CHAPTER XVI 



REITERATION OP DARWINISM I ELIMINATION MADE 

 ABSOLUTE MR. A. SUTHERLAND 



A strong book with some weaknesses Works out the origin of moral feeling by 

 natural selection Restates Drummond-like position as Darwinian (?) 

 And exemplifies ' ' arrival " of forms Biology ; fitness to survive And to 

 breed and rear Quantity first relied on Then quality This develops 

 sympathy Which becomes serviceable Anthropology ; everything depends 

 on the approaches to monogamy Sociology ; progress is by elimination of 

 the inferior Even when it seems to find more rapid means (Yet he allows 

 some progress by imitation !) History ; retrogression is possible ! For he 

 hates all militarism On the whole he does not believe in history Or in 

 reason Ethics ; Has dealt only with one-half of goodness ! Egoism must 

 balance sympathy ! Balance will grow automatic ! Criticism ; no right to 

 call sympathy moral, if only half of morality Nature does not select one 

 quality at a time ! Selection said to have worked Not true natural 

 selection though Why is goodness not automatic already ? Do beauty 

 and goodness exist, or do they not ? " Yes and no ! " 



MR. SUTHERLAND'S two handsome volumes are among 

 the most recent, and certainly not the least important, 

 contributions to the biological study of morals. They 

 are interesting in many ways. As a gift from Australia 

 to older lands they deserve a courteous welcome. As 

 the outcome so we learn from the preface of eleven 

 years of labour they deserve our respect and almost our 

 reverence. They cover a very wide field, including biology, 

 anthropology, history, philosophy. In the first Mr. 

 Sutherland gives many results of his own observation, 

 and so far as a non-expert can judge, he seems admir- 

 ably equipped both as observer and as summariser for 

 speaking on questions of biology. The same might be 



