404 COSMIG PHI lOSOFHY, [pt. iil 



finished projects, and frequent failure in the ever-renewed 

 strife between good and evil inclinations. So penetrated are 

 the noblest careers by the leaven of selfish folly, that the 

 conscientious biographer is too often constrained to adopt the 

 tone of apology, mingling condemnation with approval. Side 

 by side with deeds of heroism and sympathetic devotion, his- 

 tory is ever recording deeds of violence and selfish oppres- 

 sion. Undisciplined and conflicting desires are continually 

 coming to fruition in hateful and iniquitous actions. The 

 perennial recurrence of war and persecution, the obstinate 

 vitality of such ugly things as despotism, superstition, fraud, 

 robbery, treachery, and bigotry, show how chaotic as yet is 

 the distribution of moral forces. While the prevalence, here 

 and there, of ignorance and poverty, disease and famine, shows 

 how imperfect as yet is our power to adapt ourselves to the 

 changes going on around us. 



That this state of things is temporarily necessitated by the 

 physical constitution of the universe and by the process of 

 evolution itself, may readily be granted.^ The physical ills 

 with which humanity is afflicted are undoubtedly consequent 

 upon the very movement of progress which is bearing it on- 

 ward toward relative perfection of life, and moral evils like- 

 wise are the indispensable concomitants of its slow transition 

 from the primeval state of savage isolation to the ultimate 

 state of civilized interdependence. They are not obstacles to 

 any scientific theory of evolution, nor do they provide en 

 excuse for gloomy cynicism, but should rather be viewed 

 with quiet resignation, relieved by philosophic hopefulness, 

 and enlightened endeavours to ameliorate them. But thoufrh 



' In treatin.Qf of tha special-crention hypnthef5is [Principles of Biology, 

 paitiii.j Jlr. Sjieiicer calls attention to the numerous cases in which the 

 Dither life is saeriticed, without compensation, to the. lower, as for example in. 

 the case of parasites. This is a formidable objection, not only to the doctriun 

 »f special creations, but to anthropomorjihic theism in general. But for mj 

 Orer^ent purpose if is quite enough to point out that the constitution of the 

 world is such that even the genesis of higher life involves au enormous io< 

 Miction of misery u^ou sentient creatures 



