154 THE CREATION OF MATTER 



every stage were material and living elements able to 

 work and to weave and build up nothing but the ordered 

 and the good? Why, but because of the perfection of 

 their own order. Why, but because of the carefully 

 measured and balanced potencies in themselves, measured 

 and balanced by mind to obey a law of ordered progress, 

 even as now to obey a law of ordered growth. If there 

 be mind, as we have seen, in the building up of animal 

 frames, much more is mind necessary in steady and 

 regular advances, marching forward through vast periods 

 of years. 



The struggle for existence. The struggle for existence, 

 the survival of the fittest, and natural selection are the 

 various names given to the law which is Darwin's glory. It 

 is determined by environment. It is on environment that 

 everything involved in its action depends. Environment 

 makes the struggle. Environment kills. Environment 

 selects, preserves, and maintains. From the beginning 

 of evolution, onward through its whole course, environ- 

 ment determined the variations which should survive. 

 Environment includes physical conditions, abundance or 

 scarcity of food, enemies and friends of every kind and 

 nature. At every point, in every stage, a variation 

 suited to the physical conditions, finding sufficiency of 

 food, finding itself stronger than its enemies, survived 

 and propagated its kind. Times of special sifting inter- 

 vened, the physical conditions became severe, food became 

 scarce, and enemies multiplied, and so all feeble varieties 

 were destroyed, while only the very strongest remained. 

 There have been in the history of the earth times of 

 overpowering heat, times of overwhelming cold, times 

 when scarcity of food prevailed, times when enemies and 

 hostile influences multiplied. But, on the whole, during 

 the millions of years throughout which evolution has 



