

THE PROBLEM OF DOMESTICATION 255 



the richest and highest life. It is clearly impossible to avoid 

 this destruction over all the surface which we win to culture. 

 Spare as we may, the subversion of the ancient balances and 

 adjustments must be complete before the earth is ready for 

 our tillage and other modes of use. This overturning is a 

 part of the destiny of man. It is a characteristic of the new 

 dispensation which came with his progressive desires. Yet 

 the rational quality which has led to the mastery of man may 

 be trusted to bring him to a point where he will endeavor to 

 minimize the ill effects of his actions on the life which has 

 been placed in his hands. 



In considering the ways in which we can mitigate the 

 evils of our rule over organic nature, we at once see that our 

 aim should be to preserve all the varieties of living creatures 

 from destruction, provided they are not distinctly harmful 

 to man, and this with the intention of keeping for our suc- 

 cessors in the inheritance all that can in any way afford a 

 foundation for further experiments in domestication, materi- 

 als for learned inquiries, or pleasure in contemplation. To 

 attain this object we cannot trust to the share of this life 

 which can be brought into zoological and botanical gardens, 

 however extensive and well managed. The only way is to 

 make certain reservations in various parts of the world, each 

 containing an area and a variety of conditions great enough 

 to afford a safe lodgment for a true sample of the life of an 

 organic province. Owing to the fact that these provinces are 

 never sharply bounded, it would naturally be impossible to 

 select reservations which would in a complete manner rep- 

 resent all the conditions of the biologic societies ; but if 

 properly distributed the outlying animals and plants could 

 in most if not all cases be introduced into one or other of 



