The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-01
Man and His Environ
ment

Herbert Spencer says that, as the circumstan-
tal evidence collected shows, creation was the
work of two opposing forces. Evolution and
DeVol9uoh By the force of repulsion atoms
were distributed throughout space; by the force
" dttt aC'ioh THESE were collected into bodies,
ana then INTO spheres which we call worlds, all
or which were drawn into associations known to
us as solar systems. BY the meeting of the
atoms neat was generated, but when sufficiently
cooled the sphere received atoms by attraction
from the surrounding spaces and evolution be
gan. From the germ in the mud came the fish
which acquired the power to breathe air and
changing its form, crawled upon land as a rep
tile developed into the animal assembled into
the antropoid and used its front legs as arms
Under favorable circumstances the ape climbed
into the freeman who became the cave-man.
who associated himself with his kind of mutual
Protecuon' orGanized communities and villages,
associated themselves into government domi-
mated by the strongest chief, and the wonder
we call Egypt was born unless sho were really
the daughter of Atlantis.
But man from the beginning rebelIed against
the law to which he owed his existence, and
TINS was the original sin. He was built and de-
signed by the architect for fruit-eater, root
eater--a dweller in the open air of soft climates;
being clawless and fangess and weak he
given the better brain for defense exactly the
deer had the feet foot the lion the heavy paw
the rhinoceros the horn and the elephant bulk
and a proboscs. OF all the weapons that of
man has, in the long run proved the most eff
fectiVe. With 1t for offense and defense he
left the tree which his first city of refuge
and he wandered so far that his proper food
failed-then he became a carnivore. and with
flesh for food he changed his nature.
When the master of the earth changed he de-
creed the change in nature which would make
it harmonic with himself-here is the great
conflict which can only end with the extermina-
ton of man the subjugation of his environ
ment Under his will those animals which will
not obey him have disappeared disap
pearing-man and his focks and herds have in
herited the earth But he is now antagonistfc to
his environment because of the change in him
self-the savage is not obliged to extermlnate
his brethren of the lower orders because he and
/ they both in obedience to the primal laws of
evolution and devoution But when the sur
viving animals and birds obey the laws of man
instead of the laws of nature-when those sur
ViFe under his care which are the httest for MS
purposes, and not those in harmony with their
natural environment, then evolution obeys the
VIII OF man ana ceases TO operate as a primal
law. Under the law of evolution the atoms
gather and a world is born, the worlds asso-
ciate themselves into systems until the natural
end is accomplished and systems associate them
selves into masses of which we know nothing eX-
cept that in obedience to the law of their
alton the period of devouton succeeds and
chaos more reigns.
So man gathers himself into tribes and these
into nations; now are seeing the nations
recognize the ties of the race-fnaly there will
be humanity with a common tribunal to
disspated in meaningless and proftesa strug-
giles among ourselves But when the changed
man has changed his environment, he faces again
the unclaimed forces which have executed the
law of evolution. Man constructs according to
a new conception but ne dissipates the original
combinations by which the old status main
tanned He must fell the forests that he can
have fields and pastures; he finds fields and
pastures out of date when he builds cities and
the slums of those cities destructive to the
creature that needs the freedom and air of the
country. But when the forest has disappeared
forces are released that rend and destroy be-
cause he has not yet learned TO control them
Hurricanes rush out TO avenge the dissertation
floods ravage the land to vindicate an outraged
law.
/ Fallen forests stored their carbon in hidden
coal; man digs out the, coal dissipates its ele-
ments and releases the carbon whose imprison-
ment permitted the present environment to be-
gin; what will follow the renewed freedom OF
these imprisoned gases? Today man Is setting
the forces of deYolution free to war on evolu-
ton in advance of the day set; he Is paying the
penalty of his interference, but he cannot take
/ a step backward lest he he overwhelmed-he
must impose his will and his plan on nature or
die, having changed himself he must change
the world.-Florida Times Union.