The morning call., 1893-11-26

=. TO roam In speculation on one OF the deep
est roblems of science. One aspect of
the: theory is particularly exciting from
:. being too elusive or profound to grasp
--ttat Of heredity and the question whether
:. acquired characters are transmitted. Ac-
eording 10 Professor Weismann of Fret
burg, around whom all the recent storms
=. ON evolution have ragged and are raging,
there is no inheritance of acquired charac-
'fers, which would imply that our little or
great indiyidualities have no effect upon
: those who succeed u.s. But this is not
eaite what Professor Weismann saws
:: abnut transmission. In his work. re-
: Gently translated, on 1.-The Germ Plasm-
- A#Theory of Heredity," there occurs this
moi flying passage, full of meaning:
:: ::Clfmauc influences, for example. NAV
: very we'll produce permanent variations
= by slowlycausing gradually Increased al
:: teratlUns TO occur In certain determinants
- iD:the course of generations. An apparent
tra6smlsslon OF sOmaiogenetic modifca-
,t0ns may even take place under certain
O.. circumstances by the climatic influence
affecting certain determinants of the germ
Dlasm at the same time and when thew
are about to pass TO that part of the body
which they have to control"
OF the Welsmanu theory, which is not
so extreme as when first launched. Presi
. dent Jordan SAYS it is a splendid working
hypothesis. This indeed it shows itself
10 be from the number of disputants to
which IL has given rise. The scient ific
world is by the ears concerning it.
Natura!lsts of every school are compelled
: 10 be close observers in order to bounce
upon evidence in support of their particu-
liar views, and vast body of facts is being
accumulated on which to test its proba-
:. blNty.
The other day Mr.. Romanes, who in
Hl To N'afcv
younger naturalists. wanted information
as TO whether the jungle fowl of India
.cackles. This IS the fowl from which Il is
= supposed the domestic fowl has emerged, but
there are various species of scratching
birds ln the East and the Eastern Archi
i. +pelago which are conceivable ancestors If
: 1t be the fact that the jungle fowl does not
:: cack le ana is the ancestor of the barn-doOr
1oWl then the cackling habit of the latter
. is an acquired character. This leads then
d: TO The dilemma that as acquired characters
:: are DOT transmitted, and cackiing is
:. undoubtedly one Of the gratifica
*tfGns enjoyed by every pullet when
- II mas lad an egg, this pecul-
:. lar propensity cannot be an acquired
>: character. A short cut to conclusions on
facts for or against this hypothesis would
appear TO be superhcially simple. Is any
:: >hablt or characteristic transmitted If it
IS; then 1t cannot have been acquired.
but II any habit lapses with the demise of
tne Individual it is possibly acquired, and
yet 1t may have characterized former gem
eratIons at intervals and may characterize
- succeeding ones. In working this hypo-
thesis out In demonstrations, therefore,
Inc great need Of the inquirer 10 precise
and definite information on what is and
what IS not an acquired characteristic.
The evolutionist. however. carries life
pack to very humble beginnings, far down
IN the scale OF dIfferentati6ns. Some go
: SO lar IN specu lation as TO cradle life in
the ocean. and give it continuity during
sGns OF change, until il is established in
myriad forms on lie dry land and in the
air IS vN61l as In the sea. In considering
: s1#Allty on this infinite plane of ascension,
fnind is batt1ed to account for charac'
NV Halllion fold which once we're few.
fe differentiated so did the characters
W5tsmann theory explains to the sat-
ton OF naturalists more than any
other the phenomena of atavism, or Iever-
sion to the features of an original type.
VI ataSsm there are many illustrations.
Captain EitErOy, with whom Darwin made
his voyages ia, the Beagle, was said to re-
semble very strongly Charles the Second.
from whom he was descended, and certain
peers. in Eagland show similar resem-
hlances. The late Duke of Marlborough
was far closer in features to the genius
who founded the family than any others in
the line, and the present Emperor of Aus
lria is said to be good image of Rudolf of
Iiapsburg. Had We the facilities of iden-
ticatlon which photography gives US for
the present applied to the centuries gone
by, what very interesting comparisons
might be made in familiesl Mere por-
traits in oil, or buSts. or glyptic efigies.
are not accurate enough to be reliable on
account of errors of hand and the vices of
artistic establishment.
Mr.. Huxley narrates q single character
iStfc IN his own case which is hard TO be-
lieYe was not an acquired character trans
united. His mother had singular move
ment of the hand. which manifested itself
=. at the age OF 40 1t was simply a habit or
-. action. This manual regularity also came
-. to the professor about the same age. The
Weismannites say that this is a case of
Teverslon which the theory satisfactorily
accounts for. AS it was a habit trans
United it could not have been acquired.
But ever the question confronts the plod-
der after truth, What is an acquired char
acter?
-. Weismann gives infinite play to the opera
ton OF variation. Under his reign of per-
centage of infiuence-50 per cent to the
parents, per cent TO the grandparents
and "A per cent to the cosmos Of ancestry
there is vagueness and Potentially enough
TO mob the universe with genius at one end
Of the scale and mediocrity at the other.
The origin of genius has been prolific of
speculation. The dominating fact seems
TO be that a transcendent uminary in the
=. armament OF intellect has no predecesso
and DO successor. A few names suffice to
illustrate this remarkable characteristic
Hall dozen great men in Greek times
arose Archimedes, Phidias, Praxiteles-
and none came after during many CEN
turtles approaching them in eminence.
At the Renaissance and Immediately
after score Of brilliant men arose, and
there has not been their like since. Dante,
Leonardo, Raphael. Michael Angelo,
Titan. Durer, Rembrandt, Vandyke,
Rabens. Shakespeare. Milton, Corvantes
and Newton came and went, and dwarfs
have mostly hOurished since. How is this
explained in evolution? The Weismann-
tie would urge that there is infinite
space for mountains of intellect
under the percentage hypothesis. The
o energy of percentages is not yet
:. exhausted. for when all is conceded to the
grandeur of the intellectual past there are
not few geniuses in this century in dis
covery, mechanics, invention and science,
who deserve to rank somewhere on the
verge of Immortality. The argument that
genius is next door 10 insanity hardly
holds when the great minds of the world
ARE tested Dy their achievements, but there
mt 70 I'll nj