The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-07
ACQUIRED TRAITS.
ossre Is Little or No Proof That They
Are Trnnsmitted.

ossre Is Little or No Proof That They
Are Transmitted.
A group of ladies and gentlemen who
had listened to paper on rcience sub
ject In private parlor oornered a person
addicted to science to settle q 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 child of
a one legged man been born with less than
two. Certain characteristics of the parent
the child may have. 1t may be comical-
ly exact reproduction. Always, however,
1t is the natural and not the acquired Pc
culiarities Of the parent or other ancestor
that 1t shows Hence Professor Weissman
argues that acquired qualities o. charac-
teristics are never transmitted.
"The operations of the laws of heredity
are strange enough. A child may not re-
semble either parent, but 1t may be an ex-
act likeness OF remote ancestor That
has been d source of scandal at times. A
Baltimore man, man of wealth, married
beautiful sewing girl. When black
child was born to her. there was trouble
Then 1t was revealed that her mother was
mulatto. There Is an older case exactly
like 1t. A Greek married fair slave girl,
aud when'she gave birth to black child
her blood was traced back to an African.
There are persons who think that II a
man makes himself, say, great linguist
lis children will be more likely to have
the gift of tongues. They think the chill
dren born to parent after he has become
dissipated are mere liable than the chill
dren born earlier to inherit a taste for
drink. These things Wessman denies. In
the first case the children may have tho
fathers aptitude for languages, but not
the stronger because he used 1t. In the
other case the children may have the par
ent's disposition that led him to drink,
but not the stronger because 1t was in
dulged.
"Mr. Herbert Spencer regards the ques-
ton whether any acquired traits are ever
Inherited as great matter, but he has not
made up his opinion yet. He Is not pre-
pared to combat the new theory.
1.-THE long accepted theory has never
been quite satisfactory. 1t leaves so much
unaccounted for. II acquired qualities are
inherited, the world ought to be crowded
with greatness Yet 1t ~ notorious that
few great men leave sons as great. AL
OisOhSn cuuCdtiOh 10 Wltuln bht ftxtCD Vi
all and the methods of education are the
product Of centuries Of experience, Shakes
peares and Millions and Napoleons are not
common yet.
son the othsr hand, we might expect a
steady increase Of drunkards II acquired
propensities are transmitted. AS a matter
Of fact, there Is much less drunkenness
than there was half century ago, al
though the pressure Of modern life and an
Irritable condition of the nerves are cal
culated to promote dissipation.
1.-THE later doctrine does not deny tho
Importance of hcredity. 1t does not make
1t less important for the parent to lead an
upright and careful life, since his children
are influenced by his example, though they
do not Inherit his mental and physical 40
QUESTIONS as they may his property. If
acquired traits are inherited, it should be
easy TO prove. 1t has not been proved. -
Washington Post.