lure to perform them
constitutes spiritual Death. But it will bring us more directly to the
specific subject before us if we follow rather the newer biological
lines of Mr. Herbert Spencer. According to his definition, Life is "The
definite combination of heterogeneous changes, both simultaneous and
successive, in correspondence with external co-existences and
sequences,"[55] or more shortly "The continuous adjustment of internal
relations to external relations."[56] An example or two will render
these important statements at once intelligible.

The essential characteristic of a living organism, according to these
definitions, is that it is in vital connection with its general
surroundings. A human being, for instance, is in direct contact with the
earth and air, with all surrounding things, with the warmth of the sun,
with the music of birds, with the countless influences and activities of
nature and of his fellow-men. In biological language he is said thus to
be "in correspondence with his environment." He is, that is to say, in
active and vital connection with them, influencing them possibly, but
especially being influenced by them. Now it is in virtue of this
correspondence that he is entitled to be called alive. So long as he is
in correspondence with any given point of his environment, he lives. To
keep up this correspondence is to keep up life. If his environment
changes he must instantly adjust himself to the change. And he continues
living only as long as he succeeds in adjusting himself to the
"simultaneous and successive changes in his environment" as these occur.
What is meant by a change in his environment may be understood from an
example, which will at the same time define more clearly the intimacy of
the relation between environment and organism. Let us take the case of a
civil-servant whose environment is a district in India. It is a region
subject to occasional and prolonged droughts resulting in periodical
famines. When such a period of scarcity arises, he proceeds immediately
to adjust himself to this external change. Having the power of
locomotion, he may remove himself to a more fertile district, or,
possessing the means of purchase, he may add to his old environment by
importation the "external relations" necessary to continued life. But if
from any cause he fails to adjust himself to the altered circumstances,
his body is thrown out of correspondence with his environment, his
"internal relations"