10 EVOLUTION AND MAN S PLACE IN NATURE 



species, the efficiency of the mature life cannot be 

 overlooked. The law of inheritance has these two 

 sides of application ; transmission is the condition of 

 inheritance. While, then, imagination gathers aid 

 from the unfolding germ, it must figure things in 

 harmony with the grand truth, that potentiality 

 within the germ depends for its action upon poten 

 tiality operating beyond itself. 



The intricacy of embryological problems such, for 

 example, as those concerned with development of the 

 special senses may illustrate the largeness of demand 

 on caution and patience. The fact of evolution is 

 unquestionable. Our general conception of the laws 

 of advance may be approximately accurate ; but there 

 remains a large unexplored area of investigation. 

 We have, indeed, a working hypothesis of great 

 value; but the further we advance in the work of 

 interpretation, the more difficult does the task become. 

 Man s place presents in itself a problem complicated 

 beyond all other problems in Nature. When we turn 

 to this problem, our method becomes more intricate 

 in application, for external observation must be 

 supplemented by reference to inner experience, while 

 within our consciousness there is much that points to 

 conditions hidden even from the rational agent him 

 self. What is known of human organism by dissection, 

 and by microscopic inspection of minute structure, 

 supplies no measure of the activity distinctive of 

 man. There cannot be a successful attempt to ex 

 plain human activity by reference to the functions of 

 animal life. The outstanding perplexity here must 

 largely influence our theory of Nature itself. 



Along with the higher aspects of human activity, 



