New-York tribune., 1908-07-28
MENTAL INHERITANCE
Professor THorndike BelieUes Mors
in Heredity than EnUirOnment.

The chief difference in human beings consf
from the way they live not from hersdity"-p
Carl Kelsey summer School of Philanthropy
"'Three-fourths Of the differences in persons s-
due to nature. and could never have been preversss
by education or anything anybody could have Done
Professor Edward Lee Thornd.ke, summer session,
of Columbia University
Three four attendants the Summer scboof
of Philanthropy who had wandered up Professor
Edward Lee Thorndike's lecture 'Nlenta, In
hertance' at the summer session Of Columbia INT
versity last Thursday. looked at another and
smiled at points in the lecture Or. Carl KELSEY,
leader of the School Of Philanthropy. has drilled
the school all summer along the line of the frs,
utterancs quoted above. Professor Thorndik4,
trend Of thought Is indicated by the second quo.
tation
Every teacher knows that some children are ps--
sistently bad spelers although their mental ability
in other lines is good. while other children learn
TO spell almost without study Everybody admir-,
that musicians. mathemaJcians and some other
varieties of gifted persons born, not made
said Professor Thorndike There IS no on.
who does not acknowledge that Children are dr.
ferent at birth. The only difference os opinion IL
as to the quantity OF this difference This Guaut,+,
is all important in educational an1 soctologicaI
work II ntne-tenths Of the crime comes from
nature. the thing to do is TO prevent the criminal
propa eating. II nine-tenths comes from euvron-
ment. then social reform is the method OF emfna-
ton. II the ability to spell is due nins-tenths TO
nature. the method OF teaching spelling does not
make much difference: II one-tenth 70 nature then
method is all important.
THE EMINENT MANS son
The first important study in differences by nat
ure made by Mr.. Cation. who examined ths
relatives Of eminent and Hlustrious persons Hs
found that the probabilities of e~ e7si.ent man
having eminent were about eleven hundred
times greater than those of ordina-y man.
The second set of figures has come from certain
investigations In the public schools. which though
fragmentary have established certain things You
New York and ascertain the quai.-i@s Of he aver
age child of twelve; his average &Airn-. weight.
coloring. sense perceptions. menc2. ac.-tv Now.
any boy of twelve is more Ike his bro. er than he
is like the average child of twelve Z saiiy train
ing and an Identical environr1eD- o-o5t this
semb1ance between brothers then The -zssnbancs
ought to be stronger between hrNt~ers a. eighteen
than at nine since they have Ead u'Ue ears more
Of the same environment As mater Of fact, It
is not. If family resemblance rtsts rom the same
environment. then brothers only no years apart
ought to be nearly much alike IS WIS. II IS
not likely the parents have changed ~s~- ruch in
two years II is likely that both h0ys st about
the game upbringing. But in really re reseT-
bIance between twins is enormolslT yCeater than
between brothers two years apart.
Some of the tests applied IN - 2TH;5r schools
show mental inheritance ve-y ir'=raStiuEiy You
might suppose that brothers wo-:s oe much mors
alike for instance in a t1'ue .'<e a17hition. in
which they had received the sorcr ra~7a inspira-
tOn, than IN a tninS IKE EldIh 81 a.. t4ic 4
on printed page. which hoo-s raining never
touched Yet brothers and st=-erz - Just about
as much alike IN thing n taA -ther. ndi-
eating the influence of inheritance and not Of en-
vironment.
'Eighttenths Of the amount # sfze r4rc- between
people is not due to euvfrorn-rt - 20 birth from
certain parents
The third set OF statistics -1r1=e rom Dr.
Woods examination OF the roys;-v ~ nope As
the lives achievements srG r=reffy - these
aI.fz tai
some interesting results ne found C1ar the intel
Iect Of European royalty came largey Trough the
House of Orange. now represented - Emperor
William The common sense strain has CONS
through the House % Saxe-CobutE- - -eprssenta-
tive is King Edward VII. ~hor; Nc mist al ac-
knowledge 10 be sagacious. .avel -aaied the EN-
bodirneu Of good sense The leading representatives
today OF the weak futile. lnssoe royal stock IS the
Gar Of Russia 4 Spain two centuries ago could
have spent 300 c0coo To Havs GOT royal bride OF
the House of Orange IL would have been money N
her pocket today. Think y hat IL has cost III
ferent countries have weak T-zile insane n-ood
on its throne Think what il meant q" France %
lose people like the HUguenots- Tank WHAT Il
meant to America 70 get them p has heen est
mated that it would have paid the United states 20
nav S5OooO 20 get Louis Asassiz 70 enlsrate 10 ts
co,,+y.- As II ha opened, Re came fer nothing II
+bA enzIfsh understood value Of eeping picke1
stocl- - 80 cefutry they would cfer aI sorts OF
57e riaces Il, keep the Rnodes scholars in 5nz-
lad v1,.s tf1etr own countries Vould oHer u''
sans % get -li--r- back.
rEFFERs3sCES DUE To NATURE
Should ycG make nap cf De- Woods roy7.ti7,
with dot COR eacc tG1ivIdda-. and color eaen hiS
intellect blue. each high moral sense White. e41i
mentally deficient red. AID so or YOU Vouid Hnt
when all were o5lored -izt each c5iJf "as s sroupeI
together along certain lines Tie blues "ouI ~ =
following the Mouse oI Grange t-7 I--S
grouped. and so on.
Gould you make a map Of the human rae o
the same plan you would sri yoL- reds WIZ
and blues grouping themselves n the same -
along certain Iires Of descent " "eaAneSs anu g
slty would follow certain strains or olooa' I0"-'7
and benevolence others, and 50 on
IT bAltava three-ouarte.s os che differences N
persons IS due to nature, and could neE -
been prevented by education or by any '--'-9
person could have done. ...
The educator may then ask What IS lHe
Of educattng?' This is a very shaIo" q+1 -
There are great differences IL s7e-lns -,
children in New York. but al ne children =. -
York can spell better than all --aa eh'iareH ID ,.,
trail Africa Two children stat -iIef4H'S' -
the same training. they vii b. eqDaly i@- 80
at the end but each will be A.sher 'hah -
The inferior has been raised as Wen a. - -
nerior. though the difference 1e not e""llI-' e =,
The dullest student In an AiEs-iean college ga.
nrobIeuns which PythagoIas could not 0A- -
self"
There was laughter at this ~ r,.,,x-
..I must admit said the professor. "'na' 90,
or,s uas q little my superior naturally S'--
ac+uauv know more than he did. because 'i.e =,
has acquired certain knowledge wn'eh u -
have in his day. The students IN tnls | Cis Plato
certain problems in psychology oe't1 ,,to,.o-
did You can manage certain n'aCl.'''. a',l[,,,I5
! buas ror Iustance-better than CAMEO CO-'- Al
..,-,o,+to, was never aided by believing ''a
; - aITr. or can he made alike. because erIo' =,
be,ned ANYTHING. The object OF euU0F' .hs
move the lower up relatively. so ne = .1r, 81
: 80. ahova him but 10 move him up a',,1' .-,,. IN
h. uaG