12 OCTOBER 1889, Page 44

Darwinism and Politics. By David G. Ritchie. (Sonnenschein.) —The fundamental

idea of this brochure, which is not inade- quately expressed by its title, is a decidedly fascinating one, and there is a good deal of what can only be described as very clever thinking in it. Yet, although Mr. Ritchie shows his familiarity with the different theories identified with such names as those of J. S. Mill, Mr. Spencer, Mr. Dalton, and Mr. Darwin, he rather goes round about his subject than deals directly and thoroughly with it. He begins by showing the connection between Darwin and Malthus, and ends by himself professing a sort of mild Malthusianism. At all events, he assures us that "when women have other interests in the world than those of maternity, things will not go on as blindly as before. And the race need not neces- sarily suffer thereby, but the very reverse. Fewer children will be born, but fewer will die, fewer will be sickly." In other

words, "Rational selection will take the place of the cruel process of natural selection." Mr. Ritchie can turn a phrase neatly, as when he says that "the family ideal of the State may be difficult of attainment, but, as an ideal, it is better than the policeman theory;" and that "the patriarchal stage represents, on the whole, a higher type of civilisation than the matriarchal."