of Malthus; and he therefore propounded the theory of the struggle
of living creatures and people for existence, as the fundamental law
of every living thing. And lo! only this was needed by the throng
of idle people for their justification.

Two insecure theories, incapable of sustaining themselves on their
feet, upheld each other, and acquired the semblance of stability.
Both theories bore with them that idea which is precious to the
crowd, that in the existent evil of human societies, men are not to
blame, and that the existing order of things is that which should
prevail; and the new theory was adopted by the throng with entire
faith and unheard-of enthusiasm. And behold, on the strength of
these two arbitrary and erroneous hypotheses, accepted as dogmas of
belief, the new scientific doctrine was ratified.

Spencer, for example, in one of his first works, expresses this
doctrine thus:-

"Societies and organisms," he says, "are alike in the following
points:-

"1. In that, beginning as tiny aggregates, they imperceptibly grow
in mass, so that some of them attain to the size of ten thousand
times their original bulk.

"2. In that while they were, in the beginning, of such simple
structure, that they can be regarded as destitute of all structure,
they acquire during the period of their growth a constantly
increasing complication of structure.