Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-07-14

here To get my family or my dead an
rest lrs insured. want 10 get my OWL
life insured. Why are you asking m'
all these questionsT' The phi. siciar
will answer: 1T Is very imports ut foi
me 10 ask these questions. | want &c
lind the family weaknesses. If | find
that your blood Is tainted with Ill,
cnis died very young on account Oi
some nervous complaint or II find
TOO many cancers among your ances
tors. ] shall not recommend YOUR pro
pDsal You must not only submit to q
rigid physical examination OF your owl
lungs. but you must also testify con
corning the lungs of your father and
grandfaillcrS" Why will we not he us
rigid in dealing with our own physical
health and IL recognizing our own
physical limitations as are the life In
surance companies when we come "a
them for insurance.
When we examine the records of
your family we find that several rela.
tives have died of consumption. The
mother had IL before you were born.
For years You have had n weak throat
and have been kept In The house every
winter for months on account of Il
cough Now. what is the use of trying
to live in New England or IN Chicago
or Minneapolis: What is the use VI
your taking Il clerksllp In II dark store.
out of the sunlight where you have 10
he housed day IN and day out? Why
not 90 to Texas or Florida or Colorado
or California. where you can work and
live out of doors all the time: CIR per
haps your ancestral weakness Is found
In the digestion You inherited II weak
stomach from your father. What are
YOU doing for IL; Are you dieting
yourself: DO you take care that you
have the proper kind OF food To eat and
that you nlasticate II very slowly Or
perhaps your ancestral weakness Is a
weak nervous system. DO you see that
you cease Ia work ut the right time
and 20 of regularly and Systematically
To rest: We can poollpooh all We like
ut our ancestors. but some Of their
bodies. with all their physical strength
and weaknesses. are reproduced In our
own. Whose son art thou thou young
mani" Were you we'll born physical.
lyt If YOU We're not we'll born. are
you guarding against the physical
weaknesses you Inherited from your
father and grandfather and great great
grandfather:
Another Kind of Inheritance.
But take step further in my sub
ject and assert that we inherit our an-
cestorS' mental acuIncn as well as their
strength of lungs and stomach and
heart and liver. We inherit the gray
matter In our brain as well as our
depth OF chest and cleaIIess of vision.
We inherit the ability of our minds 10
think and TO reason as well as the con
formation of our craniums. within the
dome OF which that brain is protected
and thinks and plans and studies the
problems of life We recognize the Ia
heritable qualities of the mind IN which
the lower orders of animals are pro
duccd Why should We noi be willing
10 grant that man inhcrits his mental
acuincn alsot
You can take one Of the most ordina
rs animals. IL YOU will. away from his
parents when he is very young and
never let him associate with his kind,
81 4 LA
mental characteristics of his fnmily.
rot one member of which. perhaps he
has ever seen since he was Il few
weeks old. Some years ago a friend
was talking To professor of one of the
New England colleges. lie said II do
not believe all this stun told about
beavers being able 10 build dams" The
professor said nothing AT the time. y
few weeks later he sent his skcptica
friend little baby beaver, which lie
had bought from Il hunter. This bea-
Yer became tame pet in the family
The beaver II rightly dOmesticated, be
comes rs lovable as a little dog. All
went quietly for time. The little baby
beaver did not seem to have any desire
to build dam But one day a leaky
pail was put in the back kitchen. NO
sooner did the little animal see II than
he ran out In the yard and brought
back Il chip IN his mouth and began 10
build dam. The skcptical friend OF
the professor came In and saw the
creature az work lie ordered the pail
10 hc left Just where il was and kept
full of water As the water continued
Ia leak ont of the pail the little beaver
continued Ia work at his dam. And.
says the Lewiston Journal, from which
Ihc account was taken. within four
weeks that little beaver. who had ney-
ar seen another beaver building, con
structed II solid dam all around that
leaking pail
The Theory Of Mental Inheritance.
So il il with the Inherited abilities OF
the human mind. \ child may be taken
from his parents when young. Yet that
child's mind will 10 a certain extent
be 4 reproduction of some ancestors
mind. whom he may never have seen
Dr heard Of This fact can lie demon
strnted In many ways. | was never
more impressed with this theory Of
mental Inheritance Than when. some
years ago, I was studying the stats