NATURE'S LAWS 323 



killing helpless animals, the death of which many 

 of us could not bear to witness. And yet we 

 are partly carnivorous, as our teeth plainly show. 

 Then there is that shocking thing called sport; 

 few animals are so low as to play with their 

 victims. We can only call sportsmen degenerates 

 unworthy to be classed as higher animals. Even 

 the instinct that is gratified when a man glories 

 in a fight with some savage beast is entirely 

 absent ; " hit one of your own size " should be 

 brought home to the battue shooter. 



The strenuous life is undoubtedly the better ; it 

 conduces to that feeling which exults in hard work 

 for an object. Work without an end or aim is 

 dull, but not quite so dull as idleness. The idle 

 must degenerate; every faculty is weakened by 

 disuse, and in some cases sickness ensues. The 

 weakest must naturally " go to the wall." Modern 

 civilisation is responsible for many drawbacks ; 

 possibly the greatest is that want of independence 

 so conspicuous in the workman of to-day. By 

 combination much more can be done, but the 

 individual suffers and through him the race. 

 There is no end or object to be gained beyond 

 the weekly wage ; in many cases there is no scope 

 for ingenuity or excellence. 



Every plant and animal is an individualist first. 



