c 



INTRODUCTION 



The story of Social Evolution tells bow one form of 

 life came to dominate so completely th<' lives and destinies 

 of all other forms, that for ages the creature man be- 

 lieved himself toJ)e a separate and distinct creation, 

 master of his fateJ It is a wonderful story, surpassing 

 in romance and fascination any epic or drama ever writ- 

 ten. In the dark ages before recorded history, great 

 foi-ees were active, silently and insensibly working, mold- 

 ing tlie destinies of the future forms of lif<'. In Ihe pro- 

 cess of this evolution an occasional gleam of conscious- 

 ness began to dawn. Sensibilities became more refined; 

 symi)athy and compassion, the ]n'oducts of complex rela- 

 tions, tempered and modified the earlier, cruder adjust- 

 inents; cruelty and opi)ression became less and less the 

 guiding forces which governed the relations of conscious 

 beings; tolerance and sympathy became more and more 

 the directing principles of life. 



In order to understand the important and determining 

 factors in this ]irocess we must examine both the ]>hysical 

 and the spiritual basis of man's supremacy. There are 

 certain great principles which guide the growth and de- 

 velopment of life. We must study the relation of these 

 principles to man. In the chapt(M"s of T^art I we 

 shall examine the explanations that have been brought 

 forward by naturalists for Ww origin of man's ]")hysical 

 being. In the cliai)ters of the remaining part of the book 

 we shall examine the factors and the influences which have 



