14 EVOLUTION AND MAN S PLACE IN NATURE 



for the earlier stages of research thus turn to dis 

 advantages. Animal bulks so largely, during elabora 

 tion of the theory, as to favour a tendency to view the 

 rational in reduced proportions. Comparative biology 

 is apt to hinder appreciation of perspective. Nothing 

 can abate our interest in natural history, intensified 

 as it has been by the problems which Charles Darwin 

 has presented. But, as soon as we advance to consider 

 man s place in Nature, we are warned how much of 

 observation had been previously concentrated on the 

 lower forms of life. No one can depreciate observa 

 tions as to ants, and pigeons, and various breeds of 

 dogs and horses. These observations have greatly 

 extended our knowledge of the universe. But such 

 detailed research into conditions of animal life, sugges 

 tive as it is, carries us far apart from man. Full value 

 is readily given to it, without ascertaining anything 

 bearing on the question whether natural selection, 

 and survival of the fittest, have had much to do with 

 the history of national life in the world. The leading 

 workers united in building up the theory of Biological 

 Evolution, have not been familiar with psychological 

 inquiry. The intricacies of rational procedure have 

 not engrossed their interest. Mental philosophy has, 

 however, had some compensation in this, that com 

 parative research has opened up new phases of experi 

 mental psychology, yielding large increase of knowledge 

 as to the relations of the nerve system to the faculty of 

 interpretation belonging to rational life, and helping 

 much towards fuller appreciation of the unity of our 

 life, while distinguishing the physical from the mental. 

 Alfred Russel Wallace has clearly shown how many 

 are the perplexities for Darwin s theory, when the 



