616 THE CONTROL OF LIFE: 



to seek after virtue and understanding, and also as a selec- 

 tive agency, leaving us behind if we fail too utterly of what 

 society expects of its members. 



In education intellectual, physical, and moral we do 

 of course habitually seek to utilise nurture in the widest 

 sense which includes the social heritage as a means towards 

 making the most of the individual development, and what, 

 it may be asked, have we to offer in the way of new sugges- 

 tion? Simply this, that we might to advantage be more 

 scientific and less vague ; that we should utilise with resolute- 

 ness and conviction the suggestions which expert science has 

 to offer in regard to manifold problems in the control of life. 

 We are convinced that many of the so-called " cosmic 

 shadows ", such as the wastefulness of Nature, are misunder- 

 standings; we are convinced that many of the shadows of 

 human life are gratuitous, that they would be scattered if 

 we let in more of the light of science. Our forefathers had 

 to deal with these shadows in an indirect way or not at all ; 

 often the only thing to do was to try to get moral discipline 

 out of them. But now we have made great advances towards 

 understanding many of the human shadows, and it is only 

 inertia that keeps us from directly dispelling them. Much 

 is being done every day, but much more requires to be done, 

 and our point is that the first and foremost lesson of evolu- 

 tion is: Let in more light, more scientific light. Another 

 lesson, of course, is: Let in more Love. 



We know that a normal development of the human or- 

 ganism in mind and body demands an appropriate nur- 

 ture; and yet we are implicated in human environments 

 which are not up to the normal standard. In these environ- 

 ments, which make us ashamed, good men and women do 

 indeed live, but there are surely many of the dwellers in 



