57 



activity of habit and muscular activity. The proposition here 

 advanced is proved to be valid to a large extent by the con- 

 sideration of extreme cases. 



Second. — Any special muscular activity highly developed, 

 when general activity is wanting, does not lead to beauty of 

 form. 



Third. — When an animal's methods of protection are of the 

 passive order, e.g., colouration or heavy armour, beauty of form 

 is rare, and where the protection is of the active kind, beauty of 

 form is much more frequent. 



The question must also be asked, viz. : Does the beauty 

 of form in these animals precede the muscular activity, or the 

 muscular activity precede the beauty of form ? I think there 

 can be but one answer to this, viz., that the beauty of form is 

 preceded and produced by the activity of life of the animals 

 presenting it. The survival-value of the activity of habit of 

 these creatures has been the first factor in their specialized 

 development, and the beauty of form has followed from this. 

 Moral for ourselves : May we not, by analogy, expect that 

 physical activity and energy of life in the human animal will 

 bring with it beauty of form ? Indeed, I think it is seen that the 

 modern cult of physical development does produce a finer- 

 looking race of young men and women than the comparative 

 neglect of physical culture did a generation or two ago. 



