RANDOM REFLECTIONS.
The short cold snap we had on Friday, when the temperature dropped no less than 25 degrees in about forty-eight hours, made us all feel that winter had come in
CANTON NOTES.
[FROM OUR OWN CONRESPONDENT. }-
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, 1913.
CANTON, Novembor 14th. THE KUOMINTANG, The Civil Administrator, bas directed
D.C.L. FR.S., O.M.
SCIENTIST AND SOCIAL THINKER,
Use ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE, seem all to point the other way,
inheritance has a new lease of life and Wallaceism" has gone more into the background.
Sexual Selection, too, was another of |their great differences. Why did Wallace He has given his arguments Attempts to place a great man reject it? with a rush. But the mercury lus not the various District Magistrates to effect while he is alive or immediately after his at some length. Part of the doctrine remained long below: 00 degrees. Op the dissolution of all the branch establish death are usually erroneous. The critic (ie., that of the contention of males for Wednesday lust the lowest reading was ments of the Kuomintang in their respeces tos near the events and controversies; a female) ho accepted: the selection of 50 degrees; on Thursday the highest read-tive districts All Kuomintang members he cannot see their relationship and beautiful or strong males he rejected. ing was 77 degrees, but late in the day are required to produce their badges and bearing. His picture is without literary What, then, about sexual colouring in i, went down to 59 degrees, while on Friday the highest reading was 56 degrees and the lowest 52 degrees. It is rare, indeed, I believe, that the temperature drops so suddenly or so low in the month of Noveraber, The minimum for the month last year was 56.1, but the drop was gradual.
It is strange that Reuter should have omitted to telegraph the information that Mr. Addis, of the London Office of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, had been knighted. Presumably Reuter thought that such an interesting item of informa- tion would be certain to be telegraphed by the Bank to the East, and be communi. eated to the local Press, but the first news the public of Hongkong received of the conferment of the honour was in the com- munication by mail from the London correspondent of the Daily Press describe ing the opening of the new London Offices of the Bank The honour conferred apon Mr. Addis is all the more notabic
ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE.
The Kwangtung Government has de legated Messrs. Chow Yik and So Nai Kai to represent the province at the Co ference to be shortly held at Peking for discussing the future policies of the Government.
with most..
the documents admitting them to member-perspective. Though this must neces-males Celongation was one of the ship either to the police department or the Magistracy for destruction within sarily be the case to some extent with subjects to which Wallace paid most every endeavour of this kind to estimato attention, and his pages on recognition, a man's position, it is perhaps less so with colouration, warning colours and mimicry 30 days after receipt of the telegram, “' in order to avoid being tried and punished." Di. Alfred I. Wallace than it would be are models of ingenious statement. But This for two reasons. He colour is not everything. There is also outlived the three score years and ten the question, in the case of birds at least, allotted to mortals, so that though he of song, Wallace is strangely silent on was with us till a few days ago he was this part of the question. Do the females nat of us, but rather a contemporary and not appreciate the exquisite music of the part of the great Darwin, Huxley, Lyell male birds? As far as the present writer group. Then, toy, he for med most of his knows Wallare does not really consider opinions young. The germs of what he the question.This may be partly has to say on most questions may be accounted for by the fact that he had found in his carly writings. Indeed, little or no ear for music. (In his auto most of his later writings reiterate and biography, though he ceaselessly refers re-state conclusions, reached forty years to the beauties of British wild Bowers, before. His years in England after his he scarcely ever refers to the songs of travelling days were done secur to have | birds.) It also may be partly due to altered and modified his carly judgnients the fact that most of his observations were made in the tropics, where birds to a surprisingly small extent.
have no song
THE PANANA EXHIBITION.
The Civil Administrator has notified the District Magistrates throughout the province that articles to be sent to the Panama Exhibition will be exempted from duty
MYIB KA ÜHEE,
Mr. Yim Ka Chee, the Commissioner of Finance and Chief of the Department for the Collection of the National Revenue, has arrived and will soon take up bis
duties.
The impression of the present writer is that Wallace's opinions were formed, unconsciously to himself just from the His mind opposite end, so to say. pare
reasoned thus: If I admit Darwin's
All this may have been pure chance, as pain, though I was told afterwards that it long thought it was, but of late years I was really a severe burn. This and other am more inclitied to famlet's belief when facts of a similar kind, wako mo think that And this he said Thore's a divinity that shapes young children sufer far less pain than our ends, etc." "Of course I do not adopt adults from the same injuries. the view that each man's life in all its is quite in accordance with the purpose for details, is guided by the Deity fur His special which pri exists, which is to guard the ends. That would he, indeed, to nine is body against injuries dangerous to life, and all concious automat puppets in the giving us the impulse to escape rapidis from How dors. Dr. Wallace know the shall show later on, I have good versons
Dr. Wal
The hands of an all-powerful destiny But, as any danger for the belief that just as our own personal purpose for which pain oxists"? inflitetico and expressed or unseen guidance passage reads like me of those numerous ones in theological books of the last chuldron and even of some of our friends century where the theologian showed a is a factor in the life and condnet of ar and acquaintances, so we are surrounded by familiarity with the council chambers of host of unseen friends and relatives who the Trinity before the foundation of the have gone before us, and who have certain world, which would have been ludicrsus. limited powers of influencing and, even in if it were not so serious. Only a careless particular ensos alust of determining the thinker could be guilty of an "argument" actions of living persons, and may thus in such as this. a great variety of indirect ways modify the more individuals in whom they are specially circumstances and character of any one or interested."
does
There are dozens of questions one would like to have asked Dr. Wallace when he Wrot cause of this the diet
of his enemies when Have they no influence pick out the bright spots and say his unseen friends guided here and here, but were his unseen friends when he had his say nothing of the "bad jess? Where unlucky squabble with John Hampden or when his Amazon specisions were all lost? Or were these things the work of
Barrett'shed book
Psychical
TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL AMITY." Preparations aro being made by the because it does not form one in a list. No Committee of the local Chamber of Com doubt it has been conferred in recognition morce for the entertainment of the the subject, he has eniphasised his part doctrine of Sexual Selection this grauts "spirit" photography till we get almost
of eminent services rendered to the Government in connection with the finan cial position of China. It is unnecessary to add that the news has been received with much pleasure by the new knight's many friends in the Far East, where up- wards of twenty years of his life were spent.
The political excitement of the week in Asia has, of course, been the manner in which the President of the so-called Republic of China has aquelched the Opposition. I have been asked what. President Wilson thinks now of the youngest Republic "1 Renter sayeth not We have been told what two of the leading London papers think, but we have yet to learn what the New York papers have to say about the latest development of republican governinent as it is understood in China. Nor have we learnt what the Radical Press in Great Britain think of the coup, England has been bidden by them to follow the lead of China in one
The
various Consuls and the leading foreign merchants in Canton to dine at the JIN a means of returning Chamber, thanks for the recognition of China by the Powers and to promote international amity. The Commissioner and Vice Commissioners of Customs, the Tutuh and the Civil Administrator are also on the list of guests
THE
COURT CARDS
The Theatre was filled to its utmost capacity on Saturday night when the Court Cards and their Joker gave their sixth entertainment. An exceptionally good programme was provided and so
auch enjoyed by the audience that nearly every item was insistently encored again and again. The talented little company give their last performance to-night and leave for the North to-morrow.
HARMSTON'S CIRCUE."" This will be the concluding week of the
He is of course chiefly known as a scientist in fact, as a biologist and the co-discoverer of the doctrine of Natural Selection.
Though with commendable
has given the be modesty "Darwinism to his book dealing with in the discovery in many of his books and stated the case for Natural Selection with telling force more than once.
for the esthetic a natural origin faculties, and if for the esthetic faculties why not for the mathematical and moral? If so, there is no room for spirit. This, of course, would not do.”
But Darwinism is a disappointing book. One well-known scientific writer -- says that the arguments if carefully Those who are interested in the subject studied will confute themselves. And he may notice bis treatment of Grant might have said more. The argument of Allen's ingenious argument in "Colour the book is hardly capable of logical Sense and his contemptuous language statement, but if put in the form of a syllogism followe
Natural Selection is the factor which accounts for the varieties of animal and plant forms on the earth.
might be somewhat
as
The higher faculties of man (esthetic,
The higher faculties of man are Dr. Wallace, of course, would not have supernatural. put the argument in this ungarnished form. Nevertheless, it is practically the ergument of the hook.
Readers of eighteenth century litera fure will ser its close resemblance to that in the “Divine lovely argument Legation--
The doctrine of future state of rewards and punishments is necessary to the existence of society.
Israelitish society exleted without it.
Israelitish society was divine.. Why Warburton, instead of drawing the conclusion that Israelitish society was divine, did not draw the natural conclu-
My premiss is false,
the when rudiments of sometimes higher faculties are attributed to animals. It is just possible that an experimental test might be made to estimate the truth of Wallace's and Darwin's theories of
colouration.
his discarnate enemies?
Dr. Wallace lays great stress on his spiritualistic experiences. He can detail chemical developer on a spirit photo the differences in the action of some graph and on an ordinary one. Spirits, too, are as good as sleuth-hounds and may be used as detectives. As we read
or lisbelieve.
if we open Frot we almost begin to be afraid to contradic
we will be struck we read it
it by the ominous silence on
Then we find to the end of the book. these words: It may be here remarked that the evidence for so-called spirit photography is wholly inconclusive; nost So it is alleged cases are pure fraud." practically certain that in the opinion of Sir W. F. Barrett all the arguments
And and proofs of spirit photography
an almost similar fate at Prof. Barrett's given by Dr. Wallace are untrue," the use of spirits as detectives suffers hands.
There is much one would like to ask spirits, but the answers about these are hardly ever forthcoming. All the writers, who believe in them, Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir W. F. Barrett, Wallace, etc., sons to the less fully examined discoveries are fond of hinting at curious compari in physical science-spirit is compared to radium or ether, telepathy to wireless telegraphy, etc. Sometimes very doubt- Wallace and ful statements are made. The test ought to be of a different type. Darwin each found difficulties in explain ing the distribution of the Alpine flora They did not on the mountains of the northern and southern hemisphere. think the plants were carried there by pre-Linnean agree. Suppose I sny to Wallace that I the poltergeist of sorte
This theory would faddist on plante.
better than any the facts explain He believed that plterntists could move other. Why did Wallace not accept it t tables and chairs across the room and plants from the Pyrenees to Ruwenzori upset vases: why could they not mave
of
Scientifically. Wallace's weak point way He sotnewhere mentions the anatomy. his want of knowledge of ani nil awe in which he held Prof, Huxley because of the latter's accurate and After thus perhaps his most remarkable profound knowledge of animal structure. fack was his wart of interest in the cell call structure. When he was in his zenith cytology was only in its swaddling clothes and he never seems to have and the great potentialities fascinated by its intricacies.
in his pages For this reason his in- chromosomes ure scarcely ever mentioned veterate advocacy of Weismannism lost
much of its force.
The of
الله .
the
How shall he be known in the future? Perhaps as n second Andrew To be Simon reputations, but such is destined to be. Peter's brother was not the highest of the fate of some. And Wallace may h known to history as Darwin's brother in. the discovery of Natural Selection,
INTIMATIONS
THE
A. H: 0.
COMING
WHISKY
OF THE FAR EAST;
JOHN HAIG'S
GLENLEVEN.
My Favourite Drink."
SOLE AGENTS:
Wallace says "The primary cause of sexual diversity of colour was the need mathematical, moral) cannot be due to of protection, repressing in the female those bright colours which are normally produced in both sexes by general laws. Natural Selection.
Thus Natural Selection eliminates the females that tend to become brightly coloured. Now according to the doctrine of penmiria, in which Wallace believed, the wings of domesticated ducks, etc., survival of ducks whose wings were not are aborted owing to the effect of the up in Natural Selection standard The general standard of the duck wing is
Of course Wallace would not have wings can now reproduce, Similarly accepted such an explanation. But lowered because birds born with small
be a matter of not having seen it. He SAMPLES ON APPLICATION: with brightly-coloured birds. Under exactly why is difficult to say, It cannot domestication the elimination of the never saw the mathematical faculty" brightly-coloured females will not take dropped into a bipedal ape, yet he
cal faculty and the Alpine flora place, Brightly-coloured females would believed this was done. The mathemati principles of panmicia there will be with Wallace Why did he select a therefore survive, and according to the Ruwenzori were both great difficulties reversion to a mean in colour--not the balting natural explanation of one The logical position would the other have been to let spirit be the cause" of all or none.
Wallace wrote on various other subjects vaccination, land untionalisation.
A eritic astronomy, and social reform.
years the Spectator some
aga
for Wallace's reputation if he had kept thought that it would have been better silent on all these subjects. Tais is not- the opinion of the present writer. Nothing could have been better for the MAPPIN&WEBB, English people than to find that one of her leading scientists thought vaccination
LIMITED. injuricus; our land system, little moto than robbery; and our legal system a attempt to open such Ession and to make them questions to more fluid is an addition to human thought and human progress.
Where is Wallace to be placed, in great scientific band that adorner
He has given us one close of the century and how is qualities and what he t
sion,
should make a point of visiting the circus may have been that preferment was in mean of the female, but of the Dial and a supernatural!!! explanation of
one evening, this week.
THE SOCIETY ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
ANNUAL AL FRESCO FETE.
The fact is, Dr. Wallace was simply
and super- spiritualism steeped in naturalism, and there are looked on as quite satisfactory causes by him.
standard. Darwin, on the other hand, believed that the bright colours of birds were largely due to the selection of the If this selective power could females. be eliminated there should be a reversionin to a mean in colour not, however, the mean of the male, but of the female.
If a careful experiment could be made this result might be tested. On Wallace's male birds would become bright on Darwin's theory the males would become düller,
eurse.
or two respects, but they do not appear visit of the ever-popular Harmston's to have yet gone the length of recommend Circus. The programme will undergo a ing the Prime Minister to deal with the further change and to-night His Excel Unionist Party as President Yuan has leney the Officer Administering the dealt with the Kuomintang. And yet is Government will be present. A number it not an article of Radical faith at the of new features are to he introduced, and present time that the Unionist Party is a the funny men of the Company intend to
deditious
and organisation"
Sir be even more absurd. That in itself will Edward Carson, Mr. Bonar Law, and be worth a visit, for a good laugh com Mr. F. E. Smith the arch-conspirators? pensates for a lot of things. And those How Mr. Lloyd George, too, must envy who have not witnessed the daring President Yuan Shib Kai's powers of trampoline work of the Cottrell troupe dealing with a recalcitrant Opposition |
his eye. But when we wonder why The
officials at Canton, it is
Wallace did not draw the conclusion, ported, have been instructed to require
My premiss is untrue: other factors foreign traders in the Settlement to
besides Natural Selection are required furnish to the Treaty Port Affairs
for the multifarious phases of life, Bureau" their names and particulars of
no such motiv, can be attributed to him the capital of their business, etc.
Among the many charitable institutions The more logical course would have been Consuls, when this regulation is communi- cated to them, will doubtless inform the in this Colony, the Society St. Vincent to argue like Darwin
Sexual selection, use-inheritance. to the de Paut clams a high position in popular local authorities that the fat of the favour. The al fresco fete and bazaarste must be acting in addition to theory the females of brightly-coloured Foreign Office in Peking does not yet ras annually arranged by the energetic Com Natural Selection. in the foreign settlements, and they might mitter is always extremely well patronised perhaps delicately suggest that this regula by the general public, and the fete last
On plant distribution, on the develop tion should not be put into an ordinary night in the Catholic Cathedral compound
ment of man and many other points the two fellow-labourers differed. Though it pigeon-hole, but into an air-tight case where the cockroach and the worm provided no exception to the rule. The
Readers of his works know how he is nowhere so stated, many of these differences, as that on the development It is responsible require introduction. doth not corrupt, for until that blissful work of the Society is too well known to day arrives when extra-territoriality at the present moment for bearly 100 differed from Darwin on several questions of man, might almost be summed up in shall be no more in China, the regulation families of various rates and religions connected with evolution. The vexed the prominent place allowed by Dr. classed 1
and the institution fills a great need.
the phenomena. It is wonderful how While Darwin as he grew o older
convenient a deus es muching it is. At may be followed the writer will not be wanted for the foreign settle. Much care had been expended in the question of use-inheritance was one of Wallace to spirit--his own term for ne to him, and to some ments: That such an order can issue from adornulent of the numerous heavily these the Foreign Office in Peking indicates the laden stalls, and they were most efficiently saw more and more need for it as a all the halting places the introduction In the
staffed by a large body of willing helpers. factor, Wallace seized on Weismannism of life; the boundary between animal his greatest and most purus work is and vegetable, the awakening of con what he did for animal plant dig- The following ladies and gentlemen incompetence which still prevails in the
and rejected everything but Natural scioasneas-it seems to appear just in the tribution, and his least fauty works Th "Geographical Distribution of Animals ” government offices in the capital of China, presided at the stalls.
Grand Pavilion for special prizes The Selection. Everybody interested in nick of time and give matter a leg up
its difficulties. Some critic has said and Island Life." He says himself that. There was an amusing little incident in Misses A. Alves, n. Remedios, CA biology knows the controversy that has that according to Dr. Wallace man is his most prominent mental faculty was
Lopes, L. Rodrigues. T. Remedios, E. the Threatre on Saturday, which was not Xavier, E. Carvalho, Graca (2), Collaco (2), raged on this matter for the last twenty God's domestic animal. Instead of the power of correct reasoning from a At times it seemed as if use this, however, man seems to be under the review of the known facts in any cases un the programme During the interval Remedios (2), Gardner (4), and A. &.
When or how these discarnate beings step them, and also in detecting fallacies in couple of soldiers in khaki apparently Bernedo, assisted by Messrs. F. M. Pde inheritance was doomed Weismannism spasmodic guidance of discaenate friends, to the causes or laws which produced mistook the dress circle for the gallery Graca, C. Alves, J. Noronha, E. Noronha, seemed rampant, Dr. Wallace certainly not mentioned. Here is a specimen the reasoning of other persons," What be seen in his discuations on subjects Lopes, and Figueiredo of the gods," in which they had doubt. Sweet stall-Mrs. M. Graen and Miss gave it all the support he could. But in of Dr. Wallace's handling of the ever truth there is in this statement tray like animal colouration, When the recent years new light and new theories subject::
argument is philosophical the judgment ess been accustomed to have their Garduer
reems to be incorrect. bob's worth at home, The fact that the
Suems to have had no training in Any person who circle was fairly well filled at the time
philosophical thought. did not dismay
reads is treatment of miracles and then by a swell crowd.
rends the same subject as treated by the them. With their caps still on their
lute Bir Louie Stephen will appreciati loads they descended to the third row
the truth of this.. Wallace simply did
of and plumped themselves down in a couple Lisz, assisted by Mesers. J. D. Osmund, 5,
not understand the of seats, which were temporarily vacant,v. Ribeiro, E. M. Ozorio, A. O. Barrados, and they became the cynosure of every and J. da Costa
philosophical argudiont eye. Curiosity was aroused. Had they made a mistake, or had their presence Some connection with the next item on the programnis? And the wonder grew when a member of the civil police was seen moving towards the two soldiers. He was soon joined by a member of the mili- tury police. It became apparent that this was not a rehearsed item of the entertainment. The polies had come to eject the intruders. They rose from their seats reluctantly and stumbled up the stairs-and the other occupants of the dress circle breathed freely again.
RODERICK RANDOM.
Souvenir stall-Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Picture stall-Mesdames J.. D. Osmund, J. A. V. Ribeiro, and L. A. Ozorio, Misses M. Rozario, H. Gonies, M. Remedies, D Antonio, H. Osmind, E. Sequeira, and E.
Bar and refreshnicht stall-Moers. A. G.
da Rocha, B. Cunha, M. F. Burradas, Al Barros, 3. Loon, and C. Castro.
American lottery stail Mr. and Mrs. A. Osmund, Messrs, 1. Corveth, A. Silva-Netto, d'Aquerio, M. Baptista, and F. J. Jorgo,
jun.
Ladies refreshment pavilion-Mesdames Jordan, Worcester, Griffin, Mies Rowo, and the Misses Gordon-
Shooting gallery-Mr. and Mrs. A. J. V. Ribeiro, and Mr. J. Britto.
During the evening pleasing strains of music were discoursed by the Band of the Baluchis and the Orient String Band,
years.
1247]
in
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a
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NEW CONSIGNMENTS
was STERLING SILVER WARE. these
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OUTLERY.
From the
SOLE AGENTS:
nder the delusion in his later years that CHS. J. GAUPP
good many old arguments had never been answered. Nuzaerous This of course is untrue,
various books. Most of them are marred. hyoruression of opinion put in the form of arg weight or worth. Here is a specimen
ady forearm went into the fat and was dilly scalded. I mention this only for the purpose of calling attention to the... although I vividly remember the incithat I cannot recall that I suffered the least
ALEXA
& CO.
BUILD ISS.
CHATKE ROAD.