THE NATURE OP TRADITION 417 



races, differences in tradition as between the groups and classes 

 in the same race. The differences are usually much greater 

 between different races. The tradition present in a race, whether 

 because it includes a higher degree of skill, enables a greater degree 

 of coherence to be realized, is the foundation of more vigorous 

 endeavour, or because it is a combination of these and other 

 elements, may enable one race, when in conflict with other races, 

 to overcome those other races, should the latter be possessed of a 

 tradition, which, taken as a whole, is, relatively to the conditions 

 of the contest, less valuable. There is thus a process of natural 

 selection based upon differences in tradition, just as there is 

 a natural selection based upon differences due to modifications 

 and also upon differences due to mutations. Selection of modifica- 

 tions, as w^e have seen, produces no permanent results. But 

 selection of tradition, hke selection of mutations, has results which 

 may be permanent. In primitive society, where tradition within 

 a race tends to be uniform, this selection of tradition chiefly 

 comes into play in the conflict between races. In more advanced 

 societies where there are considerable differences in tradition 

 between the classes, it also comes into play within races. 



The conflict between races is always in large measure a con- 

 flict between traditions whether or not the differences in tradition 

 are a measure of more fundamental differences. In these conflicts 

 a mass of tradition may be wiped out and lost for good or any 

 degree of amalgamation of tradition may take place. 



At length within modern races there arises a competition of 

 ideas of a rather different nature. Within civilized races there is 

 no longer a mass of tradition which has to be accepted as a whole ; 

 there are different ideas which may be said to compete. One 

 idea may get the better of another within the minds of the 

 majority without involving any elimination of men who hold 

 any other idea, because men can now change their outlook — not, 

 of course, in the case of the great majority by any logical process. 

 Thus a struggle comes into being between ideas, customs, and 

 institutions in modern communities which leads to change without 

 involving human selection. 



These considerations pave the way to an examination of the 

 influence of the actual conditions under which tradition has been 

 elaborated. We have seen that conceptual thinking develops 

 with, and is furthered by, the use of speech. It does not develop 



2498 D d 



