The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-24
Their Rights and the Influence
of Heredity and Environment
Upon Them Treated in Well
Prepared Papers
MEETING CONDUCTED BY
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Plays a Strong Part
in Development of a Boy-EWiI
Influences Partially Overcome
by Developing Courage, Ambi-
ton and Love of Country

by Developing Courage, Ambi-
ton and Love of Country
| The department of education, Wor-
cester Woman's Club, had charge of
the program at the meeting in Memoir
ial Hall yesterday afternoon at 8
o'clock The papers read had for their
subject study of the boy and were
given as follows: GAS Influenced by
Heredity," Mrs. Emma R. Goodwin;
AS Influenced by Environment" Mrs.
Julia w. Carroll; 1.-THE Rights of
Boys" Mrs. Harriette w. Forbes. Pre-
ceding the papers Mrs. H. S. Pratt
read statistics of the work of the va
cation schools that were conducted by
the Woman's Club. Following the
papers, H. S. StreeteA superintendent
of the Boys Club, gave an account of
the work done by that organization.
Mr.. Streeter's report was similar to
! that given by him at the meeting of
4 the Associated Charities Monday
night, an abstract of which was in The
Spy Of Tuesday.
Mrs. Emma R. Goodwin's paper was
the first read. She treated the study
of the boy as influenced by heredity
and said: "Heredity is the term ap-
piled to that law of living things
whereby the offspring resembles the
parent. Like produces like. We find
the same kind of roses and the same
kind of thorns on the new branch that
we find on the old bush. From an
eagles egg an eagle of the same spe-
cies is developed. The boy is the cpl
tome of the man. Species persist and
peculiarities of species persist also.
Race peculiarities are invariably trans
mitted. Pure blooded whites never
have negro children, and vice versa
Family and individual characteristics
are also hereditary. We have all
noticed how the same features and
| physique descend from father to son.
The Bourbon nose and the Hapsburg
| jaw are familiar examples and the
narrow chest sets the seal of early
| death on generation after generation
On the fact that purely individual
characteristics are hereditary are
based many of the rules Of life insur-
| ance. Business men expect chat chill
| dren will resemble their ancestors as
regards tendencies to health or disease.
| We have a right to expect to find
healthy children. physically and NOR
ally, when the parents are healthy.
There are always exceptions enough
| W dAiy lu1Cb llOWCNCi, 10 prove IL.
There are exceptions to the rule of
heredity. We can all recall them and
we have often wondered why the
geniuses of the world have not trans
mitted their genius to their children.
But genius is a result of a peculiarly
fortunate combination of gifts. Genius
is itself an exception.
I'VE must remember also that the
father and mother alone are not re.
sponsible for all the characteristics Of
the child. Every boy, while he has bull
one father, has two grandfathers, foul
great -grandfathers. eight great-great-
grandfathers, and so on.
We fail to realize, perhaps, how
much our actions are controlled by in
stinctive faculties; how much that we
| do is prompted by our instructive fear
love, pride, curiosity or ambition. Ev-
cry mother recalls to her sorrow the
strange manifestations In her child of
| certain unfortunate traits that she
had feared might descend from herself
to her child, and had been striving by
| precept and example to overcome.
Our instructive faculties are often
| our most valuable ones They are the
| product of the experience of ages. This
may explain why the conclusions wo-
men are said to jump at are so fire.
| quently correct. 1t is natural for the
| boy to be active, to be joyous, to be
affectionate, to be confiding. It is per-
| ilous for the mother to repress too per-
sistently these natural tendencies. She
may conform him to the conventional
| pattern, but at the price of the native
| charm Of individuality. At the same
| time 1t is natural for boy to be reck-
| less, to be selfish, to be cruel 1t is a
| wise mother who knows when to en-
courage and when to repress the inher-
| tied tendencies of her boy.
zone set of tendencies may descend
| to one child in the family, and an en-
| tirely different set to another, and the
same qualities may be inherited in DIFF
| ferent degrees. Each boy is absolute
| ly a new creature. His combination
| of traits is different from any other
| combination that has ever existed or
| ever will exist. Important as inheri-
! tance Is, it is not all. Environment
| comes in for its share in shaping the
| character of the boy. Tt is nature and
| Many reformers like to ignore the ex-
| istence of inherited tendencies. They
| maintain that no matter how unfortu-
| nate the parentage of a boy, If he can
| be removed from his natural environ
ment early enough and surrounded by
| favorable conditions, he will develop
! into as good a man as If he had been
I born into the correct eHNlTOAiHeHli Jul
examples like Garfield and Lincoln
make us feel that there is something
| back of circumstances. This optimis-
tic attitude of reformers is, perhaps, al
most a necessity if they would hope
fully undertake the elevation of the
neglected boys of our large cities; and
even if false, is less dangerous than
that other extreme view held by GER
tain fatalsts who contend that the
children of the good must be good and
the children of the bad, bad, ignoring
entirely the influence of environment.
Such false teaching, while it may not
harm the good and bright, is fatal to
the salvation of the bad and dull.
I'VE must believe that the truth lies
somewhere between these two extreme
views; that while the tendencies and
qualities of the ancestors appear in the
constitution of the boy, the develop
ment or repression is dependent on en-
| vironment.
Spencer and his school teach that
| acquired character is inherited. That
if 1 study mathematics or languages
if 1 devote myself to art or music, my
oh ha oar no 1afa in