The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-28
ACQUIRED TRAITS.
There Is Little or No Proof That They
Are Transmitted.

There Is Little or No Proof That They
Are Transmitted.
From the Washington Post.
A group of ladies and gentlemen who
had listened to "a paper on a science
subject in a private paror cornered u
| person addicted to science to settle a
disputed question He did not think
acquired traits are ever transmitted.
There are one-legged men enough in
this country to support several cork
| leg establishments, yet never has the
1 child of a one-legged man been born
! with less than two. Certain character
! istics of the parent the child may have
| 1t may be comically exact reproduce
| ton. Always, however. it is the natur-
al and not the acquired peculiarities of
the parent or other ancestor that it
shows. Hence Professor Weissman ar
cues that acquired qualities or charac-
teristics are never transmitted.
The operations of the laws of hered-
lily are strange enough child may
not resemble either parent, but it may
be an exact likeness of a remote ances-
tor. That has been source of scandal
at times. A Baltimore man, man
OF wealth, married a beautiful sewing
girl. When black child was born to
her there was trouble. Then it was re-
vealed that her mother was a muIatto
There is an older case exactly like 1t.
A Greek married fair slave girl and
when she gave birth to black child
her blood was traced back to an Afri-
can.
There are persons who think that If
a man makes himself a great linguist
his children will be more likely to have
the gift of tongues They think the
children born to parent after he has
become disSipated are more liable than
the children born earlier to inherit
taste for drink. These things Weiss
man denies. In the first case. the chill
dren may have the fathers aptitude
for languages, but not the stronger be-
cause he used it. In the other case
the children may have the parents dis
position that led him to drink. but not
the stronger because 1t was INDUCED.
Herbert Spencer emerged from his
long seclusion to say that he regards
the question whether any acquired
traits are ever inherited as great
matter, but that he has not made up
his opinion set. He is not prepared to
combat the new theory
The long-accepted theory has never
been quite satisfactory it leaves SO
much unaccounted for If acquired
qualities are inherited the world ought
to be crowded with greatness. Yet it is
notorious that few great men leave
sons as great. Although education is
within the reach of all, and the meth
DDS of education are the product of CEN
turtles Of experience, Shakespeares and
Millions and Napoleons are not common
yet.
'0n the other hand. we might ex-
pect a steady increase or drunkards, il |
acquired propensities are transmitted.
As matter of fact, there is much less |
than there was half a
ago, although the pressure of |
modern life and an irritable condition |
Of the nerves are calculated to promote |
The later doctrine does not deny the |
Importance of heredity 1t does not
make 1t less important for the parent |
to lead an upright and careful life,
since his children are influenced by his;
though they do not inherit
his mental and physical acquisitions as
hey may his property. If acquired
traits are inherited, it should be easy
o prove. 1t has not been proved"