324 ADAPTATION AND PROGRESS 
more inclusive social unity. The church-ideal, for example, in- 
cludes the ‘‘ denomination ”’ or Christianity as a whole; that of 
the local union includes the trade union or the “laboring class.” 
This leads to a point where we can suggest a social goal so far as 
I know not previously formulated in social philosophy,! and with 
no word to express it, I suggest exemplifaction® to complete the 
triad begun by innovation and imitation. 
This ideal of living a life that shall enter into other lives by the 
power of example is by no means new as applied to individuals. 
It seems to have been prominent in the consciousness of Jesus 
when he said “ Follow me”; when he taught that he was the 
Way, and when he said to his disciples, ‘‘ Let your light so shine 
before men that they may see your good works.” We find it 
in the words of Paul (I Cor. xi.1): ‘ Be ye followers of me even 
as I also am of Christ.”’? This ideal as applied to groups is new, 
however, so far as I know, with the possible exception of the 
Hebrew prophet who taught that Israel should be a “‘ light to the 
Gentiles ” (Isa. xlix.6), but even here the thought seems to be 
that of social service by supremacy and social control, rather than 
by the persuasion of example.* 
The doctrine is just this: Every social unity, — family, church, 
club, village, city, state, nation, — should have as its goal self- 
preservation and self-enlargement, and should be led to see that 
these can be secured best (1) by striving to develop such an 
1 Novicow’s analysis of adaptation and his phrase “ provoquer l’imitation”’ were 
unknown to the writer until the manuscript was in the hands of the printer. Chap- 
ter XIV was afterwards written and a few changes made in this chapter. With 
Novicow, however, individual pleasure is the goal of life and individual and social 
processes including “provoquer l’imitation”’ are considered but means to that end 
dictated by self-interest. Our position, on the contrary, is that active adaptation 
is the end and pleasure and pain sign-boards to indicate the right way. 
* The words exemplification and exemplariness have somewhat different meaning. 
3“ Miynral pov ylvecbe, xabws kaya xptcrod. Cf. II Thessalonians, iii. 7-10. 
4 Cf. Ward’s “ immortality of achievement.” The highest form of struggle and 
rivalry, as Novicow has shown, and the form most potent in social progress, is 
rivalry in excellence, i. e., struggle for that attainment that shall become immortal 
through reflective imitation. ‘‘ Imitation ” as here used, so too, “ example ” have 
the broad meaning of Tarde and Baldwin with no thought of slavish copying. 
In this sense a person is imitated as his life is a source of inspiration and suggestion. 
Only in this sense is Jesus the example for man. 
