SCIENTIFIC WORKS 55 



of industrial production from the extended use of 

 machinery, together -with the improvements in the 

 means of locomotion and in intercommunication. 

 It would almost appear that the same features may 

 be the outstanding ones when a similar review of 

 the subsequent fifty years comes to be written. In 

 the scientific world, of course, the era dealt with 

 was specially marked by appearance and results of 

 Darwin's works. 



A very remarkable address, also published in this 

 volume, is that entitled " Administrative Nihilism," 

 dehvered to the IVIidland Institute. In it Huxley 

 discusses the true function of the State connection 

 with individual and national interests, and more par- 

 ticularly viith. regard to the degree of interference 

 with the personal liberty of the subject which one 

 may consider justifiable. Huxley took a wide view 

 of State functions, and, in answer to the objection 

 that if you allow the State to enforce vaccination, 

 for example, you must also allow it to prescribe 

 yom' religious belief, or the number of courses you 

 have for dinner, he says that as a matter of practice 

 such extreme interference would not occur, for the 

 simple reason that the State, being nothing else than 

 the corporate reason of the community, will soon 

 find out when it has gone far enough. He adds 

 that his ovm opinion, based upon acquaintance with 

 goverimaent officials, is that the State is far less 

 eager to interfere with people than people are to be 

 interfered with, simply because the latter are aware 

 of evils requiring remedy which the State is inclined 

 to leave to Nature. Especially does Huxley put in 

 a plea in this address for hberal State assistance 

 for purposes of national education, on the plea that 



