COMPETITION. 127 



distributed to every child born within the community, 

 Without this condition the united effort of the com- 

 munity can never reach its maximum, for much 

 individual power is suppressed, and much incom- 

 petency is bolstered up in quite an artificial manner, 

 and competition fails in great measure to bring 

 forward the most capable competitors. 



Modern Democratic Attempts to equalise the Struggle. 



While this is an undoubted fact, it seems pretty 

 certain that latterly a change has come about in the 

 direction which gives more scope for individual 

 attainments irrespective of birth and wealth. 



Organised efforts are being, made to connect the 

 Board Schools with the universities, so that the 

 children of the poor may, if capable enough, climb 

 at once into the professional classes. In the inter- 

 ests of intellectual effort this is very desirable, for 

 the universities will then draw their students from a 

 larger area, and men possessing brain power will be 

 rescued from mere mechanical pursuits. One can 

 hardly explain, on the assumption of race superi- 

 ority alone, the wonderful potentiality of the Scottish 

 Lowlands, the birthplace of so many who have been 

 distinguished for personal attainments, for the East 

 Coast Englishman is of the same blood as the Low- 

 lander, and the division between England and 



