THE EVOLUTION OF MORALITY 



that man is the highest product of morality. In 

 consideration of the facts of infancy, who will dis 

 pute this proposition, No morals, no man? 



In the course of this glorious ascent certain 

 great stages are to be noted. Of vast importance 

 was the evolution of sex, as those distinguished 

 Spencerians, Professors Thompson and Geddes, 

 have shown in their book with that title. The de 

 velopment of sex was an instance of the physiolog 

 ical division of labor, and in all division of labor 

 is implied that interdependence which, as I have 

 tried to show, is at once the basis and the demand 

 for morality. I will not enlarge on this subject, 

 for it is to be hoped that no one will have time to 

 read this book who has not time to read The 

 Evolution of Sex. 1 Later we find more definitely 

 emerging that which Drummond called the &quot;strug 

 gle for the life of others.&quot; Even the lowliest 

 mother has such a struggle. The production of 

 her progeny costs her something. But it was an 

 advance when the bird began to incubate her eggs 

 by the warmth of her own body, and to encourage 

 altruism in her mate by demanding that he should 

 seek and bring her food. This was obviously a 

 stage higher than leaving the eggs to the warm sun 

 and sand, as does the reptile. Still more signal was 

 that great step something of which is still taught 

 us by the monotremes, or lowest mammals, of the 



1 The idea here referred to is expressed by Coventry Pat- 

 more, in the wild language of his muse, when he says that 

 &quot;God is sex.&quot; 



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