The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-08
4 QUEER NATURAL Law.
Atevisn or the Term By Which
It Is Designated
To Its Workings Are Ascrfbec the Singu-
lar Deprayity of Some Children
Strange Freaks OF
Heredity.
Among the MANY mysterious torns

Among the many mysterious torms
and traits IN human life and character,
there Is nothing more wonderful than
those which come from, or are developed
in what is known as heredity or atavisIn-
HereditY Is an old term. the meaning Of
( which IS generally understood It is a
word somewhat broad in its sense and
application
/ Atavis-n, says the Detroit Free Press,
is newer tenn and one With a mar
rover significance than that. conveyed
bv heredity, although it may DC con
side-ed as one form Of here5itY. The
technical expression IS sometimes wit
ten also '.aririsu," from the Latin
avitus pertaining to an ancestor or an
cestraIJ. The term usually applies 70
some strongly .dereloped popularity
or trait in character simply; TO q mere
mental or moral force or weakness
which manitests Itself at irregular In
tervals in particular families. It ap-
pears to be governed By no general
laws as have been Observed IN the e.
fects Of heredity II the physical system
Bpt it may apply to infrmities OF dis
eases showing themselves n the blood
after laDzes Of generations in families,
kIeptCnania IS often a form Of
atavisn. The innate disposition TO
flch, 70 steal slyly and adroitIy, IS
sometimes irresistible and iZeradica.ble
in certain people. It Is 4 faint in their
nature something like the instinct of
an animal of the lower orders, a force
difficult to control where nature is al
lowed free course. The following is an
illustration Of atavisn:
Some years ago O youth Of iutelh-
gence in one Of the very best families Of
a principal city. a youth. who from the
force Of necessity had never known oc-
casion to steal N order to supply his
wants was accidentally detected IN the
act Of rifing the wardrobe Of friend
whose guest the young man was at tho
tine. Evidences subsegA Ltly revealed
disclosed the fact that the sane youth
had been for years engaged il the com
mission OF similar crimes. His petty
p!lferings had amouted in the aggre-
gate 70 hundreds Of dollars. many Of
the things stolen being articles for
which the fellow had 10 earthly use.
Investigations into his history betrayed
the fact that one Of the young mans
ancestors four generations back was q
noted thief, the bad blood nanifesting
itself in this one instance land IN this
one instance only, 50 far as the records
coald be KNOWN after the lapse OF sew
enty years. This Is not only striking
illustration Of aCavIsm. but the fact
also proves the truth OF che old society
aphorism that st takes more than two
generations TO make a gentleman"
4 very interesting case Of atavisrn has
been recently discovered in one Of our
large cities. \ minister Of great pieJy
and retirement II character has
bright. promising son, who. IN defiance
Of all educs ton, in defiance Of both
precept and example, has become COZ
frned habituc Of livery stables ard
sporting circles Re IS = patron q the
race track particularly. He has no
moral weakness except in the penchaRt
70 bet on tas- horses.
Where did this young man frst -
ceiTe the touch or force that led TO such
a C8l err livery c4C-L-Ab III MS IL&--l-
ing has hen N efforts 70 take him in
coltCs Y direction from that Of his
present Ia is Recently the discovery
was made that the -raat-Ecandtather Of
the hcv was 4 breeder Of fine running
horses and that one of the passions Of
his -fe vas IN betting al the race
course. This is an example Of avatisn
- - y
Early IN this century II immoral
woman came to New York from Europe.
She raised large family Of children,
nearly every one Of whom landed in 4
prison in early life. The criminal
records Of the country show that three
hundred Of the progeny Of that woman
have been notorious telons and inmates
OF penitentiaries and other prisons in
various parts Of the country. The facts
doubtless illustrate the laws Of both
hereGity and atavisn IN their fullest
degrees