CHAPTER II 



THE EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE 



The moment we begin to apply the principle of 

 evolution we see the truth of the simple statements I 

 have asked the reader to bear clearly in mind. The 

 first is that the fact of evolution is the greatest dis- 

 covery the mind of man ever made, no matter what 

 controversies there may be about its machinery. The 

 second is that Charles Darwin perceived a truth of 

 the greatest importance when he discovered * * natural 

 selection." Even if you live in a village, you have 

 only to open your eyes to see the reality of natural 

 selection. You see the struggle of a litter of young 

 pigs for food; the struggle of a swarm of grubs that 

 hatch from a caterpillar's eggs; the struggle of men 

 for employment, of shopkeepers for prosperity. The 

 weakest, for the particular struggle, "go to the wall." 

 The fittest, for the particular struggle (not necessarily 

 the best or the strongest), survive. That is natural 

 selection. 



Now, this may not prove to be an explanation of 

 everything in living nature. There are certainly 

 many features of animals and plants that it does not 

 easily explain. In any case, it does not go far enough, 



II 



