On Cycles 159 



cycle of the relations between the earth and sun. Let the 

 fii"st periodically recurring substance — we will say A — be 

 able to recur or reproduce itself, not once only, but many 

 times over, as A^, A'^, &c. ; let A also have consciousness 

 and a sense of self-interest, which qualities must, ex hypo- 

 thesi, be reproduced in each one of its offspring ; let these 

 get placed in circumstances which differ sufficiently to 

 destroy the cycle in theory without doing so practically — 

 that is to say, to reduce the rotation to a spiral, but to a 

 spiral with so little deviation from perfect cycularity as 

 for each revolution to appear practically a cycle, though 

 after many revolutions the deviation becomes perceptible ; 

 then some such differentiations of animal and vegetable 

 life as we actually see follow as matters of course. A^ and 

 A^ have a sense of self-interest as A had, but they are 

 not precisely in circumstances similar to A's, nor, it may 

 be, to each other's ; they will therefore act somewhat 

 differently, and every living being is modified by a change 

 of action. Having become modified, they follow the spirit 

 of A's action more essentially in begetting a creature like 

 themselves than in begetting one hke A ; for the essence 

 of A's act was not the reproduction of A, but the reproduc- 

 tion of a creature like the one from which it sprung — 

 that is to say, a creature bearing traces in its body of the 

 main influences that have worked upon its parent. 



Within the cycle of reproduction there are cycles upon 

 cycles in the life of each individual, whether animal or 

 plant. Observe the action of our lungs and heart, how 

 regular it is, and how a cycle having been once estab- 

 lished, it is repeated many millions of times in an indi- 

 vidual of average health and longevity. Remember also 

 that it is this periodicity — this inevitable tendency of all 

 atoms in combination to repeat any combination which 

 they have once repeated, unless forcibly prevented from 

 doing so — which alone renders nine-tenths of our me- 

 chanical inventions of practical use to us. There is no 

 internal periodicity about a hammer or a saw, but there 



