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  THE 
  ISSUES 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  

  

  Here 
  the 
  competition 
  is 
  sometimes 
  keen, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  a 
  

   very 
  one-sided 
  affair. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  is 
  between 
  

   living 
  creatures 
  and 
  the 
  callous 
  and 
  changeful 
  physical 
  en- 
  

   vironment. 
  Thus 
  Darwin 
  spoke 
  of 
  the 
  struggle 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  

   at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  desert, 
  and 
  one 
  thinks 
  of 
  reactions 
  of 
  

   animals 
  against 
  the 
  winter's 
  cold, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  This 
  is 
  obvi- 
  

   ously 
  non-competitive 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  crossing 
  swords 
  with 
  Fate. 
  

  

  So 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  between 
  or- 
  

   ganisms 
  and 
  the 
  inorganic 
  environment, 
  the 
  element 
  of 
  direct 
  

   competition 
  is 
  always 
  absent; 
  in 
  that 
  between 
  organisms 
  of 
  

   entirely 
  different 
  kinds 
  whose 
  interests 
  conflict 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  

   absent; 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  struggle 
  between 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  kith 
  and 
  kin 
  the 
  supposed 
  state 
  of 
  internecine 
  warfare 
  

   is 
  often 
  conspicuous 
  by 
  its 
  absence. 
  The 
  furious 
  battles 
  

   between 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  ants, 
  and 
  between 
  disorganised 
  

   hives 
  of 
  bees, 
  and 
  between 
  true 
  ants 
  and 
  white 
  ants, 
  are 
  

   among 
  the 
  few 
  phenomena 
  in 
  the 
  animal 
  world 
  that 
  suggest 
  

   human 
  warfare. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  surely 
  cutting 
  at 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  

   Darwinism 
  (Natural 
  Selectionism) 
  to 
  deny 
  that 
  fellows 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  kith 
  and 
  kin 
  are 
  sifted 
  inter 
  se, 
  but 
  we 
  make 
  no 
  

   such 
  denial. 
  Our 
  doubt 
  is 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  sifting 
  is 
  often 
  

   effected 
  by 
  internecine 
  intra-specific 
  competition. 
  Individ- 
  

   uals 
  possessing 
  an 
  advantageous 
  variation 
  which 
  enables 
  

   them 
  to 
  meet 
  difficulties 
  successfully 
  are 
  favoured 
  by 
  Natu- 
  

   ral 
  Selection, 
  as 
  the 
  phrase 
  has 
  it; 
  our 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  their 
  

   success 
  does 
  not 
  necessarily 
  depend 
  on 
  any 
  warfare 
  or 
  com- 
  

   petition 
  with 
  their 
  fellows. 
  When 
  a 
  plague 
  enters 
  a 
  house- 
  

   hold 
  and 
  only 
  one 
  member 
  survives, 
  he 
  does 
  so 
  because 
  his 
  

   constitution 
  successfully 
  parried 
  the 
  microbe, 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  

   competition 
  with 
  his 
  brothers 
  and 
  sisters. 
  When 
  the 
  last 
  

  

  