Herbert Spencer and the Doctrine of Evolution. 521 



Origin and Function of Music, published in Fraser's Maga- 

 zine for October. Like nearly all of his other writings, 

 this interesting article is dominated by the idea of Evolu- 

 tion. The general law of nervo-motor action in all animals 

 is shown to furnish an explanation of the tones and ca- 

 dences of emotional speech ; and it is pointed out that from 

 these music is evolved by simple exaltation of all the dis- 

 tinctive traits, and carrying them out into ideal combina- 

 tion. A further step was taken, the same year, in the de- 

 velopment of the doctrine of Evolution, which is indicated 

 in the article entitled Transcendental Physiology. It was 

 there explained that the multiplication of effects was not 

 the only cause of the universal change from homogeneity 

 to heterogeneity, but that there was an antecedent principle 

 to be recognized, viz., the Instability of the Homogeneous. 

 The physiological illustrations of the law are mainly dwelt 

 upon, though its other applications are indicated. 



In October of the same year, the essay on Representa- 

 tive Government : What is it good for ? appeared in the 

 Westminster Review. The law of progress is here applied 

 to the interpretation of state functions, and it is stated 

 that the specialization of offices, " as exhibited in the Evo- 

 lution of living creatures, and as exhibited in the Evolu- 

 tion of societies," holds throughout ; that " the govern- 

 mental part of the body politic exemplifies tliis truth 

 equally with its other parts." In January, 1858, the essay 

 on State Tamperings with Money and Banks appeared in 

 the same periodical. The general doctrine of the limita- 

 tions of state functions is there reaffirmed, with further 

 illustration of the mischiefs that arise from traversing the 

 normal laws of life ; and it is contended that " the ultimate 

 result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill 

 the world with fools " — an indirect way of asserting the 

 beneficial effects of the survival of the fittest. 



In April, 1858, Mr. Spencer published an essay on 

 23 



