am not at all sure but what I am now

evident lack of interest that is being taken at the present time in this country in the cultivation and progress of the important science of comparative anatomy. To my mind this decreasing interest may now be truthfully spoken of as a positive decadence.

Within comparatively recent times there has rapidly taken possession of our people as a whole a fierce craving for the certain and sudden acquisition of wealth. Everything else is suffering in this mad race for money, while we appear to be utterly ignorant of what the future outcome of it all may be in so far as the life and growth of science, literature, the fine arts, the drama and national morals are concerned. It is the influence and the work of men and women in these several callings that make a nation great and respected by the world, and not her millionaires, or at least the millions that any number of individuals may gather into their several coffers. When the question is in everyone's mouth, and the thought is uppermost in everyone's mind,-Will this or that pay?—meaning in a financial way, then, indeed, may we count our vaunted civilization a miserable failure. It has been the Darwins, the Huxleys, the Tyndalls, and her army of writers and thinkers in all departments and activities who, in recent and past times, have made England great in the estimation of the entire world, and certainly not her money-hoarders. And so it has been with all other nations, and certain it is that America will be so rated at any period of her civilization, and thus form no exception to the general rule.

Now as to the importance of such a science as comparative anatomy-and I

less true of other lines of research in biology, as comparative physiology and morphology as a whole-this science, or these sciences and their importance, I say, are largely responsible for the most material and substantial advances that have at all times been made in medicine and surgery. They have been largely responsible in the demonstration of the law of organic evolution,—a law that has revolutionized the entire thought of the modern world; while the researches in these sciences have tended to improve the power of correct observation in the cases of scores of America's best thinkers and profound philosophers.

I have been a researcher, a writer, an illustrator, a teacher and a publisher in this science for twenty-five years, and I have personal letters from such men as Darwin, Huxley, and hundreds of other savants in all parts of the world, recognizing and acknowledging the value of my early work. This is stated simply as a fact and in no egotistical way. It permits me to speak with authority and to judge of what others have told me or have observed in the same field. At the outset I may say that the number of exhaustive, far-reaching and solid contributions to the published literature of comparative anatomy in this country, by American anatomists and based on American material, is becoming markedly less and less every year. Taken in connection with the number of our population it practically amounts to nil at this writing. We have no great journals or magazines devoted exclusively to the science of comparative anatomy in this country, a most pitiable confession for an American to make. Some ten years

ago the great leader in this respect was the Journal of Morphology, now as dead as dead can be, despite the valiant efforts of its last editor, Dr. C. O. Whitman, Professor of Zoology in the University of Chicago, to save it.

A number of years ago I collected from every available source open to me in the world a mass of material to illustrate two important groups of birds, osteologically. When printed either would make a large quarto volume with many full-page plates. As these memoirs now stand in manuscript they are of no use to anybody. They are the most extensive contributions of the kind in existence. When Mr. Carnegie generously provided ten millions for the publication of such work, I submitted them to the proper persons at Washington, with the view of having them published. There being no comparative anatomists on the board capable of judging of the value of such work, both memoirs were returned to me without their even having been examined. For the last two or three years these same two memoirs have been awaiting publication in the Carnegie Museum at Pittsburg. Since this experience I have ceased to submit my work on comparative anatomy in this country for publication, and it rests on the shelves of my study. Did space permit I could tell of many similar experiences-happenings of very recent years-that have not only befallen me, but that refer to the labors of some of the most distinguished researchers in comparative anatomy in this great country of ours. But who cares? Still one more personal experience. During the last four years I have completed 1,400 pages of manuscript and 150 photographs of mammals for a two-volume work on The Game Mammals of the United States. It is thoroughly popular in treatment and covers the life histories, classification, geographical distribution and nomenclature of all the game and fur-bearing mammals of this country. It has been rejected for publication by no fewer than five of the largest publishing

houses in the city of New York, for the reason that the demand for such works no longer exists. It was carefully examined by the experts of G. P. Putnam's Sons of New York city, and accepted for publication, provided the author put up the money for the expense.

A few years ago a well-known comparative anatomist of this country wrote an illustrated and formal work on comparative anatomy. It was carefully examined by the late William Kitchen Parker, Vice-president of the Royal Society of England, and published by the firm of Macmillan & Company of London, to whom it had been offered by Professor Parker. The Macmillans now report that but 150 copies of the work were sold, and the balance were disposed of for waste-paper at eight pence per copy.

The late Professor E. D. Cope, the most distinguished biologist in this country at the time of his death, failed to publish a popular work he had written on comparative paleontology, and consulted with the present writer with the view of having him use his influence with the Macmillans to have them accept it.

There is a department of a very large institution in New York city that supplies museums, colleges and the primary schools in the United States with material for the study of comparative anatomy. The head of this department recently informed me that the demand for such material had fallen off to such an extent lately that the firm was very much concerned indeed about the matter, and he greatly deplored the present lack of interest in such studies in the United States. He went on to state that the interest was distinctly decreasing from year to year and that it was very evident that Americans did not believe that the study of comparative anatomy paid.

A scientist friend of mine who has a very wide knowledge of this subject gave it as his opinion that there was no work of any importance in comparative anatomy now being done in the United States,

—that is, individual undertakings of any great extent.

The increase of wealth is now rapid and passing all conception; finance is the bugle-call of the coming young American, the goal the coveted million. Mean

while the manuscripts of the toilers in science lie rotting on the shelves. In the insane race, the racers do not believe that they can be made to pay. R. W. SHUFELDT. New York City.

that his will should be done on earth as it is in heaven? Is it working intelligently and earnestly toward this end?

The doing of God's will on earth means a great deal. It means the realization of the standard of character set up by Jesus when he said the whole duty of man is found in love to God and love to fellowmen. It means that men shall dwell together as brothers, the children of a common father.

The Church has done much work for human brotherhood in the past, but usually the field of labor has been limited in extent. In certain of the most important fields of life, the church has seldom gone, and as a consequence it has not been the power that it might be for the bringing of the kingdom and the doing of God's will. What are some of the neglected fields? The first step toward realizing true brotherhood, is that a man should respect his brother's rights. To call a man my brother and yet deny to him the rights which I claim for myself, is a contradiction of terms. I may deceive myself into the belief that I love him and I may give him alms or charity; but if I do not recognize him as having equal rights with myself to the gifts of our common Father, equal rights to the means of life, development and enjoyment, I do not treat him as a brother, and I am not bringing the kingdom of God upon earth.

The words of Jesus strike deep; the reign of love among men would indeed

bring the kingdom of God. But the Church has never quite dared to attempt the complete application of this doctrine. In many ways it has not yet taken the first step; for the first step toward real brotherhood is the recognition of the rights of men as brothers. This step must be taken before love in the sense of sacrifice is possible. In utter disregard of this truth, we have often applauded those who attempt to be charitable before they are just. I use the word attempt, because it is as impossible to be truly charitable before being just as it is to take the second step upon a journey before we take the first.

More than half a century ago, when some men were still the legal property of other men, the church counseled masters to be kind or generous to their slaves. It did not take the initiative in demanding that masters should take the first step demanded by justice, to restore to slaves their freedom, the birthright of all children of a common father. The master could never be kind to his slave in the true sense so long as he denied him the right of self-dominion which he claimed for himself.

In our day we often encourage or commend so-called charity when what is needed is justice instead. It is so much easier to seem to be charitable than to be really just. To keep up a good appearance of charity, may take no more than one-tenth of our income, when to be really just might compel us to surrender onehalf or nine-tenths of it. What the submerged classes in society need first, is not

equal rights to the common inheritance of the race and a fair chance to improve their own condition. With these rights accorded them, they might need no alms. Charity without justice is futile; it destroys the self-respect of him who takes and deceives the conscience of him who gives. But when justice has first been done, then charity, if perchance it is needed, becomes a beneficent thing, binding together and ennobling both those who give and those who receive.

It is often a cause for regret among religious people, that the poor and the socalled laboring classes do not attend church or join in church activities. We sometimes reproach ourselves that we are not more friendly with those who come, or that we wear too fine clothes so that many persons do not feel at ease in the church. I believe these reasons for the failure to reach the masses, are merely superficial. The fundamental reason is that the masses feel that we are out of sympathy with them, or at least that we do not actively support them, in their struggle for justice, for the equal rights which the children of a common father ought to have. We shall never reach the masses effectively until we are willing to take the first step before we attempt to take the second, to do justice before we attempt to give charity.

I have pointed out that justice comes first because it is the basis and beginning of all love. There are other and very practical reasons why it should come first. The realization of unselfishness and the development of the spiritual nature, is the goal in building character and is the chief aim of the Church; but spiritual qualities must grow out of and rest upon the physical and the intellectual. It is useless to expect to develop fine spirit in bodies that are halfstarved by lack of nutrition or half-stupified by excessive labor. For example, so long as children of tender years are having their physical strength and their mental vigor drained by grinding toil, when they ought to be developing body

will it be impossible to build up in them a high spiritual character and make of them worthy members of society. God's kingdom cannot come until all his children have a chance to develop into complete men and women of whom it is not a travesty to say they are made in God's image. His will cannot be done upon earth so long as men distort the image of God by making beasts of burden of their fellowmen.

But, it will be said, religion must not meddle with politics, and these matters are to some extent political. If it is the mission of religion to bring the kingdom of God upon earth, and to bring it completely, then we must not be frightened by words. We must look to the essence of things and determine what is necessary to bring the kingdom and cause the doing of God's will. I believe that the church, in the days of our grandfathers, would have increased its self-respect and would have greatly multiplied its power, if it had meddled with politics enough to say: "The slave must be freed"; and that now it would increase its power mightily by saying: "Justice must come first in every field of human activities; all men are brothers and therefore must have equal rights to the gifts of their common Father. They have equal rights to the means of life and development into robust manhood and womanhood; they have a right to equal opportunities to use their industry and skill to supply their wants and develop their capacities.' Unless the Church has the courage and wisdom to speak for justice, its hands are tied, it labors at a great disadvantage in the bringing of God's kingdom, and may be compelled to see the most important part of its work being done by others. For God's kingdom is coming, with its reign of justice and true brotherhood. Shall those who profess that the bringing of the kingdom is the first aim of their lives, shrink from taking the most effective means for making it a reality upon earth?

It is sometimes said that the develop

men.

ment of love is the only thing needed; that this would solve all problems in industry, in society, and in politics; that we would not need to worry about systems or methods of doing things if all men had sufficient love for their fellowThis is true or false according to the way in which we understand it. It is false if it means that love need not be intelligent and may disregard the most effective means to the ends sought. We may be sure that true love will show itself in the abolition of a vicious, unjust or cumbersome system just as certainly as it will manifest itself in any other way. The system of human slavery cannot exist when true brotherhood takes possession of men's hearts; and a system denying equal rights and opportunities cannot exist when genuine love for fellowmen becomes widely diffused. The overthrow of unjust systems and the introduction of just laws, is one of the most practical ways in which love for our fellowmen can manifest itself. The mighty love of a John Howard for the human race was spent in overthrowing the system which condemned the inmates of prisons to a living death. The tremendous love of a Garrison, a Phillips and a Lincoln was devoted to overthrowing the cruel system of human slavery. The wonderful love of a Henry George for his fellowmen, leading him to pour out his very life without stint, was devoted to the overthrow of what is probably the the greatest remaining system of injustice, the ownership, by a few, of this

planet from which all must live. Jesus attacked relentlessly the system of ecclesiasticism which in his day was choking the religious life of the Jewish people. The most practical love for humanity in human history has been devoted in large measure to the destruction of systems. Love is the principal thing, but it must work through forms and institutions; and systems handed down from the past often become the useless shells which impede the exercise of such love as exists in the hearts of men. Let us make human nature more lovely as fast as possible, but let us, whenever we can, improve our systems in society, in politics, in industry, so as to take advantage of the love and unselfishness that now exists in human nature. There is not so much that we do not need to utilize it all. Let us not repress or hinder it by making it work through machinery so cumbersome and unscientific that the friction uses up most of the energy applied.

The kingdom of God is coming now faster than it has for many years. The conscience of the nation is becoming aroused to the difference between charity and justice as never before. Let the Church make the most of its opportunity and put itself in the front of the attack upon selfishness and injustice. Let it strive to realize completely the lofty ideals of Jesus and be content with nothing less than a genuine brotherhood of all humanity.

JESSE F. ORTON.

Grand Rapids, Mich.