THE STRUGGLE FOR TUE LIFE OF OTHERS. 261 



the Altruism is there ; that the day came when, even 

 though a rudiment, it was a reality ; above all that 

 the arrangements for introducing and perfecting it 

 were realities. The prototype, for ages, may have 

 extended only to form, to the outward relation; for 

 further ages no more Altruism may have existed than 

 was absolutely necessary to the preservation of the 

 Species. But to fix the eye upon it at that remote 

 stage and assert that, because it was apparently then 

 automatic, it must therefore have been automatic ever 

 after, is to forget the progressive character of Evolu- 

 tion as well as to ignore facts. While many of the 

 apparent Other-regarding acts among animals are 

 purely selfish and purely automatic, undoubtedly 

 there are instances where more is involved. Apart 

 from their own offspring — in relation to which there 

 may always be the suspicion of automatism ; and 

 apart from domestic animals — which are open to the 

 further suspicion of having been trained to it — ani- 

 mals act spontaneously towards other animals; they 

 have their playmates ; they make friendships and 

 very attached friendships. Much more, indeed, has 

 been claimed for them ; but it is not necessary to 

 claim even this mucho No evolutionist would expect 

 among animals — domestic animals always excepted — 

 any considerable development of Altruism, because 

 the physiological and psychical conditions which di- 

 rectly led to its development in Man's case were fulfilled 

 in no other creature.^ 



' The answer to the argument in favor of automatism is thus 

 summarized by C. M. Williams : '*(!) That functions which are 

 preserved and inherited must evidently be, not only in animals 

 and plants, but also and equally in man, such as favor the preser- 



