FIELD AND STUDY 



the consideration of the matter? Do our human 

 standards apply in the struggle of organic evolution? 

 Is it right for the bird to devour the worm or for one 

 insect to destroy another? or for the big fish to eat 

 up the little fish? or for the wolf to devour the 

 lamb? See to what straits our standards of right and 

 wrong lead us! In nature that is right which suc- 

 ceeds; unless might is successful it is not might — 

 the other side is might, and therefore right. 



§ 

 Start this flame of life going and it goes on. The 

 world is full of matter that is combustible to it; the 

 very foundations of the globe are its material. But 

 how to get the first spark? The Promethean fire we 

 do not need to steal from heaven; we can kindle it 

 by mechanical and chemical means any time; but 

 the fire of life we cannot kindle. We have to evoke 

 it from heaven, by means of a miracle. And how it 

 differs from the other ! The fire of life burns its own 

 ashes over and over. Yet Science asks, Is there any 

 more reality to vitalism than there would be to 

 igneousism? 



§ 

 The need begets the tool and the tool begets the 

 need. The need begat the saw and hammer. There 

 was this activity, this push of life, this feeling of 

 struggle behind it. Man would have had no tools or 

 weapons or inventions had he not had a ceaseless 

 and irrepressible feeling or desire to extend himself, 

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