THE STRUGGLE FOR THE LIFE OF OTHERS 333 



ments may be, when closely examined they are 

 seen, at every essential point, running parallel with 

 each other. The object in either case is to con- 

 tinue the life of the Species ; the essence of 

 both is self-sacrifice ; the first manifestation of 

 the sacrifice is to make provision for Others by 

 helping them to draw the first few breaths of 

 life. But what has Love to do with Species ? 

 Can Altruism have reference to mere life ? The 

 answer is, that in its first beginnings it has 

 almost nothing to do with anything else. For, 

 consider the situation. Reproduction, let us sup- 

 pose, has done its most perfect work on the 

 physiological plane : the result is that a human 

 child is born into the world. But the work of Re- 

 production being to Struggle for the Life of the 

 Species, its task is only complete when it secures 

 that the child, representing the Species, shall live. 

 If the child dies. Reproduction has failed ; the 

 Species, so far as this effort is concerned, comes to 

 an end. Now, can Reproduction as a merely phy- 

 siological function complete this process? It can 

 not. What can ? Only the Mother's Care and 

 Love. Without these, in a few hours or days, the 

 new life must perish ; the earlier achievement of 

 Reproduction is in vain. Hence there comes a 

 moment when these two functions meet, when 



