The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-10-12
Prenatal Culture Applied to
Improvement of Race.
GENIUS. VICE AND CRIME
Why we are What we are-The Cause
OfNatural Criminals, Inventors,
Poets, Musicians.

The Nj. E. church was crowded last
night With a large and appreciatlve audi
ence in attendance at Prof N. N. Rid
delps lecture on "Heredlty and Prenatal
Culture The professor Is one OF the
pioneers on the American platform in
handling this theme before mized AUDI
ences and is doing much good In popu-
larzing a subject on which knowledge
is OF sIch vitaL importance.
The speaker in opening dwelt on the
great Importance of men Of science turn
ing their attention to the study Of hered-
Dty as applied to nun. It Is the opinion
of reformers thlt we will never be able
TO deal with crime and insanity until we
turn our attention to the study of those
Jaws THAT tend 10 make man better born
BY going through the prison pens Il Is
possible for the skillfui master of human
science to determine the crime Of 20
per cent of The inmates from an exalnlna-
tion of the brain, thus Il will be seen
THAT THE majority of criminals are born
with a tendency to crime.
Every person is what they are because
OF bwo main causes; first, from inherent
tendenicles, and second, from education
and force of environments. These are
both of vltal importance and neither can
uake the place of the oIther TO be well
born lis Ito receive the greatest gift within
bhe power of man. Great men are born
SO or they never become great.
A scientific explanation was given OF the
grNduan unfoldment of the childs brain
from a Single cell up to the complete
brain. THE active, strong characteristics
Of the parents become The native marked
traits In the chili's character. This law
HAS resolved careful attention by many.
with results most satisfactory and have
given us po5ts, musicians and orators,
who are born so. II men would only give
more study to these subjects we would
not have SO many children that are mere
| ciphers with the rims rubbed out. Many
apt Illustrations were given showing why
people were lwhat they were, COL Robert
IngersoH ls the naturtll sSeptfc that ne
is from an inherent prenatal inflence
from the mother. Thomas Edison was
born am inventor, previous to hIts birth
hills mother spent the greater rart OF
her time In THE study of mechanism and
Electric inventions, and thus to invest and
experiment. in these lines was trans
mlbted Ito her son. The mother Of Ma
poreon had q strong love for bltt-e and
went into the thickest OF the fray in the
midst of the most bloody conflicts, and
before Napoleon was 10 years old we
find him on THE battlefield. italian beau
ties all conform to one ideal Of art and
VI is because the Madonna occupies the
wLl[ls of nearly every home in Italy and
HAS made its impression on the mothers
brain. The great value Of a knowledge
of THE lalws of heredlty was dwe.lt on at
length If things were ais they should
be none would be allowed to marry
unHHl they were educated In these Vines,
neither would any be granted this priv
iliege who hhd criminal or fdlotic ten
denotes.
In CLOSING THE speaker urged the import
ance of life OF social purity as equally
binding upon man as woman. The
young mum goes astray and when he has
dlsgraced everything th1t Is pure and
holy in his manhood. then he can
become tired of his life OF sin, repent
and then 1ead to the altar the purest
girl In the land. Can woman do this?
MOI Let her make but a single mistake
and the doors of the church end the
nands of society crowd her down. Is this
just? If two sinners have gone astray
lett them suffer like condemnation at
the hands of society, as they must at the
Judgment bar of Ciod, until the kind
hnnd of mercy shah reclaim them both.
Tonight the lecture will be on From
Nature to Natures Cod" and contains
tIhe rhtest scientific thought In the line
Of religious investigation This lecture
HAS received the hiensst enconiums from
The leading scientific thinkers Of the age.