THE NUMBERS OF MEN 101 



National as well as individual psychology is involved. Na- 

 tions have their pride as well as individuals. As they look about 

 the world they perceive an unequal distribution of the richer 

 lands. 



The greatest problem that confronts every single soul that 

 makes one of the units that add up to these colossal human 

 aggregates we have been considering is: "How shall I get a 

 living?" For the science of biology is quite dogmatically sure 

 about one thing. Every living organism must get its living or 

 perish. Life is a dynamic process. It requires a constant flow of 

 energy and matter to keep going. 



The logical consequences of this purely natural law are 

 obvious, in a broad sense. Each living organism, including each 

 man, woman, and child, either must get its own living, or an 

 arrangement must be made such that somebody else gets the 

 living for it. We, and a good many other organisms, arrange 

 to get the livings for our babies — embryos and still undeveloped 

 young — until they are biologically able to fend for themselves. 

 Mankind, to an enormously greater extent than any other 

 species, makes similar arrangements for the continued living of 

 other categories of individuals — notably the aged, infirm, defec- 

 tive, and degenerate — incapable on their own resources of 

 keeping their vital fires alight. The fact that man does this is 

 probably the chief reason why he regards his species as a noble 

 one, a view in which it is doubtful whether the true termites 

 would concur. But never mind about termitodoxic moral judg- 

 ments for the moment. The important thing is that a very 

 considerable number of persons how on this earth who are 

 neither babies, nor aged, infirm, nor defective, find themselves, 

 or think themselves, completely unable to get their livings by 

 their own efforts. 



What is going to be done about it? Some say one thing, some 

 another. The view that, on the whole, seems to be most gen- 

 erally favored in the United States at the present time is that 



