﻿THE 
  ISSUES 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  293 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  endeavours 
  to 
  secure 
  self-preservation 
  and 
  race- 
  

   continuance, 
  organisms 
  exhibit 
  an 
  effectiveness, 
  a 
  persist- 
  

   ence, 
  a 
  resourcefulness, 
  and 
  a 
  finesse 
  that 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  all 
  

   admiration. 
  But 
  the 
  shadow 
  on 
  the 
  picture 
  is 
  the 
  supposed 
  

   Ishmaelitish 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence, 
  the 
  

   shadow 
  of 
  what 
  Huxley 
  called 
  " 
  the 
  huge 
  gladiatorial 
  show 
  ". 
  

   Sometimes, 
  too, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  occurrence 
  of 
  what 
  looks 
  like 
  

   sheer 
  devilry. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  Struggle 
  for 
  Existence. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  facts 
  of 
  life, 
  beyond 
  all 
  doubt, 
  is 
  that 
  

   summed 
  up 
  by 
  Darwin 
  as 
  " 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  ". 
  

   Nothing 
  is 
  more 
  familiar, 
  and 
  yet 
  the 
  concept 
  lacks 
  precise 
  

   definition 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  lamentable 
  misunderstanding. 
  

   The 
  phrase, 
  as 
  Darwin 
  said, 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  " 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  

   and 
  metaphorical 
  sense, 
  including 
  dependence 
  of 
  one 
  being 
  

   on 
  another, 
  and 
  including 
  (which 
  is 
  more 
  important) 
  not 
  

   only 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  individual, 
  but 
  success 
  in 
  leaving 
  prog- 
  

   eny 
  " 
  (Origin 
  of 
  Species, 
  p. 
  50). 
  This 
  does 
  not 
  coincide 
  

   with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  some 
  naturalists 
  that 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  ex- 
  

   istence 
  means 
  nothing 
  more 
  nor 
  less 
  than 
  life-and-death 
  

   competition 
  between 
  individuals 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  kith 
  and 
  kin. 
  

   If 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  Darwin's 
  meaning, 
  he 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  spoken 
  

   of 
  using 
  the 
  term 
  " 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  metaphorical 
  sense 
  ", 
  nor 
  

   would 
  he 
  have 
  spoken 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  he 
  felt 
  in 
  constantly 
  

   bearing 
  the 
  conclusion 
  in 
  mind. 
  We 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  especially 
  

   careful 
  since 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  was 
  

   confessedly 
  taken 
  over 
  from 
  human 
  life. 
  It 
  was 
  consciously 
  

   suggested 
  to 
  Darwin 
  by 
  reading 
  Malthus; 
  it 
  was 
  subcon- 
  

   sciously 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  keen 
  industrial 
  competition, 
  more 
  

   striking, 
  because 
  more 
  novel 
  and 
  less 
  regulated, 
  in 
  Darwin's 
  

   day 
  than 
  ours. 
  

  

  