CHAPTER VIII 

 LIFE AND THE NATURAL LAWS 



Physical sciences are based on the discoveries of natural laws and 

 on the interrelationships involved in their operation. In the proving 

 of any new theory or hypothesis, all that is known or is subsequently 

 learned must fit it without contradiction. Otherwise, the hypothesis 

 must be overhauled. The physical and chemical laws have been of 

 great aid in explaining the processes of individual plants and animals. 

 The biologists have sought laws governing organic community be- 

 havior, but the intricacy of relationships has made the task difficult. 

 It often happens that we discover a law by disobeying it and reaping 

 the consequences. If a farmer discovers both his income and capital 

 being destroyed by erosion, the experience may be painful enough to 

 cause him to wonder what natural law is operating against him, and 

 why. If the sportsman finds a lack of fish or game where it was for- 

 merly plentiful, he may be tempted to support the scientists who can 

 discover the natural laws governing these populations. 



The Ruthless Justice of Nature. An outstanding quality of a 

 natural law is its impartiality. Unlike the administration of any 

 man-stated social law, nature provides for no mercy. Nor is there any 

 anger involved, nor revenge. As far as Nature is concerned, neither 

 is there reward or punishment only cause and effect. It is a well 

 known physical principle that for every action there is an equal reac- 

 tion. Less well known is the fact that the principle applies to biologi- 

 cal forces. 



It is fortunate that reactions potentially injurious in both the 

 physical and biological world can often be managed so as to channel 

 them into harmless or even constructive roles. The autoloading shot- 

 gun, for example, is constructed in such a fashion that most of the 

 recoil or reaction from the powder explosion is diffused through the 

 shooter's shoulder and body (and partly into the earth) ; but, in 

 addition, a fraction of the reaction serves to operate a mechanism 

 which ejects the used shell and reloads the gun. 



When a draindrop strikes the earth its kinetic energy is released. 

 This energy came 'from the sun and was acquired when heat evapo- 

 rated the water, when heat expanded the air and permitted it to 

 absorb water vapor, when heat energy caused a rising air current to 

 carry the vapor aloft. The reaction of the raindrop at the moment 

 of impact may be expended in one sharp, destructive blow if it strikes 

 solidly on bare soil, (Fig. 38) much as the shot or bullet leaving the 

 gun barrel strikes a target. This is the point where most people fail 

 utterly to comprehend the natural force involved in rainfall. In a 

 climate of 40 inches of rain per year, something like 4500 tons of 

 water fall on each acre (an area not much over 200 feet square) each 



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