3S DARWINISM AND POLITICS. 



the spread of kindlier feelings among individuals 

 to mitigate the harshness of inevitable natural 

 laws ? Why bring in the ponderous machinery 

 of legislation ? Why crystallise customs into 

 codes, voluntary associations into definite 

 political institutions ? 



I have already referred to the mischief and 

 danger that may arise from customs which have 

 outl ived their us e ; but fixed customs, as Bage- 

 hot has so admirably pointed ou t, 1 are esse ntial 

 in keeping society togethe r, and, as all scien tific 

 stude nts of e thics have come to see, mor ality is 

 dependent upon institutions. We may have to 

 fight against custom to get a hearing for new 

 ideas ; but we must make use of custom to get 

 them realised. Ideas can only be productive 

 of their full benefit, if they are fixed in institu- 

 tions. We nnnnf hnilrl up anything on a m ere 

 shiftin g ba sis of opinion. This principle is 

 equally applicable to the removal of old wrongs 



T 



and to the introduction of new rights . Many 

 kindlyand enlightened persons here and there 

 felt the evil of slavery, but their views were 

 mere isolated private opinions till slavery was 

 abolished by legal enactment in one country 

 1 Physics and Politics , p. 25 [f. 



