Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-07-11

THE chiLp'S CHANCE.
Social Workers Urged to Give Him a
Decent Environment.

'.Tha difference between children nj
birth is far less than We have been
accu stunned to think" said DR.. Carl
Kelsey. discussing some of the newer
scientific theories concerning. hcrcdiiy
with the School oi Philanthrop says
he New York Trihnn". Even when
the mother has not had sufficient fo"'
she SENS To have borne the bulk "i
the III Effects and not the child. You
cannot predicate ABILITY Of any chtni
because of its social status. There
| Is no reason to believe the wealthy
croup Possesses any inherited ability
over the group in poverty.
When You say that you immediate
liz arouse controversy. Your listener
icXClaims: DO Won mean TO say that
my child. heir of generations Of cult
IRE has 60 more chanc" Of being born
with natural ability Than the child OF
thf Kentucky mountaincer
That Is exactly what ] do mean ="
say. All the culture of all its anc"s-
tors has no effect on th" abilities a
child is born with Acquired traits
are not transmssihlc. Blu! If IN"
child'S ancestors were picked types,
types Of rhv ical and mental power.
| III" child is likely to he of III" sam"
type.
This being true. we may ask why
the childr of the wealthy group
should not be born with greater ablii-
tiles than those OF the poor, since
nowor in some ancestor must nave
placed them in this class. The an
swcr lies in the constant averaging
OF the tvpe that goes on through mar
riagc. 1t is probable that the filter
vonr ancestors We're physically the
less known aho"t them. mean that
If your ancestors were people Of dis
,irciion it is more than likely that
wealth ana social position were tn"
determining factors in their marri7
ages. They have picked their par,
ners for these things instead OF Tor
strength. physical or mental. History
contains manv instances OF famiiieS
which rose above the human averag"
for short lime: but they always
speedily lapsei again into this aver
az The MenhclsSnhn> and certain
ether musical families was originally
one of professional musicians. Both
the tastes and the social relations or
its members led them to marry into
other professional musical families
When great musical genius was H.
rallv evolved his children intermar-
red with families Of wealth and So
!cial position. and musical genius
speedily disappeared from the blood. :
at is this constant tendency to ap-
rrOyimate Il general average when
makes children in all classes come
into the world with about the sam"
natural abilities. 1t is probable that
IL all the infants in all the families
of wealth were transferred tomorrow
to the Sums and left there they
would grow up just about like the
children around them. There would
Ia no marked distinction Marker
distinctions between people always
mean a difference of environment.
THE difference between tn Stun
children and the wealthy children
later in life is the r-snlt of their en-
yironment The children OF the veal
thu grow ND strong. healthy and intel
Iigent because they have everything
IN make them 50. Every advantage
Of society and science in human he
;nee GENES from the way they i've
not from hereditv.
No human being inherits tubercm-
loeis. tuberculosis is an acquired d.
sea=e. 1t is probable that science
will, some time ascertain this to be
true of every disease. This CHANCES
the whole point of view OF sociai
workers. Improvement OF environ
mont reduces disease. =.
observation-disclosures. however, ~
not \ disease. 1t is difference In
brain structure. Perhaps some time
eurreous NAV be able TO alter II by
oncrotions. but at present II cannot be
cnred No fee bla-minhed child can
no made normal. Therefore. IL society
allows those typcs TO reproduce, tney
will produce the same types. on,
family is on record in Pepnsyivamla
tina, had eleven such children. In''
study Of this matter. called ensenicS'
has attracted a great deal OF attehtrn
in England. tsIt II has not proceeaed
far enough in this country for any
s.atc TO PASS a bill for the preventioa
Of reproduction Of snch types. we
,ra en- afraid of interfering with ma
vi5uaI rights. nd one individu''
rich; is to bring as many defectiVc
children into the world as the ma.
ont. like There is not state wh'cil
has made any effort 20 check thtS.
don't believe there is any a"sah'ase
in the reproduction of weak STOCK ON ,
this earth. h"lieye the time WIZ
come when only the strong stock VIII
reproduce. because tastes WIZ so
chang nv education that people VII,
sock only these types in MARRIAGE.
know today more than one wop'a"
Who have decided never 70 MARI.
hecausr. inheri;ing some tendency 20
xeak.ess passed down TO tnena
through long lines a ancestry: theS
have said: This thing shall STOP