THE PURPOSE OF DIVEPSITY 427 



characters vary mucli througli inlieritanco these can only l)e 

 developed in special directions hy some form of selection. 

 There being very little if any effective selection of character 

 among civilised people, they therefore fear that there can he 

 no continued advance of the race. Quite recently 1 have dis- 

 cussed this question from two points of view. I^y a general 

 glance over the early history of civilis.'d man 1 have shown 

 that there is little if any evidence of advance in character «h- 

 in intellect from the earliest times of which we have anv 

 record.^ I had already, twenty years ago, shown in some d(»- 

 tail how, under a rational system of society, in which all the 

 present soul-degrading influences of individualistic wealth and 

 poverty would be abolished, (especially as leading to unholy 

 marriages) a progressive advance in character would neces- 

 sarily arise through elimination of the worst and most degraded 

 bv an effective and trulv natural selection.- The following 

 passage towards the end of the former article will briefly indi- 

 cate the nature of the argument in both these essays: 



" The great lesson taught us by this brief exposition of the 

 phenomena of character in relation to the known laws of organic 

 evolution is this: that our imperfect human nature, with its almost 

 infinite possibilities of good and evil, can only make a systematic 

 advance through the thoroughly sympathetic and ethical training 

 of every child from infancy upwards, combined with that perfect 

 freedom of choice in marriage which will only be possihle wlien all 

 are economically equal, and no question of social rank or material 

 advantage can have the slightest influence in determining that 

 choice." 



It now only remains to show, verv brieflv, how tlu^ views 

 here sketched out are in perfect harmony with the entire scheme 

 of the life-world. That scheme is shown to be the production 

 of an almost infinite diversity in forms of life, beautifuUv eo 

 ordinated for the common good, and for the ultimate develop- 



1 " Evolution and Character," Fortnijjhtly Review. January 1. I'JOS. 

 •-'"Human Selection." Fortni«ilit ly Review. Septj-niber ISOl). Reprinted 

 in Studies, Scientific and Social, 1900, vol. i. p. 509. 



