214 THE EVOLUTION OF CONTINUITY 



His interference only results in the production of one 

 hundred per cent, pure-breds as compared with a smaller 

 but equally inevitable number in Mendelian proportions. 

 And he cannot prevent a certain proportion of the true- 

 breds (showing the variation) from appearing, even if he 

 try by intercrossing with Individuals not possessing it to 

 delete the variation. Mendel's experiments with the 'tall 

 and dwarf sweet-pea plants exemplifies this point. It 

 seems clear that Individual selection is not necessary for 

 the preservation of the transmissible variation, but that 

 the use of the process is to increase the percentage of 

 " preserveds." 



Environment imprints the variation and preserves it. 



Darwin pictured a selection or segregation of Individuals 

 possessing a given variation " from whatever cause pro- 

 ceeding " ; the segregation being in essence a weeding out 

 of the Individuals not possessing the variation. The more 

 reasonable proposition would seem to us to be that Environ- 

 ment selected or segrated developing Individuals of normal 

 developmental potentiality in order to imprint the variations ; 

 or, to put it better, so that the developing Individuals came 

 under the play of new environmental forces which imposed 

 the variation ; the variation being a harmonious response 

 to the new environment's influence. 



In a word, Environment used Segregation of Individuals 

 (in posse) in order to produce acquired variation. 



Like Man, Environment has clearly segregated at times 

 Individuals possessing a variation, but as has been pointed 

 out, this has not been necessary for the preservation of 

 the variation, though assisting " numerically " in its 

 preservation. 



The survival of the fittest is only the survival of the 

 hereditarily normal in suitable environment ; though, of 

 course, one capable of producing variation. The struggle 

 for existence only reflects the law that nothing is gained, 

 or thrives, without some corresponding loss or sacrifice 

 in surrounding Nature ; and also that the potentially fit 

 becomes the unfit when forced to develop in hostile environ- 

 ment. At the basis of things, Nature has not worked by 

 means of tragedies, but in spite of them. Tragedies are 

 taken into account, and have their influence in the universal 



