CONFORMITY TO ENVIRONMENT 199 



from any other standpoint it appears to be a myriad, 

 almost a chaos, of interacting, apparently conflicting, 

 forces. The resultant of some of these is shown by 

 the animal at any stage of its development. And as 

 the animal advances, the resultant determining its 

 new line, or stage, of advance, includes new forces, to 

 which it has only lately become sensitive. And thus 

 the human mind, as the last and highest product of 

 evolution, mirrors most adequately the resultant of 

 all its forces. If we would know environment we 

 must study ourselves, not atoms alone, nor rocks, nor 

 worms. 



Extremely sensitive photographic plates, after long 

 exposure, have proven the existence of stars so dim 

 and far-off as to be invisible to the best telescopes. 

 Man's mind is just such a sensitive plate ; it is the 

 only valid representation of environment. 



The truth would appear to be that the law is present 

 in environment, but hard to read ; but it is stamped 

 upon our structure and being so deeply and plainly 

 that the dullest of us cannot fail to read it. We 

 learned the fact of gravitation the first time that we 

 fell down in learning to walk, long afterward we learned 

 that its law guided earth and moon. And it is the 

 presence of this law within us, and our own knowledge 

 that we are conscious of it, that makes man without 

 excuse. But conformity to that which is deepest in 

 environment often, always, demands non- conformity 

 to some of the most palpable of surrounding condi- 

 tions. 



There is no better statement of the ultimate law of 

 conformity than the words of Paul : " Be not conformed 

 to this world ; but be ye transformed by the renewing 



