ADAPTATION TO ENVIRONMENT 445 



Individuals ofttimes in their popularity pass downward in the ranks 

 of society. A man gives expression to something only the elect can 

 comprehend and appreciate ; soon classes attain to it and then the mass. 

 Darwin and Spencer, here, are good illustrations. Such individuals 

 may give expressions to things which are universal and consequently 

 are vital for all time; or merely to conditions, the expression of which 

 is the beginning of their fulfillment. 



In conclusion, there are elements in character and habituation which 

 are universal just as there are universals in expression. But as a result 

 of the ever-changing conditions to which man is subjected both eco- 

 nomically and ideally, he may be in complete harmony here and now 

 with his environment, and as time passes, because of the nature of 

 habituation and ideation, he is less and less able to keep in complete 

 consonance with the spirit of the times. If, however, one understands 

 the nature of the changes which society undergoes he can adapt himself 

 to those consistent changes and thus avoid becoming soured. It is only 

 as the principles of evolution are consciously seized upon and applied 

 to personal life in society that individual adaptation will be facilitated 

 and adjustment automatized. 



