228 HEREDITY AND CHRISTIAN PROBLEMS 



Light fills the spaces, while a man from ignorance 

 may remain in a cave, or from choice dwell in 

 darkness. The Divine Spirit is everywhere opera- 

 tive, but some, not knowing it, may continue in filth 

 and animalism, and others, fascinated by the flesh, 

 may choose only what will gratify appetite. The 

 Spirit of God is the divine factor in the environ- 

 ment of every human being. If a man chooses, 

 he may resist all improving influences ; and if he 

 wills to do so, he can conquer all the vicious ten- 

 dencies inherited from past generations. Both 

 the human and divine elements in environment 

 may be resisted, and both may be gladly wel- 

 comed. That a flower of necessity receives colour 

 from the light, while a man may respond to his 

 environment or not as he chooses, is among the 

 problems which remain to be solved. But the 

 mystery is not so great as at first appears, because 

 the divine is not the sole factor in any man's 

 environment. In proportion as the environment 

 of a man is exclusively good, the probabilities are 

 multiplied that he will be good, whatever his 

 inborn tendencies. Therefore, the real problem 

 which faces all who are engaged in such studies 

 as the present is, how may all human beings 

 be brought under the constant and exclusive in- 

 fluence of a spiritual environment .-' The best 



