stages, 
  

   as 
  now 
  existing 
  in 
  different 
  places, 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  series; 
  

   second, 
  as 
  exhibited 
  in 
  various 
  stages 
  of 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  nation 
  from 
  bar- 
  

   barism 
  to 
  civilization, 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  embryonic 
  series 
  ; 
  third, 
  as 
  exhibited 
  

   in 
  the 
  slow 
  onward 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  race 
  through 
  rude 
  stoue 
  age, 
  polished 
  

  

  