vi PREFACE 



I assume that the principles which have brought about the 

 evolution of plants and of animals other than man must 

 account, no less, for human evolution. But no sooner is 

 the human stage entered upon than morality, religion, 

 and the accumulation of knowledge begin to play, each 

 of them, an important part, which becomes more impor- 

 tant as evolution proceeds. 



Though progress in civilisation is quite distinct from 

 evolution, it can be shown nevertheless that the former, 

 to a considerable extent, guides the course of the latter. 

 It tends to produce physical degeneration, but a higher 

 morality. It is important, therefore, to discuss the con- 

 ditions which favour progress, and this naturally suggests 

 the subject of China and its unprogressive people, of 

 which I have written in the last chapter. I completed 

 this chapter before the Boxer outbreak, and have decided 

 to add nothing to it. 



The problems, as anyone who reads this preface will 

 see, are big and very difficult to solve; but all are so 

 full of interest, and some of such practical importance, 

 that any help towards their solution is of value. 



I have prefixed an introductory chapter, explaining some 

 elementary biological facts, without a knowledge of which 

 the general reader might not be able to understand what 

 follows. Throughout I have avoided technical words as 

 far as possible. The few that I have used are, I believe, 

 all explained in the text, and in the index references to the 

 pages, where the explanations are to be found, are distin- 

 guished by an asterisk. 



