Struggle between Rival Empires 51 



ority, and the rights it confers on him. So much the 

 better, he says, agreeing with Professor Pearson, 

 for this cross-conviction and these cross-interests 

 insure the survival and the gradual perfection 

 of the fittest through international strife and 

 war. 



Here we have "social Darwinism" in its final 

 consummation, transformed from its lowly begin- 

 nings of struggle in the animal world to its apotheo- 

 sis in the mighty conflicts of rival empires. In the 

 history of modern Europe, in the ententes and 

 alliances of the ' ' balance of power " ; in the recipro- 

 cal and cumulative preparations "for defence 

 only" while these rival aggressive policies of 

 Imperialism were being steadily pursued, we can 

 follow the inevitable development of a system of 

 international anarchy based on doctrines of mutual 

 antagonism and destructive competition. And 

 finally, if the pragmatic test, "By their fruits ye 

 shall know them," is to be applied to the logical 

 results of social and political theory, the philosophy 

 of force is self-condemned by the breakdown in 

 August, 1914, of the civilization founded in so 

 large a measure upon this philosophy. 



It is not sufficient, however, to know that a 

 social philosophy is unsound, as shown by the fact 

 that it breaks down in practice. If the truer 

 theory of human relations by which we hope to 

 replace it is not to run the danger of having the 

 same or similar weaknesses, we must apply to the 

 outworn system a searching criticism; we must 



