The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-01-28
Heredity.

tual qualities. A child brought up in
a happy home, and subject to the be-
nign influence of good examples, is
likely to show the effect when grown
to manhood or womanhood; but this
effect is, in the main, the result of
environment, and not of heredity.
Neither a happy home nor good eX-
amples can implant intellect when
Nature has denied its fitting recepta-
Gle. The child may have the eyes, the
features and the distinguishing bodily
marks of one or both parents; but
there is no assurance that it will in
herit the parental intellect.
\ mans defendants, says Mr.. God
kin i'll his article on democratic Ten
denotes" in the Atlantic Monthly for
February, rarely inherit from a
father more than one or two mental
peculiarities, valuable when united
with other thinge, but standing alone
of little use in the battle of life-a fact
which may be verified anywhere by
observing the families of distinguished
men. a man eminent in politics or
law or medicine or commerce or
finance or war is seldom succeeded by
a son who recalls the ensemble quail
ties which have secured the fathers
success, although he may have one or
two of his characteristics. Heredity
obtained its stronghold in the popular
imagination in the Middle Ages, owing
| to the fact that the son was in posses
sion of his fathers power when he
did, and that is the rude age, when
things were mainly decided by fight
ing, it offered the readiest means of
settling peaceably questions of success
sion. But as soon as the questions of
the right of a class to rule in virtue of
hcredity broke down"
The law of heredity undoubtedly
applies to animals. The horse, for in
stance, transmits speed and endur-
ance. Likewise man may transmit
physical qualities; but there is no law
| that insures the transmission of in
tellectual qualities. Training how
ever, has a wonderful effect in develop
ing and strengthening such qualities.
The Military Academy at West Point
furnishes a ready illustration. When
new class, the "Plebs," assemble
they are for the most part mere ami
mails. At the end of four years they
are different beings; discipline and
study have developed body, mind
and spirit. They have become gen
tlemen and soldiers. Their bearing,
their expression and their movement
witness to the transformation which
they have undergone. THAT being
born of particular parents made any
one essentially of better quality than
anybody else" says the writer of the
Atlantic Monthly, that is one hun
dred babies of different conditions
were brought up in the same manner
the sons of noblemen and gentlemen
among them would show their super
iority to the others in their character,
was a doctrine which after the Mid
die Ages was probably never fully ac-
cepted, even by the most ardent be-
levers in heredity."
We are inclined to think that while
! the intellect of the parent is not nee
essarily nor usually transmitted the
germs of character are; and among
| the hundred babies above mentioned
great differences would be observed in
their several characters. The super
iority might not be on the side of the
nobleman's son; ON the contrary, there
might possibly be inferiority. But
the father of high character, whether
peasant or gentlemen, would be apt
to transmit the outlines of that char
acter of his offspring. After all,
though, it is training and environment
that draw out and fix the character
istics of mankind; and it is the train
ing and environment of the young
must be looked to and provided for if
we would secure the future safety of
our institutions and promote a genu-
inc and lasting civilization.