own cheques and the universe's passbook; the universe is generally
right, or would be upheld as right if the matter were to come before
the not too incorruptible courts of nature, and in nine cases out of
ten the organism has made the error in its own favour, so that it
must now pay or die. It can only pay by altering its mode of life,
and how long is it likely to be before a new departure in its mode
of life comes out in its own person and in those of its family?
Granted it will at first come out in their appearance only, but
there can be no change in appearance without some slight
corresponding organic modification. In practice there is usually
compromise in these matters. The universe, if it does not give an
organism short shrift and eat it at once, will commonly abate
something of its claim; it gets tricked out of an additional moiety
by the organism; the organism really does pay something by way of
changed habits; this results in variation, in virtue of which the
accounts are cooked, cobbled, and passed by a series of those
miracles of inconsistency which was call compromises, and after this
they cannot be reopened--not till next time.

Surely of the two factors which go to the making up of development,
cunning is the one more proper to be insisted on as determining the
physical and psychical well or ill being, and hence, ere long, the
future form of the organism. We can hardly open a newspaper without
seeing some sign of this; take, for example, the following extract
from a letter in the Times of the day on which I am writing
(February 8, 1886)-- "You may pass along a road which divides a
settlement of Irish Celts from one of Germans. They all came to the
country equally without money, and have had to fight their way in
the forest, but the difference in their condition is very
remarkable; on the German side there is comfort, thrift, peace, but