28 ANIMAL LIFE AND HUMAN PROGRESS 



There are schemes afoot for speeding up the teaching of 

 many subjects. Languages, geography, history, chemistry, 

 engineering, agriculture, are to be studied with an intensity 

 hitherto unknown in this country, with the avowed object of 

 maintaining our commercial supremacy in the greatly in- 

 creased competition with the rest of the world that is antici- 

 pated in the future. Incidentally, this supremacy is to put 

 us beyond reach of rivalry and so to repair and restore our 

 wealth that we may face the expense of another war with 

 equanimity. That this is the intention of a considerable 

 class of politicians and publicists may be gathered from their 

 speeches, writings and activities. From such, zoologists may 

 expect but little sympathy. It was they who before the 

 war, and long before, were wont to ask of us, " What is the 

 use of your zoology ? What does it do for us ? Can you 

 make money out of it, or power, or political influence ? ' 

 These are the Philistines of Matthew Arnold. The Philistines 

 were a warlike nation, and crass utilitarianism is one of the 

 products of war. 



But there is another scheme of social reconstruction, 

 previously identified with pacifism and socialism and other 

 dreaded " isms," but now coming rapidly to the front and 

 asserting itself with no uncertain voice. This has as its main 

 objects the abolition of militarism in any form, the elimina- 

 tion of competition, and the recognition of the equality both 

 of nations and individuals. 



This school of thought is hostile to zoological doctrine, 

 because, as its adherents have learnt from the German 

 military publicists, and as they had begun to suspect 

 some time before the war broke out, it is possible to use 

 it as an argument against many of their most cherished 

 beliefs. 



Whichever of these two conflicting schools of ideas prevails, 

 it would seem that zoological science must start with the 

 handicap of apathy or suspicion. 



It is my belief, and I am going to try to justify it, that the 

 science of zoology has a high educational and moral value, 

 and that it would be calamitous if its teaching were neglected, 



