The Survival of the Unfit 329 



I fe^ persuaded that if the poor-laws had never 

 existed in this country, though there might have been 

 a few more instances of very severe distress, the aggre- 

 gate mass of happiness among the common people 

 would have been much greater than it is at present. ^ 



This doctrine has been especially widespread 

 among those who are only too ready to evade their 

 social responsibilities in the matter of poverty, 

 and have found it a convenient means for quieting 

 restless consciences. The full doctrine has been 

 stated by Hobhouse as follows: 



The true problem of social betterment was to 

 determine the conditions under which the better 

 qualities are propagated and the worse repressed. 

 As to the general nature of these conditions, indeed, 

 there could be no doubt for the biologist. . . . The 

 best was that which survived, and the persistent 

 elimination of the least fit was the one method generally 

 necessary to assure the survival of the best. . . . Life 

 was constantly and necessarily growing better. In 

 every species the least fit were always being destroyed, 

 and the standard of survivors proportionately raised. 

 No doubt there existed even in human society many 

 features which are at first sight objectionable. But 

 here again the evolutionist was in the happy position 

 of being able to verify the existence of a soul of 

 goodness in things evil. Was there acute industrial 

 competition? It was the process by which the 

 fittest came to the top. Were the losers in the 



' T. R. Malthus An Essay on Population, Everyman's Library, 

 vol. ii., p. 51. 



