Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-09-11
Selett 8eaoir'g.
INHERITANCE OF TALENT.

\ cotemporary says that great men usual
ly inherit their talents from the mother
This is popular belief, but not the less er-
roneous. The mistake has arisen from at
tending only to those cases in which the
mother had a superior mind, to the neglect
of the equally numerous examples where the
father possessed remarkable abilities. Every
body quotes the fact that Napoleon derived
his genius from his mother. Nobody men,
tions that Burns owed his vast abilities to
his father. \ traveller would commit
similar blunder who should describe all
Americans as light-haired, or say that every
Philadelphian was Quaker.
The rule, for rule there is, lies deeper
Great abilities, in werd, arise from such
fortunate union of the mental characteristics
of the parents as renders the progeny a
genius, though neither father nor mother,
perhaps, were such. The catalogue of cmi-
nent men, if carefully made up and honestly
scrutinized with view to calculating the
truth, would establish this, we have no
doubt, beyond controversy. For it is alrea-
dy known that the child takes its mental
nature in about equal portions from its par
ents, and this fact at once leads to our con-
clusion, as we'll as explains why brilliant
parents often have Ounces among their Off
sping.
Let US illustrate this. \ man has the
purely intellectual characteristics in great
force, but is wanting in will he is conse-
quently dreamy philosopher, Or visionary
speculator. He marries woman, who with
but ordinary intellect, has immense energy.
One child of this pair may combine the
weakness of both parents; and will be, in
that event, an irreclaimabe fool. But an
other may inherit the mothers will, with the
fathers intellect; and this child, unless ruin
ed by a bad education, is certain to become
distinguished. Or take another example.
A woman of no remarkable abilities, but
with a fine moral nature, is married to man
without principle, but possessing shining
abilities. One child of this pair may have
the good qualities of both parents, and be-
come Bunyan, Nestor, or even Wash
ington. But another may inherit the de-
fcienoies of both, and grow up, unless care
fully guarded, to become brilliant villain.
Or take a third instance. One parent may
have much imagination, but little else, and
the other remarkable, but great perceptive
faculties. The union of these two charac-
teristics in a child will produeJ {. poet. The
transmission of either, in excess, balanced by
strong reasoning powers, may make only a
human monkey or romantic fool.
This law explains also why so few emf
nent men belong to one family. There have
rarely been two distinguished poets, pain
ters, generals, or even statesmen, who were
father and son or even brothers. The elder
and younger Pitt, though both prime minis
ters, and both famous speakers, were strik-
ingly dissimilar in their mental constitution,
so that this example, which seems at first to
oppose our theory, really sustains it. In
fact, when we consider that the mind has 50
many and so dissimllar ingredients, ideality,
causality, benevolence, reverence, destruc-
tiveness, constructiveness, and that these
are combined in millions of varieties in as
many million persons, the wonder is not
that two individuals, even of the same fami-
ly, resemble each other so little, but that
they resemble each other so much Given
the score and odd of separate bumps into
which phrcnology divides the brain, and
take the child of any two persons whatever
and who shall say in what exact proper
tions out of the ten thousand possible ones
these qualities ought to unite?
There is too much falsity taught for truth
on this and similar subjects, not only in
newspapers, but even in elaborate books
The reason is that few persons think sound
ly, or dare to deny preconceived Or popular
ideas. We would hare every man, howev-
er, reflect for himself "Prove all things;
hold fast to the good."-Bahinsore Sun.