Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-06
IS MONEY DANGEROUS

factors are more important than here
dity. 1t is also comforting for those
of us who have no money to believe
that we have thereby escaped a curse,
and are happier and more successful
than we would have been if we had in
herited millions.
A Study of Royalty
The nearest thing to a scientific
study Of the question which we can
find is a book by Frederick Adams
Woods, on "Heredity and Royalty"
Mr.. Woods studied the histories of all
the royal families in Europe with a
view of discovering whether in these
families-chosen because so much in
formation about them can be found
ability has been heredity or not. He
also sets out to discover whether these
families have tended TO degenerate by
reason of their luxurious lives, as they
are popularity believed to do. Here
then is a real statistical study of the
effect Of inherited wealth on a great
number of men and women-over 5000
are studied individually.
Woods, who is a biologist first and
historian only second, reaches the en-
phatic conclusion that in royal fami-
lies, wealth and luxury have not tend
ed to produce degeneration. He proves,
to his own satisfaction. that when
such families have shown a decline in
ability or power. it has always been
due to heredity influences. Usually in
breeding is not the cause, either. The
cause usually is an unwise marriage.
Some prince marries an obscure wom-
an who.is stupid. commonplace. or un-
healthy. The next generation shows
the effect of the bad cross. Two or
three such marriages, and the blood of
tho royal family, nearly always OF ex-
cellent quality to start with is diluted
with weaknesses which ultimately lead
to it's downfall.
Woods shows that rnva1 fani-
lies. like that of Portugal. for example.
have produced men OF high capacity
for as much as L. generations without
a break. Then, due to the introduc-
ton of inferior blood, this same line in
a few generations hae literally gone to
pieces.
These conclusions of Woods seem to
agree with those of the modern scien-
lists in general. Modern science be-
levcs that a mans destiny is largely
| determined by his natural endowment.
This endowment is largely inherited
| from immediate forbears. That is. the
chances arc that you will be of about
the same capacity as your mother and
father. More rarely, you may rcsem-
| Bile n grandparcnt. Still more rarely,
forbear. long forgotten. Most rarely
of all. you may be that freak OF ma
| ture, a genius. A man of remarkable
ability is occasionally born OF common
| place parents. buI buCtl
much more rare than iu generally be-
| lieved.
Whether you have money or not. is
really of little Importance. according to
the scientific point OF view. II you
have ability and strength, you will get
| the education you need without money
and very likely without schools. Fur
thermore. the strong man is seldom
ruined by money. II does not lead
| him into idlencss because he is pos
sessed of energies and curiositics
| which make idleness uncomfortable to
him. on the other hand, the strong
character cares little for luxury and
is no more dismaycd by tho lack OF
wealth than lac is defeated by the pos
session of II. 1t Is the weaklinS who
let's his money run away with him 10
he has any. and 1t is the weakling who
is eaten up with envy of the rich II
he lacks it, and spends his time sigh
ing for n million dollars and dreaming
OF Sct-rich- quick schemes.
It's the man, not the money, that
counts.