106 THE WORLD OF LIFE 



variation so large and so universal as to fully satisfy all the 

 needs of the evolutionist for bringing about whatever changes 

 in form, structure, habits or faculties that may be desired. 

 By simply observing the people we daily meet in the street, 

 in the railway carriage, at all public assemblages, among 

 rich and poor, among lowly-born or high-born alike, variability 

 stares us in the face. We see, for instance, not rarely, but 

 almost daily and everywhere, short and tall men and women. 

 We do not require to measure them or to be specially good 

 judges of height to be able to observe this — the difference is 

 not one of fractions of an inch only, but of whole inches, and 

 even of several inches. We cannot go about much without 

 constantly seeing short men who are about 5 feet 2 inches 

 high, and tall men who are 6 feet 2 inches — a difference 

 of a whole foot, while in almost every town of say 10,000 

 inhabitants, still greater differences are to be found. 



But this special variation, so large and so frequent that 

 it cannot be overlooked, is only one out of many which we 

 may observe daily if we look for them. Some men have 

 long legs and short bodies, others the reverse ; some are 

 long-armed, some are big-handed, some big-footed, and 

 these differences are found in men differing little or nothing 

 in height. Again we have big-headed and small-headed 

 men, long-headed and round-headed, big-jawed, big-eared, 

 big-eyed men, and the reverse ; we see dark and light 

 complexions, smooth or hairy faces ; black, or brown, or 

 red, or flaxen-haired men ; slender or stout men, broad or 

 narrow-chested, clumsy or graceful, energetic and active, or 

 lazy and slow. Characters, too, vary just as much. Men 

 are taciturn or talkative, cool or passionate, intelligent or 

 stupid, poetical or prosy, witty or obtuse. And all these 

 characteristics, whether physical or mental, are combined 

 together in an infinite variety of ways, as if each of them 

 varied independently with no constant or even usual 

 association with any of the others ; whence arises that 

 wonderful diversity of appearance, attitudes, expression, 

 ability, intellect, emotion, and what we term as a whole 

 character, which adds so much to the possibilities and 

 enjoyments of social life, and gives us in their higher 

 developments such mountain peaks of human nature as were 



