228 DARWINISM AND HUMAN LIFE 



suggested that there are many forms of social 

 selection in operation which take the place of 

 natural selection ; but inquiry — here very super- 

 ficial — shows that these forms of social selection 

 do not work out as natural selection does, and 

 that some of them have results which are, from 

 the biological point of view, retrogressive. 



Constructive SuaoBSTioNs. — As we are here 

 mainly concerned with getting the biology of the 

 problem clear, we cannot do more than hint at 

 the general policy of betterment. In general, 

 it cannot be other than this — ^to adhere to and 

 increase those forms of selection which make for 

 the survival of beautiful and healthful surround- 

 ings, educative and wholesome occupations, sane 

 and progressive men and women. The first ideal 

 has been called that of Eutopias, the second that 

 of Eutechnics, the third that of Eugenics.' They 

 obviously correspond to the three fundamental 

 categories of biology : Environment, Function, 

 and Organism. 



Selection of Eutopias. — Possessed by certain 

 enthusiasms or illusions, a man may gladly live — 

 and perhaps more gladly die — on a cinder-heap ; 

 and there is a local patriotism which throws a 

 halo round any home. But deep down in every 

 healthy human being, rooted perhaps in a once 

 closer contact with nature, there is a love of 

 the fresh air, the clean earth, the running brook, 

 the waving trees, the singing birds — a beautiful 

 place, in short, such as even a garden city might 

 afEord. 



The biological importance of living in beautiful 



* The first two by Prof. Patrick Geddes, the third by Sir Francis 

 Galton. 



