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many unfavourable chances, a few favoured 

 individuals survive, becoming more and more 

 numerous from one generation to the next, 

 in proportion as the dangerous art of rear- 

 ing the young is perfected. Slight variations 

 in one and the same direction form a definite 

 whole ; and at long last the ancient precursor 

 has become the Scolia of our own times. 



By the aid of a vague phraseology which 

 juggles with the secret of the centuries and 

 the unknown things of life, it is easy to build 

 up a theory in which our mental sloth de- 

 lights, after being discouraged by difficult 

 researches whose final result is doubt rather 

 than positive statement. But if, so far from 

 being satisfied with hazy generalities and 

 adopting as current coin the terms conse- 

 crated by fashion, we have the perseverance 

 to explore the truth as far as lies in our 

 power, the aspect of things will undergo a 

 great change and we shall discover that they 

 are far less simple than our overprecipltate 

 views declared them to be. Generalization 

 is certainly a most valuable instrument: sci- 

 ence Indeed exists only by virtue of it. Let 

 us none the less beware of generalizations 

 which are not based upon very firm and mani- 

 fold foundations. 



When these foundations are lacking, the 



