264 FOOT-NOTES TO EVOLUTION. 



is knowing what one ought to do next. Virtue is do- 

 ing it. Doing right becomes habit if it is pursued long 

 enough. It becomes a " second nature," or a higher 

 heredity. The formation of a higher heredity of wis- 

 dom and virtue, of knowing right and doing right, is 

 the basis of character-building. 



The moral character is based on knowing the best, 



choosing the best, and doing the best. It can not be 



built up on imitation. By imitation, sug- 



o ust men gestion, and conventionality the masses 



make history. . , , ,, , n^ , • , 



are formed and controlled. To build 



up a man is a nobler process, demanding materials and 



methods of a higher order. The growth of man is 



the assertion of individuality. History is the record of 



the acts of robust men. 



The first relation of the child to external things is 



expressed in this : What can I do with it ? What is its 



relation to me ? The sensation goes over 

 The relation of -^^^^ thought, the thought into action, 

 the child to the ^, , . . , , . . , ., 



1 hus the impression of the object IS built 

 environment. ^ •' 



into the little universe of his mind. The 

 object and the action it implies are closely associated. 

 As more objects are apprehended, more complex rela- 

 tions arise, but the primal condition remains. What can 

 I do with it ? Sensation, thought, action, this is the 

 natural sequence of each completed mental process. As 

 volition passes over into action, so does science into art, 

 knowledge into power, wisdom into virtue. 



It is thus evident that, with an animal as with an 

 army, locojtwtion demands direction. The sensorium is 



built up as a director of motion. Natu- 

 The sensorium. ... , . , , , 



ral selection causes the survival of those 



whose sensorium is adequate for the safe control of 

 movement. The animal which conducts its life pro- 

 cesses in insecurity perishes. The existence of an or- 



