ecome so binding, that
fruitful variation from within is effectually cut off. The evolution
of relatively isolated or segregated groups necessarily produces
variety; and the process whereby these divergent types of life and
thought and organization are gradually brought together into one large
community provides wide elements of variation, in the selection and
general adoption of which the evolution of the whole community may be
secured. But let the divergent elements of the lesser groups once be
entirely absorbed by the composite community and let the "cake of
custom" become so rigid that every individual who varies from it is
branded as a heretic and a traitor, and the progressive evolution of
that community must cease.

The great problem, therefore, which then confronts man and seems to
threaten all further progress is, how to break the bondage of custom
so as to secure local or individual variations. This can be done only
through some form of individualism. The individual must be free to
think and act as experience or fancy may suggest, without fear of
being branded as a traitor, or at least he must have the courage to do
so in spite of such fears. And to produce an effect on the community
he must also be more or less protected in his idiosyncrasies by
popular toleration.

He must be allowed to live and work out his theories, proving whether
they are valuable or not. But since individualism is just what all
previous communal development has been most assiduous in crushing out,
how is the rise of individualism possible, or even desirable? If the
first and continued development of man depended on the attainment and
the maintenance of the communal principle, we may be sure that his
further progress will not consist in the reversal of that principle.
If, therfore, individualism must be developed, it must manifestly be
of a variety which does not conflict with or abrogate communalism.
Only as the individualistic includes the communal principle will it be
a source of strength; otherwise it can only be a source of weakness to
the community. But is not this an impossible condition to satisfy?
Certainly, before the event, it would seem to be so. The rarity with
which this step in human evolution has been taken would seem to show
that it is far more difficult to accomplish than any of the previous
steps. To give it a name we may call it communo-individualism. What
this variety of individualism is, how this forward step was