SELECTION: ORGANIC AND SOCIAL 237 



free themselves from natural selection, and it 

 behoves us to make sure that some rational 

 winnowing takes the place of the automatic 

 process of nature. There are many processes of 

 social selection going on, some for evil and some 

 for good. They require to be sternly criticised, 

 especially as those that are for good do not seem 

 to be getting any grip of the organic quaUties of 

 the breed. 



We must take more thought of the improve- 

 ment of our breed, not only for its own sake — 

 for healthfuhiess is as fundamental as virtue is 

 supreme — but also lest we become involved in 

 some terrible inter-societary struggle and find — 

 like Samson — when we arise and go out and 

 shake ourselves, as at other times before, that 

 our strength has gone from us in our sleep. 



