ILLUSTRATIONS AND CRITICISMS 



radical defects, contains a germ of truth and has 

 been found to be eminently useful as a formula 

 for intellectual development, I cannot but be 

 surprised that Comte should have regarded it 

 as the fundamental law of social progress, and 

 still more that such able writers as Mr. Mill 

 and Mr. Lewes should at the present day be 

 found countenancing such an opinion. Does 

 this " law " explain how it was that Greek civi- 

 lization prematurely failed ? Does it throw any 

 light upon the causal connection between Ro- 

 man universal dominion and the Christian senti- 

 ment of the brotherhood of men ? Does it re- 

 cognize the distinction between the growth of a 

 community in size and its growth in structure, 

 or hint to us that the differences between Chi- 

 nese and European civilization may be summed 

 up in the statement that China is only a stu- 

 pendous tribal community, while Romanized 

 Europe is virtually a federation of exceedingly 

 heterogeneous national aggregates ? And while, 

 as we shall presently see, it unconsciously re- 

 cognizes that intellectual development is a con- 

 tinuous process of adaptation, does it say any- 

 thing about that slow process of emotional 

 change by which the more harmonious coopera- 

 tion of societies and the more perfect freedom 

 of individuals are alike rendered possible ? In- 

 deed it says nothing about any of these things ; 

 and I must think that these are very extensive 



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