Page:George Archdall Reid 1896 The present evolution of man.djvu/211



is a common opinion that, in consequence of man's very extensive conquest over the forces of nature, he is no longer under the operation of that law which, in the vast majority of instances, bids species change in adaption to a changing environment, or perish, and that therefore his evolution has ceased. Dr. Moxon expressed this opinion when he said, in the passage quoted at the beginning of this work, that "now the plan is so turned about by the arrival of man on the scene, and by his civilization, that you cannot watch Darwin and Huxley themselves without seeing that the struggle that they and other good men wage is no struggle for existence." It is true that civilized man no longer contends against wild beasts, and that, generally speaking, he is safe from cold and hunger and thirst; no longer does he necessarily perish if he be weak of limb or deficient in cunning, or because he cannot endure prolonged exposure or privation. Nevertheless, it is also true that the strong in mind and body are still the more successful in securing mates, and in providing suitable food and shelter for them, and for their offspring, who in the next generation likewise wage a successful strife.

That the evolution of physical and mental powers in