34 Heredity and Social Progress 



and thus developing new characters that make 

 the relations to existing conditions inharmoni- 

 ous. The being will then seek another en- 

 vironment where its characters will be natural 

 to the situation. But a natural environment 

 will not at first make the need of new char- 

 acters evident, for harmony breeds content, 

 The tendency, therefore, will be for a static 

 condition to ensue until an increase of numbers 

 brings on a struggle between those whose 

 natural adjustment is so marked that removal 

 is difficult. Struggle is between the adjusted ; 

 the non-adjusted are mobile enough to seek 

 other locations or to acquire other habits. 



When naturalness and adjustment create 

 static conditions, a new factor enters. Over- 

 population causes a deficit which brings about 

 elimination. The force generated by acquired 

 characters is a surplus energy that increases 

 the number of natural characters. In a natural 

 environment it expends itself in struggle, and 

 leads to the elimination of those beings whose 

 energies are not centred upon themselves. 

 There is thus a tendency to reduce the number 

 of characters and to bring the remainder to the 



