knowledge, we are in a position to bend 
our efforts toward the eventual arrival at 
perfection, for we can at least see many 
discords, many    imperfections, which 
must be removed before perfection can 
be realized. In this way our course, the 
direction in which we must cause pro- 
gress, may be    determined. For, to 
revert to the simile with which this 
paper began, we do not need to know the 
details of the appearance of the port 
which is our destination, and which we 
never have visited; it is sufficient that 
we know its direction from our present 
position, in order that we may steer 
toward it. 
  Now arises the practical question: 
What ought we to do? What is man's 
share in the struggle toward the goal of 
perfection? Has he only to perfect him- 
self, leaving aside all care for the perfec- 
tion of the other forms of life, and simply 
trusting that they, too, will somehow orl 
other arrive at the goal when he does? 
  Looking over the field of life as it is 
known to us, we observe that, while 
man is a species among many other 
species, he differs markedly from the 
others in two ways that are important in, 
the present connection. 
   1. In the first place man is an intelli- 
gible or spiritual being. It is true that 
he is a part of nature; that he is, likel 
other species, a link in the chain of causes 
and effects. But he has developed to a 
point where he is more than that. As a 
reasoning and intelligible being, capable 
of conceiving principles and of self- 
judgment, man has the power to origin-I 
ate aets. and thus he can alter the chain 
of casual phenomena. He is well aware 
of this power, as is shown by the fact that 
he considers himself responsible for hisi 
own acts. For if he were merely the 
plaything of outward forces, if he merelyj 
passed on mechanically, like a stone, the 
impulses which affect him, he would be 
no more responsible for the results than 
would a stone for the results of its motion. 
There would then be no reason for him to, 
endeavor to do anything, as all would be 
predetermined 
  2. In the second place, man differs; 
from the other species in that he has dom-; 
inion over them. He is the dominant' 
form on earth today. However we may 
suppose that this rule became his, whether 
by divine gift or by tedious self-develop- 
ment, we must all agree that actually, 
at the present time, he does wield a 
dominating power over his associatel 
species. The possession of such a powerl 
by an intelligible being carried with it aJ 
like responsibility, and thus man is 
responsible, not only for himself, but for, 
all the forms of life over which he hasi 
power. His responsibility is as wide as 
the bounds of life on earth. 
  To put it another way, if we think of: 
all life as one nation, then man occupies 
the position of government of that na-, 
tion. It is generally recognized today 
that a government has no right to govern, 
solely for its own selfish benefit; its 
business is to exercise the governing powex 
for the good of the entire nation, includ- 
ing both government and governed. 
Man is therefore responsible for govern-, 
ing the nation of life, that is, all life, foi 
the benefit of all life, including himselfý 
not solely for his own profit. 
  Having regard, then, to perfection of 
the whole as our goal, and realizing our 
responsibility toward all that lives, we 
have no other course open to us than to 
act toward all other species in ways that 
will aid and not hinder their progress to- 
ward general and hbsolute perfection. 
This is true wild life conservation. 
  We shall therefore endeavor to avoid 
the extinction of living forms, lest the 
place which a form should fill in the 
 
 
final, harmonious perfection should be 
vacant through fault of ours. Not un- 
less it can be conclusively shown, after 
the most searching investigation, that a 
species is incapable of taking any har- 
monious part in the system of life shall 
we assent to its extinction. 
  We shall also endeavor to avoid undue 
increase or aggrandizement of any spec- 
ies. The fact is that such undue in- 
crease of a species is not only harmful to 
the other species on which it presses, but 
is ultimately injurious to the unduly in- 
creased species itself. If it increases be- 
yond the numbers that can be supported 
readily by available means of subsistence, 
there will be a more or less intense famine, 
and the species will suffer from want. 
If its numbers become too densely crowd- 
ed, it frequently is decimated by disease. 
In some way or other its departure from 
its place of normal proportion is certain 
to set up more or less painful strains and 
stresses which eventually tend to restore 
to normal all the species affected. There- 
fore, no matter how much we may prize 
any species, we must realize that we 
should maintain bounds to its increase. 
If we cause or permit an overabundance 
of II ouse Wrens, we shall find the House 
Wren a pest, instead of a useful bird. 
. We shall endeavor to work as far as 
possible in harmony with natural evolu- 
tionary processes. When we consider 
what a tremendous course has been 
covered already by those processes, 
what great advances they have succeeded 
in accomplishing, it must be evident that 
their work is remarkably effective and 
that we ought to use great care in at- 
tempts to aid them and to give sight to 
their blind workings. 
  Finally, we must realize that our con- 
trol over all species should include 
control over our own-in fact, should 
apply to ourselves first of all.   Our 
expansion and development should be 
neither less nor more than is required for 
us to fill our normal, properly propor- 
tioned place in the entire scheme of 
things. This means that, on occasion, 
we must voluntarily limit ourselves, 
both in order to avoid crowding other 
species unduly and for our own highest 
development, but chiefly, and compre- 
'hensively, in order to avoid any distor- 
tion of the harmonious pattern of the 
whole. We are the intelligence, the head, 
of the body of life. It is essential that the 
head be fully developed, in order that it 
may give proper care to the welfare of 
the body and of itself, but if the head 
develop over-much and enlarge itself at 
the expense of the body, neither body 
nor head will prosper. 
  Intelligent conservation, then, will be 
so planned and carried on as to tend as 
rapidly as possible toward the composite 
and harmonious perfection of all life.