l6o ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 



work retrogression in the ethical sphere." x He shows how the 

 principle of adaptation has been at work but not rigidly, for 

 " Society's shoulders are broad, and they can bear many a burden 

 imposed by human perversity without breaking down. Many 

 injurious customs may arise and flourish as long as they do not 

 touch the social life in a vital spot." 2 



Hobhouse deserves credit for distinguishing between logical 

 classification and genetic order and holds that as ethical and 

 social evolution have not been linear we cannot be sure of the 

 identity between the order of classification and that of temporal 

 development. 



The position of Thomas 3 approaches more nearly to that of 

 Boas with emphasis on environment. 4 He is deserving of notice 

 because of his grouping together of three factors in progress, 

 control, attention and crisis, — in his discussion of these making 

 large use of the concept of adaptation, — also for the importance 

 he places on the " great man." Control is the end, attention the 

 means, and crisis furnishes the occasion for the calling forth of 

 attention, while the "great man " is the one who first responds 

 effectively to a social crisis, directs the attention of others and 

 leads the way to social telesis. 5 



On the whole Sumner and Boas have contributed primarily to 

 the development of the concept of passive spiritual adaptation 

 whereas Westermarck, Hobhouse and Thomas have contributed 

 also to that of active spiritual adaptation. 



This principle of adaptation has been of service to anthropolo- 

 gists in their endeavors to solve such problems as the connection 

 between man and the anthropoid apes both physically and psy- 

 chically, 6 the original habitat of man, 7 his earliest mechanical 



1 Morals in Evolution, p. 35. 



2 Ibid., p. 18. 



3 W. I. Thomas (1863-). 



4 Shown by his choice of selections in his Source Book, as well as by his 

 Introduction and the comments at the close of each chapter. 



6 Source Book for Social Origins, pp. 14 f. 



6 Cf . supra, conclusions to ch. IV. 



7 Hoernes, Primitive Man, p. 6. 



