The herald., 1894-10-10

graciously humorous in her arduous ou-
ties. She introduced Rev. Josephine
Marlowe, who opened the meeting with
fervent prayer OF Thanksgiving Tor
woman's present place in the progress o!
the world, the privilege the mothers ana
daughters enjoy in doing 80 much ior
the betterment Of the race, and closed
by asking a blessing for the future.
The audience sang Sweet Hour OF
Prayer, led by Mrs. Brice.
Mrs. Gibson announced an informal
reception to the "M. P's" and their
friends and husbands by the Fridsy
Morning club. at the rooms OF the latter
organization, in the Owens block, South
Broadway, on Wednesday afternoon and
evening, the badges of the delegates and
me bers being their open sesame.
Mrs. Stephens announced that the
chamber of commerce will receive the
delegates on Wednesday evening in their
new quarters, corner Fourth and Broad
way, cards being obtainable from Mr..
Willard.
DIR. Reds ADDRESS.
DR.. Rachel Reid OF Pasadena, the first
speaker of the afternoon, was then in
troduced by few tender and loving
words, and in very able and clear man
ner dealt with her subject, Heredity, q
subject 30 deep, 30 broad, so intricate,
as to render Commute discussion i'm
peratively superficial. Heredity is q
word not found in the older dictionaries,
but it has, by force of pertinency and
applicability grown into our present lit
erature and language. 1t is a subject
worthy of deep and studious research,
subject which eminent writers have
divided and subdivided into various
classifcations.
Race heredity, seen in the distinctly
marked characteristics of each distinct
race.
Tribal or nation heredity, manifested
in individuals OF different nations, caste
heredity which holds the ''I-am-holier-
than-thou" condition, on and on and on
through generation after generation
class heredity, which proudly says
''blood will tell," family heredity
through which we trace distinct family
traits in successive generations.
The law of heredity was established in
the faraway beginning, when God said:
Let the earth bring forth grass; the
living creature after his kind, etc.," and
the study OF this law certainly must
have commenced when Jacob, with his
crafty knowledge and skill, successfully
played a sharp trick on his ignornant
and unsuspecting father-in-law. Again
was the law proclaimed when, through
the smoke and thunder of Sinai, Moses
brought the word of the Lord to the
children of Israel.
But though this law of hsredity was
established in the beginning, distinctly
taught in the early days and later on,
and has been studied and investigated
with deepest and most earnest scrutiny
by the strongest and wisest thinkers of
the present day, little is actually known
about it; uncertainty and mystery still
envelop it. until the question arises,
What is the use OF it all? We cannot
know anything about it, have no knowl-
edge by which we can control the law or
modify our heredities, only take them as
they come and drift wheieve they carry
us. But by studying the workinga of
the law of heredity, we learn that
through this very law itself heredities
not only may be, but must be, modified
by conditions and environments that
may and do come under our control the
more as we come to understand them
better. Heredities come not in one un-
broken line, but through various chan
ID.
In the first generation back there are
two ancestors; in the second, four, and
40 on in geometrical ratio until in the
tenth generation there were 1924 human
lives, with their various heredities flow.
ing from just as many side branches,
bringing down their flood of qualities,
geod, bad and Indifferent. But
all the chsracteristics of oil
these ancestors do not exist
in any individual for in every genera
tion some elements come together W hich
neutralize each other, other traits COM
bine to form an entirely new quality. as
chemicals combine to form new sub
stance: therefore it ia we'll to believe
that by conforming our lives to the
divine laws the sins OF the fathers may
cease to be visited on the children even
before the third and fourth generation.
Child culture 10 so intimately connect.
ed with that of heredity that they are
naturally interblended. We hear it
said that every child has natural right
to be well born. will 60 farther back
and say every child has natural right
to be we'll begotten, and if the condition
of the mother have prenatal influence
upon the child, 30, too, must the previ-
GUS and existing condition of the father
have its effect at the time OF begetment.
In the matter of understanding the
laws of heredity and learning to modify
and control them, what q power the
knowledge of these subtle forces may
become in the interest of the bstterment
of the future generations! An interest
ing aud inspiring study and as the
light grows, advanced minds see that
child culture is matter of important
consideration, and the fathers and
mothers of coming generations, by
wise and scientific attention to
the grand principles of the cul-
tivation and improvement of the race.
will understand that the higher heredi-
ties will overcome and obliterate the
lower. Quoting an article by Helen
Gardner in the Arena: "Heredity and
environment act and react on one an
other with the regularity and inevitable
ity OF night and day. Yet no environ-
mont can create what is not within the
individuality, even while it does and
must act as the one tremendous and
vital power to develop or control in
heritance."
In the matter of diseases environment
may do much to modify and even stamp
out hereditary tendency in few gem
erations.
Much has been said about the wrong
society does to g,rls, but the wrong done
to our boys is tenfold; they have as
good right to be good. pure and clean
as girls have, but the condition of eoci-
ETY. almost precudes the possibility, for
while the girls are protected and shell