THE RAW MATERIALS OF EVOLUTION 119 



Affer mucli discussion most naturalists have 

 come back to the position of Kant, that Hfe does 

 not run on a compound interest principle of adding 

 to the child's inheritance the individual acquisi- 

 tions (somatogenic or exogenous modifications) 

 of the parents. As a matter of fact, -we do not 

 know of any clear case of individual modifications 

 due to surroundings, education, work, or sloth, 

 being transmitted in aiiy degree to offspring. That 

 the parents' mode of life influences the children 

 yet unborn is obvious ; but the point is, whether the 

 influence produces a corresponding or representa- 

 tive effect. 



Indirect Importance of Modifications. — 

 Those who find no warrant for accepting the 

 Lamarckian postulate of the transmissibility of 

 modifications, do not thereby assert that modifica- 

 tions are of no importance. Many living creatures 

 are exceedingly plastic, and their modifiability 

 sometimes saves them where their variability is 

 at fault. This idea has been elaborated indepenfi- 

 ently by Profs. Mark Baldwin, Lloyd Morgan, 

 and H. F. Osborn, and we venture to quote 

 Lloyd Morgan's terse summary : 



(1) Variations (V) occur, some of which are in 

 the direction of increased adaptation (-I-), others 

 in the direction of decreased adaptation ( — ). 

 (2) Acquired modifications (M) also occur. Some 

 of these are in the direction of increased accom- 

 modation to circumstances ( -I- ), while others are in 

 the direction of diminished accommodation ( — ). 

 Four major combinations are — 



(a) + V with + M. (c) - V with + M. 

 (6) -(- V with - M. (d) - V with - M. 



