Heredity, Variation and Genius 99 



permeated more deeply and intimately by the 

 spirit of the social hive — co-operation or working 

 together begetting consequent consentience or 

 feeling together, and consentience of feeling crys- 

 tallizing into conscious thinking together — per- 

 ceive themselves more and more clearly to be 

 vital elements of a social body in which and by 

 which and for which they live, and feel, if not 

 that it is more blessed to give than to receive, 

 at any rate a comfort and peace of mind in 

 doing its service.* An emotion of solidarity 

 blends naturally with the joy of personal being, 

 so promoting a richer individual development 

 under the chastening control of a larger and 

 more complex containing life. That is to say, 

 when the service is the true service of humanity, 

 not when, as it may be, it is the service of a 

 clique, sect, union, corporation of persons, the 

 selfish interest of which is insensible to the 

 welfare of the whole body ; for corporate or sec- 

 tarian feeling operates to do wrong and approve 

 its wrongdoings quite as readily as to do right. 

 Not the least urgent need at the present stage of 

 social development is the moralization of social 



* Synergy, sympathy, syntony, synthesis : it is notable how 

 a number of men co-operating to do some work by joint and 

 simultaneous efforts fall naturally into rhythmic action and 

 often instinctively shout or sing together. In this case the 

 synthesis or conscious thinking appertains to the overseer who, 

 by virtue of previous experience and formulated knowledge, 

 plans, sets in motion and directs the mechanical performance. 



