Man's Place in Nature 237 



nation of the vast majority, but pray, do not let us 

 hear anything more about its beneficence." There 

 is no end to self-made problems of this sort made 

 by introducing irrelevant concepts. 



In regard to human affairs, without any affecta- 

 tion of callousness, the scientific inquirer is bound 

 to recognize a number of facts. 



(a) There are what may be called "growing 

 pains," the tax on progress, the troubles incident 

 on new adjustments and new adaptations. "A 

 heavy tax is levied on all forms of success," as 

 Huxley said. In mankind, as in nature, it holds 

 good that 



" Life is not as idle ore, 

 But iron dug from central gloom, 

 And heated hot with burning fears, 

 And dipped in baths of hissing tears 

 And battered by the shocks oi doom 

 To shape and use." 



This is surely better than what Nietzsche called 

 "the universal green-grazing happiness of the 

 herd." 



(b) Secondly, as we have already indicated, a 

 considerable part of human evil is due to our an- 

 cestral inheritance, especially to the beast in the 

 man. We can only set against this the still strong- 

 er assets of our inheritance, and the means that are 

 at our disposal for improving our inherited nature 

 by nurture in the widest and highest sense. 



