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As genes change, so change individuals. Yet, no new gene is ever created 
or produced ; no existent gene ever vanishes. The genes now present are 
those that have existed from the eternal past and will continue to exist 
throughout the infinite future. The phenomena of an individual change from 
time to time, (the latter phrase of course being understood as meaning very 
long intervals of time). Such changes are brought about in the individual 
itself or by crossing with others. When the latter is the case, it sometimes 
does, and sometimes does not, fullow the Mendelian law. Yet, for all that, 
individuals are always the same in their real entities. Genes present in 
individuals are not at all isolated, but are in close continuity in their essence. 
If we fix upon different colours to represent different genes, the latter present 
different hues, according to the conditions under which they are exposed at 
this time or that. Different genes are, therefore, exactly similar in their reat 
entities. Consequently, all individuals are to be regarded from two differen- 
points of view; one being that of universality, and the other that of particul 
larity. The universality of individuals follows from the unity of the genes 
contained in them, while the particularity of individuals is made comprehen- 
sible by the difference of the phenomenal appearances of the genes and the 
different combinations of the latter. 
Now, in order to present to my readers more plainly the mutual relation 
of genes present in individuals, let us assume that individuals are composed 
of numerous rosaries formed of numerous, temporarily different, beads. Further, 
we will assume at the same time that the individuals are, as I have said 
before, something like knots caused by bringing close together here and there 
some of these entangled rosaries; also that the phenomenal appearances of 
the beads of the rosaries do not cease to change from time to time, as the 
beads are in close concatenation and in incessant flux in their essenca; as 
the beads change, so do the phenomenal appearances of individuals (if we 
think of unlimited time). These beads are somewhat comparable to the genes 
of which I have spoken before; and they in the limited sense of phenomenal 
appearances are, at the same time, comparable to what are called genes by the 
student of genetics. It must be granted, however, that though I have 
compared the beads to the genes, yet the former denote only fixed qualities 
