92 



FOOT-NOTES TO EVOLUTION. 



Altruism expresses itself in all that make the human 

 life sane, joyous, effective. Science is herself a con- 

 summate result of the altruism of the ages, whereby no 

 man's experiences belong to himself alone, but become 

 part of the heritage of those who follow him. Human 

 institutions have grown out of the social instinct. They 

 are the fossils of past altruism. All forms of art, litera- 

 ture, music, religion, arise and are developed through 

 mutual help. And while the relations of altruism tend 

 to limit the freedom of the individual, it is only through 

 such limitations that the individual can develop in 

 security or in realfreedom. 



In the very beginnings of life appear the beginnings 

 of altruism. Among the one-celled animals or pro- 

 tozoa is seen the rela- 

 tion of mutual help. 

 In the conjugation of 

 cells among these crea- 

 tures appear the begin- 

 nings of the gigantic 

 fact of sex. By this pro- 

 cess two minute one- 

 celled creatures come 

 together, and part of the 

 hereditary substance of 

 the one is exchanged 

 for that of the other. 

 After this exchange 

 neither the one nor the 

 other is exactly what it 

 was before. The results of this change are propagated 

 in the descendants of each. The ultimate purpose of 

 the exchange is to produce and promote variety in life. 

 That is the ultimate purpose of the whole sex relation. 

 From the beginning to the end it is essentially altruistic. 



Fig. 4. — Conjugation of infusoria. 



