Whether it be in greater growth of the organs which subserve self-maintenance, whether it be in their added complexity of structure, or whether it be in their higher activity, the abstraction of the required materials implies a diminished reserve of materials for race-maintenance.
Bagehot discusses the trade-offs between bodily maintenance and the resources needed for reproduction in complex organisms.
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That a House of Commons may work well it must perform, as we saw, five functions well: it must elect a Ministry well, legislate well, teach the nation well, express the nation's will well, bring matters to the nation's attention well.
Thirdly, we see why so few nations have made rapid advance, and how many have become stationary.
The moderate people of every party must combine to support the Government which, on the whole, suits every party best.
And again, in political matters, how quickly a leading statesman can change the tone of the community!
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