EVOLUTION OP JAPAN 401 



shows us also that Cliristiamty and the ethical influences with 

 which it is associated are not universally essential to the de- 

 velopment of civilisation. And if this be the case — ^if efficiency 

 in that domain of evolution which we characterise as Western 

 civihsation can be attained independently of the ethical influence 

 of Christianity — there is at least a strong presumption that such 

 efficiency was Hkewise attained in Europe and America inde- 

 pendently of these ethical influences. For we must distinguish 

 between the influence exercised by Christianity as a vast political 

 system on the formation of our institutions and on our whole 

 social organisation ; and the supposed ethical influences of Chris- 

 tianity, which Mr. Kidd takes to be the primary force under- 

 lying social evolution in Western civihsation. 



In the domain of international politics, then, the tendency 

 of evolution is towards a continual widening of the sphere of 

 conflict. Let us turn to the domain of social questions, using 

 the phrase in the restricted sense to mean the Social Question, 

 the question of the relation of capital to labour. Mr. Kidd has 

 insisted upon the alleged tendency of social evolution to give 

 to all classes of the population an ever-increasing chance in the 

 struggle for existence. But, while fully admitting the bene- 

 ficence of a tendency to widen the sphere of social competition 

 by allowing an ever greater number of individuals to enter it — 

 at present large numbers are hereditarily excluded from the 

 sphere of competition properly so called, seeing that they get no 

 chance of even entering upon the struggle, but are condemned 

 from birth to submit to certain degrading conditions — we are 

 unable to see this tendency really at work. True, there has 

 been a shifting of the balance of power at the expense of the 

 wealthier classes ; there has been some leveUing of wealth, and 

 a more equable distribution of social riches.^ This shifting of 



^ The repartition of social wealth is more equable in Germany and 

 France than in Great Britain ; as we have seen, the inequalities in Great 

 Britain are extremely marked. 



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