The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-06-28


at the power of the chameleon" to
assume color most suited to the
object on which he rests. At first
he appears to be common lizard;
but place the brown fellow on
bright green plant, and in a short
time we see the coat changing until
our lizard is a bright green chanel
con. This power of the chameleon
is no more wonderful than any 9TH
er power of. Nature. It is simply
means given to the chameleon by
Nature as protection against any
thing harmful. Another very COM
mon example of Natures care of her
children is the changing of the rab-
bits fur to accord with the different
seasons. In the summer we find
him brownish grey-a, color we'll
harmonizing with the shrubbery of
the underbrush. In the winter the
rabbit is very nnlike his summer
self, being pure white, almost undis-
cernable in the snow, So we see
that Nature protects her children to
a certain degree. They must do
the rest for themselves. Thus we
come back to the old story of the
struggle and survival. Nature be-
slows favors on her plant kingdom
as we'll as on animals, enabling
them also to wage war for their life.
That which is so poorly adapted
that it cannot enter the common
strife. Nature will not permit, and
many agents such as winds and
rain-storms assist in thinning the
ranks of these too weak ones. So
all that we commonly call Nature
is included in the force of this su-
pre1ne law.
Now as to survival of the fittest
among nations and governments.
All of the ancient nations have
flourished and passed into history
accordingly as they were fit to exist.
Taking as very well-known and
common example of this among
nations shall use Greece. Not the
Greece as we know it today, but the
Greece IF ancient times which GEN.
tered about Athens. For short
period in Grecian history, the con-
ditio1s~ cosaaatr ssyvere-suela
that culture and refinement were
most essential and powerful. Ath-
ems was far superior to any other
Grecian city in the attainment of
these two qualities and therefore
Athens took the highest power and
was capital of Greece. But change
came in the condition of Greece and
military strength became most i'm
perative. Athens, being inferior in
physical force to other Grecian cit
les, soon lost her power. That is,
she was not we'll adapted to her en-
vironment and city better suited
replaced her-and Athens passed
into history. There are number
of nations which may be used as
good illustrations as Athens, but
Athens is very widely known sub
ject and is especially famous in his
tory, literature and the arts. Ma
tons depend, of course, on the in
dividual citizen for worthiness to
exist. AS the nation is made up of
a union of men, each man has
more or less great influence which
either helps to carry the country to
the zenith of power or to lower it's
colors. Therefore every citizen
who has his country's good at heart
should remember that every living
person has an influence over his
fellow men, and he should bear
himself in a way to show his heart
and his patriotism. AS the united
brotherhood of citizens are, 80 too
will their nation be.
Man, as we'll as his surroundings,
must enter the contest for subsist-
ence and may or may not succeed
as he, himself, is fit. OF course diff
ferent men succeed in different con-
ditions. One man might thrive in
this age and completely fail in an
other; he might live we'll in one
locality and perish in another; he
might flourish under certain con-
ditions and sink in others. For ex-
ample, a well-educated and refined
man might fill high position in a
city; but put that same educated
gentleman in a barbarous, uncivi-
lized country and he would certain
ly fail of success. Here the man is
the same in both cases, but the con
ditions differ. Thus man must trv
to fit into his environment, and the
man who does it best is the man
who carves his fortune or his way
to fame. As the ages go by the gen
eral race of man greatly improves
in some respects.and deteriorates in
others. :. Il. 5.@ @l5s.
q man wishing to make success
of himself fn11af