New-York tribune., 1908-07-09
THE CHILD'S CHANCE
Social Workers Urged to GiUe HIM
a Decent Environment.

.-The difference between children birth IL far
less than we have been accustomed to THINK
said Dr. Carl Kelsey, discussing some OF the
newer scientific theories concerning heredity with
the School OF Philanthropy yesterday morning IN
the Charities Building. Even when the mother has
M, had sufficient food she TO have borne
the bulk of the I'll effects. and not the child You
cannot predicate ability of child because or
its social status There In reason to believe the
wealthy group possesses any inherited ability over
the group In poverty.
.-yvhan Won say that you Immediately arouse con-
+rovarsv Your listener exelaims: DO you mean
to say that my child. heir Of generations or cult
ure has no more chance Of being born with naru-
raj ability than the child OF the Kentucky noun
taineer?
.-rba+ ts sxactIv what do mean say. All the
,-,1+,,-a or all its ancestors has effect on the
abilities a child is born with Acquired traits are
not trausmissfble- But If the chud's ancestors
were picked types. types OF physical and nlenlaA
power the child is likely TO be or the same type
This being true, may ask why the children
o> the wealthy group should not be born with
greater abilities than those OF the poor, since
mower in some ancestor must have placed tneul III
this class The lies in the constant averag-
ing Of the type that goes on through marriage II
"a urobabe that the filter your ancestors were
physically the less known about them mean
that II your ancestors were people OF dlstinc-
ton Il is more than likely that wealth ana So
ciaI position were the determining FACTORS IN lnelr
marriages They have picked their partners Ior
thes. things instead Of for strength. physical OF
mental History contains many instances OF raln4-
Iras which rose above the human average for a
short time: but they always speedily lapsed again
into this averaze. The Mendelssohn and certain
other musical families OF Germany are Famous
examines The family was originally one OK pro
tessional musicians Both tha tastes and the social
relations Of 1T. members led them to marry into
other professional musical families. When great
musical genius was finally evolved his children n
teruarrfed with families Of wealth and social po-
sition and musical genius speedily disappeared
from the blood
Tt ia this constant tendency to spproximate
general average which makes children IN e1 classes
come into the world with about the same natural
abilities 1t Ia probable that II all the infants IN
all the families OF wealth were transferred to-
roorrov to the sIurns and left there they would
grow I'D Just about Ike the children around them
There would be no marked distinction Marked
distinctions between people always mean diner
ence OF environment
THE differences between the slun CHILDREN and
IN. wealthy children later IN lie Is the result OF
+bs,- environment The children OF the wealthy
srov I'D strong healthy and intelligent because
thew hav. everything rlake them So Every
advantage Of society and science is used 1or 1ner
benefit The chief difference in human beings
comes from the way they live. not from heredity
.-oro human being tnherits tuberculosis Tuoercu-
- g. :, acorfred disease It Is probable that
-,.,c. 1u some time ascertain this TO be true OF
every disease This changes the whole point OF view
o- social workers. Improvement or environment
reduces disease
Feebie-riudedness, however. Is not o1sease-
r. "a a difference IN brain structure Perhaps soma
80. ,--,.ons NAV b. able to alter II by opera
.to,s h,1+ t present II cannot be cured No feeble
minded child can be made normal There
for. II society allows those types 70 reproduce
they will produce the same types One family IS