Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22
By LES T E R F. v


always taken for granted. A great -
many people held the view for awhile
that civilization the work of
certain blind, vague. agencies of nature: They
view championed by the great historian Carlyle in
his Heroes and Hero Worship" He maintained
that demgods and heroes had made all our history.
This seemed to many persons unscientific and they
took the other side
Now the commonsense view is coming back.
AS John Morley puts it, if all to fall
into Rip Van Wrinkle slumber for the space of a
generation, they would awake surprised. They
would find that the world had stood still during
all that time, and would not resume its forward
movement till they resumed their efforts. The
truth is proved by history, as when naton-Spain
for example-sees fit to destroy or drive out its
progressive spirits march is arrested and it falls
into intellectual decay. And conversely, country
such as Switzerland which becomes asylum for
the victims of spiritual persecution, towers
above all other lands in the display of genius The
conclusion irresistible that the agents of cviliza-
ton men.
Not only is this true, but it is also clear that hu-
man progress is the work of genius; and therefore
it is wonder that great minds should regard
the problem of problems that of increasing the
product of genius. But it is here that arrive
at the parting of the ways. One school contends
that all the genius in the world is always in full
action, and that the only way to increase its sau-
tary effects is to increase its quantity in society
This is the doctrine of the rrepressbility of genius
and, all admit that genius is hereditary, it
is seriously proposed to adopt wholesale system
of conscious and purposeful selection of superior
progenitors of the race. But as breeders always
breed for points; and as in man genius is regarded
as the great point; furthermore, as genius is a
function of the brain, and therefore brain increase
is the great desideratum-if this plan could be car
red out might have at length the of men
described by Mr.. Wells: all head and no body. 1t
therefore probably fortunate that such scheme
can be forced upon a race of intelligent beings.
Rise of the Opponents
PUT this doctrine that genius is fixed quantity,
all of which constantly asserts itself has been
cfrt1tx OholIo
arisen which declares that the greater part of all
the genius of the race lies latent and always has
lain latent, and that all manifestations of genius
due to favorable circumstances of one kind or
another that have made it possible for relatively
few of the indefinitely great number who actually
possess genius to burst through the thick crust of
conventional deposits that overlie the world. The
statistical method freely employed by the heredi
tartan school, has been turned upon it in support
of this later view and with the most astonishing
results. 1t is proved that heredty is only one
though essential one, of great number of in
fuences conducive to the manifestation of genius
and that without such other influences no degree
of native genius avail. These non-hereditary
influences of many kinds; but they may all
be classed under one great group and distinguished
envronmental In other words, the display of
genius depends upon the two cooperating factors
heredty and environment, and favorable environ
ment is quite essential to the native
powers themselves.
vronment which is effective either in the expression
the repression of genius is artificial environ
ment, that which society supplies and imposes,
and not the natural environment under which the
born genius lives The physical conditions by which
he is surrounded climate, SOIL mountains, low
lands, coasts, plains for little in deter
mining his success Celtmn dninstm nautant
qui trans mare eurrunt. THEY that roam change
their skies above them, but not their hearts
Even the to which he belongs, the current be-
lief to the contrary notwithstanding has been found
to be almost negligible factor wherever a thor
ough test has been applied.
The Ali Powerful Factors