Page:Divine Selection or The Survival of the Useful.djvu/37

 general and final result to know the meaning of the struggle for existence. Can we judge mankind to be without moral motive because of a street fight between ruffians, or competition in trade, or because one drives the crows out of his corn, or gets his bread by the sweat of his brow?

It has been well suggested that the moral motive is evident in plants and animals surrendering their substance and life in the reproduction of their kind. But there is a moral motive deeper and broader than this.

Viewing nature from the beginning we observe in the vaster plan that embraces all, the strongest evidence of the moral motive. The rock surrendered itself to the sea and the atmosphere to form soil. Myriads of plants and animals daily surrendered their bodies to form alluvium; and the sacrifice to nature's purpose was so complete that nothing was wanting to form the basis