64 Social Environment 



its origin is a principle transcending and prom- 

 ising eventually to harmonize the anarchy of 

 the natural struggle. 



But human society is not merely a system 

 of mutual aid. In fact, simply from the co- 

 operative standpoint, it does not represent the 

 climax of nature's work. The societies of 

 insects, such as the ants and bees, ages ago 

 attained perfection so far as the complete sub- 

 jection of the individual to the group is con- 

 cerned, yet that which is the distinctive feature 

 of human society they entirely lack. Their 

 cooperation is rooted in instinct, which is a 

 matter of inherited physical structure. Human 

 society, however, is primarily spiritual and 

 only secondarily biologic; that is, conduct is 

 guided by the accumulation of custom, tradi- 

 tion, religion, law, science, literature, and all 

 the intangible elements that are transmitted 

 from generation to generation by imitation and 

 formal education. 



With the beginning of human society, prog- 

 ress becomes a matter of the struggle for 

 survival of custom over custom and idea over 

 idea, and only secondarily of individual over 

 individual. The spiritual element, rooted 

 though of course it is in the biologic, becomes 



