664 Causes and Course of Organic Evolution 



And alike amongst lower animals, as in man at various 

 stages of moral evolution, the entire process is one of con- 

 tinuous stimulation action on every hand, in the performance 

 of acts which are either for the well-being or for the mere con- 

 tinuance or for the injury of the community. These acts 

 are summated into more complex proenvironal resultant re- 

 sponses, which if helpful and integrating for the community 

 will aid it, and contribute toward its survival in the struggle 

 for existence alongside other and less perfectly proenvironing 

 types; if merely satisfying and tending to no higher platform, 

 this may ensure stagnating existence for a time but slow ulti- 

 mate extinction; if retarding and disintegrating in proenvironal 

 response the communities will comparatively speedily disrupt 

 and decay. 



But in all moral acts, as in simpler and more primitive actions 

 and reactions amongst plants and animals, the fundamental 

 outcome of moral response is a satisfied state. This may last 

 for a shorter or longer period, until new and succeeding stimuli 

 start a dissatisfied state. Then another response will be made 

 as above, and a new satisfied state will be reestablished. 

 • But many striking illustrations of moral action and reaction 

 occur in recent human history, particularly where a system 

 has grown up under continuous observation and record, as 

 for example with slavery in the States. Here a continuous 

 series of environal stimuli of diverse kind developed into 

 proenvironal plans, at first by common, or at least tacit, con- 

 sent of the nation. These plans developed into responses 

 or acts that in turn developed new and wider stimuli which 

 cumulated into still more complex plans that eventually threat- 

 ened to split the commonwealth into two morally divergent 

 nations. 



For each had such steadily divergent proenvironal outlooks, 

 and so were forming such divergent proenvironal responses, 

 that only the overthrow of one, and the final establishment 

 of a single and unified proenvironal plan, could restore unity 

 and peaceful progress to the nation. 



The main features in the moral drama might be traced as 

 follows. During the 17th and 18th centuries the United 



