THE KINGDOM OF MAN 251 



in the wrong direction. A long-continued severe war 

 in which a large proportion of the population shares is 

 likely to select in the wrong direction, as far as the 

 biological qualities of the race are concerned. Short- 

 sighted, one-sided economies are apt to do great harm. 



How are we to select modes of selection ? The first 

 half of the answer is the truth that lies behind theories 

 of conservatism — namely, that amid much uncertainty 

 we do know that some organisations and institutions 

 have proved themselves beneficial. They have stood 

 the test of time and we should give them the respect 

 due to their antiquity provided that it can be shown 

 that they have worked well. The family is a good 

 institution, monogamy is a good institution, represen- 

 tative government is a good institution, freedom in 

 thought and in speech is a good institution, so are 

 mutual aid and mutual improvement associations, so are 

 educational institutions and organisations. Prove all 

 things and hold fast that which is good. Select in the 

 direction of those institutions that have proved them- 

 selves at once progressive and enduring. 



The second half of the answer is in line with the 

 principle already hinted at, that in difficult cases a 

 criterion of the soundness of operations in a given field 

 is to be found in terms of values in a higher field. It 

 is not enough to ask whether the gold mine is run on 

 lines of economical exploitation as regards the con- 

 servation of energy ; we must ask, as is increasingly 

 done : " What about the conservation of life ? " The 

 exploitation of the sea by trawling yields enormously 



