New-York tribune., 1908-12-31
DIFFERS WITH SPENCER
Professor Jennings Contends That
Character Is Not Inherited.

Baltimore Dec. 90 (SpeciaD.-Dr. Herbert 5 Jen-
nings, professor of geological botany al johns
Hopkins University. is attempting TO prove IN a
interesting experiments that environment
in intellectual development of the higher forms OF
animals is stronger than heredity. His VIEWS are
contrary to those held by Herbert Spencer and the
majority of philosophers and biologists
My contention is" said Professor Jennings to-
day, that the children of educated parents are NOT
ipso facto. with intellectual spoon in their
mouths. so to speak. If the parents of the child
are. in turn children of iiterate parents there IA
still further reason 1 believe. why such child
should possess superior innate intellectual ca
pacty. On the other hand, 1 believe that If the
ancestors of that child either side were educated
people from time almost imnernoral, then the prob
ability of the child possessing such superior attain
ments is strong.
My experiments thus far have been conducted
with the paramecium. cigar shaped, uncellular
organism, which is just perceptible to the naked
eye. It is tO be found In water containing de-
cayed vegetable matter It is by first starting with
such low form Of organism this and work
ing up higher class of animal that we are en-
abled TO arrive at anything like accurate esti-
mate of the mental and intellectual capacities Of
mankind.
The prevalent opinion among biologists and phi
losophers of these and former times has been that
acquired characters in higher forms of animals
are inherited. Among these exponents was Her
bert Spencer. ! do not agree with advocates OF
this doctrine Professor Weissmsn professor Of
also contends that such character is not inherited
in the higher forms of animals. and has shown in
most cases that his doctrine prevails.
This assertion led 10 great discussion twelve
or fifteen years ago which has continued at a
lively rate to the present day and is still very
virile Most professional biologists the present
time believe that in higher animals acquired char
acter is not inherited. but il has been generally
admitted that IN the protocol simple unicellu-
lar animal characters Inherited This work OF
mine has been to make a thorough examination of
a large number Of acquired characters of various
sorts. and show that they not any more in
herited in the protocol than in animals of higher
plane.
In the biological laboratory of the Johns Hop
kins University during the last year have made a
series Of experiments which leads me more and
more to believe That my theories are correct,
despite the different opinions of biologists of promi-
nence. The example of the protozoa applies ami
mails Of higher type. notably human individuals,
10 the extent that it would be much easier for
quired characters be inherited single cell ami
mails than in higher. for the reason that the body
of the higher animals. composed OF many cells. is
derived from germ composed Of a single cell,
and there is way in which the character ac-
quired by the body could get into the germ cell
which produces the next individual
While in the protozoa the progeny are produced
simply by division of particles into parts il
might readily be supposed that the parts are of the
same character. Since. however we find in the
protozos that acquired characters inherited
it becomes more and more probable than ever they
not inherited In any Of the higher forms of the
individual-even in man.