and man, it is the inferior and most simple 

 species, the races and classes least varied in 

 the scale of beings, which reproduce themselves 

 most freely and whose generations succeed 

 one another most rapidly in consequence of 

 the lesser longevity of the individuals. 



A fern produces millions of spores, and its 

 life is very short whilst a palm tree gives a 

 few dozen seeds and lives a century. 



A fish produces several thousand eggs 

 whilst the elephant and the chimpanzee have 

 a few little ones that live a great number of 

 years. 



In the human species savage races are the 

 most prolific, and have short life --whilst 

 civilised races have a low birth-rate and a 

 greater longevity. 



From all this it follows that, even keeping 

 to the domain of pure biology, the number of 

 conquerors in the "struggle for existence" is 

 always more considerable relatively to the 

 number of births as one passes from vegetables 

 to animals, from animals to men, and from 

 inferior species or varieties to superior races 

 or varieties, 



The iron law of "the struggle for existence" 

 rapidly reduces, then, the hecatomb of the 

 conquered as the forms of life become more 

 complex and perfect. 



It would, therefore, be an error to invoke 

 against socialism the Darwinian law of 

 natural selection as it is manifested in primi- 

 tive forms of life without keeping account of 

 its continued attenuation as we pass from 



