136 NATURAL SELECTION AND 



mean, as it is a very excellent one. How are 

 we to explain the absence of the English 

 sovereign from Cabinet Councils ? Of course 

 it might be answered, and I imagine Dr. Reich 

 would answer, that the present character of the 

 English constitution requires that the sove- 

 reign should have no personal responsibility 

 for the policy adopted by the ministry. But 

 the explanation is surely incomplete, if we do 

 not take account of the fact that George I. 

 could not speak English, and consequently left 

 his ministers to deliberate by themselves. 

 Here was an " accidental " variation, which, 

 proving favourable, gave rise to what now forms 

 an essential principle of the constitution. 



To come specially to " survivals." If we were 

 to allege e.g. the use of Norman-French in 

 giving the royal assent to acts of Parliament 

 as an example of a survival, Dr. Reich, I sup- 

 pose, would answer that this is kept up for the 

 sake of maintaining the dignity of the Crown. 

 Use plain English and the monarchy would 

 tumble to pieces. Let us allow this to be the 

 case : we know that it is generally risky to 

 meddle with a very ancient piece of furniture. 

 But surely a scientific explanation of this 



