Man in the Light of Evolution 



tion of strength a superstructure of beauty, 

 grace, and fineness could be reared. 



Hence the line of evolution Is anything but 

 straight and direct.^ It must often seem illogi- 

 cal. First it is directed toward one attainment, 

 then toward another. Through the struggle for 

 existence natural selection favors at one time the 

 development of one power, then of an entirely 

 different one. 



No wonder, then, that our ideas of evolution 

 become confused. We are not surprised to find 

 that many writers and keen thinkers have pro- 

 posed theories of human progress really applica- 

 ble and adequate only to worms, clams, or rep- 

 tiles. The story of evolution becomes '' full of 

 sound and fury, signifying nothing.'* 



Thus far our study of animal development has 

 given us at best only a chronicle of events. Can 

 we make this chronicle a history by finding that 

 certain great laws unite all the events and changes 

 in one grand progressive evolution? This Is the 

 great question and problem which we must seek 

 to solve in succeeding chapters. 



1 Huxley, T. H., "Evolution of Ethics," last part. 



