114 THE WORLD OF LIFE 



its presence whenever required bj using such exj^ressions in 

 regard to the power of natural selection as, '' If thej vary, for 

 unless thej do so, natural selection can effect nothing." 



This was the more strange because wherever we look around 

 us we find, in our own species, in our own race, in our own 

 special section of that race, an amount of variation so large 

 and so universal as to fully satisfy all the needs of the evolu- 

 tionist for bringing about w^hatever 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 w^omen. 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 wdiole 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 w^hole 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, intel- 

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



