The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-11-28

the verdict be?'
THE chief difference in human be
ings comes from the way they live
not from heredity.-Dr. Carl Kelsey
Summer School of Philanthropy.
"Three-fourths OF the differences II
persons are due to nature, and couie
never have been prevented by educa
ton or anything anybody could nave
done. '-PrOfessor Luward Lee Thorn
dixie, summer session of Columbia Uni
versity.
Three of our attendants at the
Summer School of Philanthropy who
had wandered up TO Professor Edward
Lee Thorndike lecture on Mental
Inheritance at the summer session OIL
Columbia University, looked at one
another and smiled at points IN the
lecture DR.. Carl Kelsey, leader OF
the School of Philanthropy, has drilled
the school all summer, along the line
of the first utterance quoted above
Professor Thorndlkes trend OF
thought is indicated by the second quo
tation
Every teacher knows that some
children are persistently bad spoilers,
although their mental ability in 9TH
er lines is good, while other children
learn to spell almost without study.
Everybody admits that musicians,
mathematicians, and some other varie-
ties of gifted persons are born. not
made" said Professor Thorndike.
There is no one VINO does not ac-
knowledge that children are different
at birth. The only difference OF opln-
ion is as to the quantity OF this differ
ence. This quantity is all important
in educational and sociological work.
II nine-tenths of the crime comes from
nature, the thing to do is to prevent
the criminal propagating. If nine
tenths comes from environment, then
social reform is the method of elm
fnation. If the ability to spell is due
nine-tenths to nature, the method OF
teaching spelling does not make much
difference; if one-tenth to nature, then
method is all important.
The first important study In diff
ferences by nature was made by Mr.
Gallon, who examined the relatives Of
eminent and illustrious persons. He
found that the probabilities OF an en-
inent man having an eminent son were
about eleven hundred times greater
than those Of an ordinary man.
The second set of figures has come
from certain investigations in the pub
lie schools, which, though fragment
airy, have established certain things
You can, for instance, 60 into the
public schools of New York and ascer-
tain the qualities of the average child
of twelve; his average height, weight,
coloring, sense perceptions, mental
ability. Now. any boy of twelve is
more like his brother than he is like
the average child of twelve If family
training and an identical environment
produce this resemblance between
brothers, then the resemblance ought
to be stronger between brothers at
eighteen than at nine, since they have
had nine more years Of the same en-
vironment. AS a matter OF fact. it is
not. If family resemblance rises from
the same environment, then brothers
only two years apart ought to be near
ly as much alike as twins. 1t Is not
likely the parents have changed very
much in two years. It is likely that
both boys get about the same upbring.
ing. But in reality the resemblance
between twins is enormously greater
than between brothers two years
apart.
Some of the tests applied in the
public schools show mental Inherit
ance very Interestingly. You might
suppose that brothers would be much
more alike. for instance. in a thing of
ambition. in which they had received
the same home inspiration. than in a
thing like marking out all the as on
q printed page, which home training
never touched. Yet, brothers and SIS
tiers are just about as much alike in
one thing as in the other, indicating
the influence of inheritance and not of
"Eight-tenths of the amount of diff
ference between people is not due to
but to birth from certain
parents.
THE third set OF statistics canes
from DR.. Woods examination of the
royalty of Europe AS the lives,
a achievements and hereditv of thoSo
royalties are all we'll known, he was
able to tabulate some interesting re-
suits. He found that the intellect of
European royalty came largely through
the House of Orange. now represented
by Emperor William The common
sense strain has come through the
House of Saxe-Coburg. Its representa-