THE HEREDITY OF RICHARD ROE. 123 



complex than the Constitution of the United States, 

 with a far more perfect system of checks and balances. 

 When we can understand all that takes place in a single 

 cell we shall "know what God is and what man is." It 

 is not, like the Constitution of our nation, a simple 

 written document with definite powers and definite limi- 

 tations. It may rather be compared to the unwritten 

 constitution of civilization, and a single cell may hold 

 in potentiality even all that this supposed constitution 

 may embrace. It is not easy, for example, to understand 

 how Richard's tone of voice, or the colour of his hair, 

 or his ear for music, or other hereditary qualities can 

 be thus hidden. But so they seem to be, and if Science 

 should stop whenever she came to a problem we cannot 

 think out, the growth of knowledge would be hemmed 

 in more closely than it is now. 



When Nature is getting the germ cells ready, the 

 hereditary material or chromatin is increased in each 

 one and then again divided and subdivided, till in the 

 ripened cell but half the usual amount is present.* The 

 cell is then ready to unite with its fellow to form a per- 

 fect cell, from which, under favourable circumstances, 

 the great alliance of cells which constitute the body of 

 Richard Roe can be built up. 



Nature makes her divisions evenly enough, but never 



quite equally. She is satisfied with an approximate 



equality, better satisfied than if she 



Inequality of ^^^^^ ^^]^^ ^ perfect division. She 



,. . . knows no straight lines, she never made 



divisions. ° 



a perfect sphere, and she takes the cor- 

 ner away from every angle. It satisfies her desire for 

 likeness to have her children almost alike. Exact sym- 

 metry would exclude variation, for which she cares 



* This explanation is probable but not certain. 



