TOWARDS A THEORY OF LIFE 1393 



and individual, than are their modern biological parallels of 

 "Environment, Function, and Organism", which are so generalised 

 as to seem comparatively abstract. So after manifold trials, and of 

 both methods, we begin this outline of Life-theory by starting it 

 in the simple old human way; yet which soon leads us into the 

 animal world, and its ways of life. 



CONDITIONS -OF FURTHER STUDY.— In thinking of place, 

 work, and folk, we, of course, know our own circumstances best : as in 

 geography, general and local ; in such occupations as we may be most 

 familiar with ; and such people as we have lived with or met ; and 

 thus to recall our essential life-experience is a very useful beginning. 

 But we soon find that our experience has been too varied and 

 complex to set down simply; it would lead us into a whole auto- 

 biography; and such records, however interesting, do not furnish 

 what we seek, a measure of the process of social life, in parallelism 

 to that of organic life. Moreover, these are nowadays more separate 

 than of old; so it is among simpler folk than ourselves, nearer 

 Nature, and in close touch with her, that we must begin. Man, in 

 Nature, can only conquer her by first obeying her; by seeing and 

 taking what in that place she gives, and thereafter observing and 

 searching out what more he may be able to obtain from her. And 

 this at first, and always fundamentally, by direct labour, to the 

 sweat of his brow. Such simple folk were thus in the country long 

 before there were towns, in caverns or in huts before they built 

 houses, and living by gathering, fishing, and hunting, before they 

 had domesticated animals for pasture, or begun cultivation. Even 

 at his most civilised in later periods, until to-day, man but slowly 

 develops from such simple conditions; and since we find survivals 

 of these early phases to this day in many parts of the world, it is 

 evident that our study of human life, in various places, at various 

 work, and of such difterent peoples, must be sufficiently broad and 

 comprehensive to include them all, and apply to the prehistory, 

 and next even the history, of all peoples, to our own days and ways. 



This is no doubt a very large and serious change from the personal 

 and autobiographic way from which we started — in fact, its very 

 contrast, that of looking at life no longer from the personal stand- 

 point, but the varied yet universal one of humanity, throughout 

 its varied peoples, ways, and places. Yet the most self-concentrated 

 individual has some notions towards this; as from his very street; 

 and from the country around his town, let alone from newspaper 

 and map, from simplest history school-book to varied library; and 

 which his further life-experience and holiday travel are ever 

 extending. The aim of the nature-studies and regional surveys 

 above sketched is to bring this widening experience and under- 

 standing into education in its largest sense, for all phases of our lives. 



VOL. II uu 



