g to common sense that, if it is
logical, it is by itself sufficient to refute the whole theory of
Mr. Spencer and his school.

He argues that, if that theory be admitted, it must necessarily follow
that, while the human embryo is from the first alive, it is not a human
being until it has developed and differentiated to such a point as
corresponds to that point at the birth of the race where the animal
becomes a man. "I am sure," he adds, "I do not know when that occurred
in the past, and I do not know at what point it occurs in the
individual.... In inquiring for that distinct feature which
distinguishes the man from the animal, I find none but mentality. If we
wait for distinct mentality to appear in the development of the
individual, it would be some time after birth."

According to this reasoning a child is not known to be a human being
till some time after its birth. And this is not uttered by some
speculative philosopher in his closet, but by a medical practitioner on
his daily rounds, tools in hand, as it were, to carry out his theory and
break the skulls of any and all luckless babes that may come in his way
in the exercise of what he calls his legitimate practice. How long after
birth the child remains without becoming a human being, he does not
pretend to know; they remain non-human till they manifest mental action.
Till then, not being human, he assigns them no human rights--no rights
at all which we are conscientiously obliged to respect. Herod may have
been right after all when he appointed the term of two years old and
under as the limit of the butchery at Bethlehem. The writer pretends to
lessen the horror inspired by his theory by referring to some
restrictions of canon law. But what do he and his like care about canon
law? He would be the first to scout the idea of letting canon law limit
his freedom of action and speculation.

What would be the real results in practical life if we were to accept as
rules of conduct these rash theories of agnostic philosophers and
infidel scientists? Justly does the writer proceed to say: "I am well
aware that the idea arouses antagonism and inflammatory denunciation in
some minds." Certainly it does. He adds: "That it [the idea] will prove
to be the true one, however, depends only on the truth of the general
theory of development." If this be the logical consequence of evolution,
or Darwinism, as he calls it, then all the worse for Darwinism. Society
cannot get alon