204 THE STRUGGLE FOB LIFE, 



of danger must become habitual, or that death when 

 it comes is sudden, and unaccompanied by that an- 

 ticipation which gives it its chief dread to Man, we 

 must assume that whatever the Struggle for Life 

 subjectively means to the lower animals, it can never 

 approach in terror what it means to us. And as to 

 putting any moral content into it, until a late stage 

 in the world's development, that is not to be thought 

 of. Judged of even by later standards there is much 

 to relieve one's first unfavorable impression. With 

 exceptions, the fight is a fair fight. As a rule there is 

 no hate in it, but only Hunger. It is seldom pro- 

 longed, and seldom wanton. As to the manner of 

 death, it is generally sudden. As to the fact of 

 death, all animals must die. As to the meaning of an 

 existence prematurely closed, it is better to be to be 

 eaten than not to be at all. And, as to the last 

 result, it is better to be eaten out of the world 

 and, dying, help another to live, than pollute the 

 world by lingering decay. The most, after all, that 

 can be done with life is to give it to others. Till 

 Nature taught her creatures of their own free will to 

 offer the sacrifice, is it strange that she took it by 

 force ? 



There are those indeed who frown upon Science 

 for predicating a Struggle for Life in Nature at all, 

 lest the facts should impugn the beneficence of the 

 universe. But Science did not invent the Struggle 

 for Life. It is there. What Science has really done 

 is to show not only its meaning but its great moral 

 purpose. There are others, again, like Mill, who, see- 

 ing the facts, but not seeing that moral purpose, 

 impugn natural theology for still believing in the 



