The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-07-24
HFRIOITY PLAYS PART
Roosevelts, Lincolns, Den
bvs and Others Are
Examples
AGE-OLD CONTROVERSY
Theory T h at Fathers
Don't Hand Down
Genius Refuted
,F-,m the Washington PosD

A..,t f.r ages around the conflicting
,,.,.l.s as to whether or not con
,,, inherit his fathers genius ana
,m't,,ilc- such inheritance is a mathe-
,.,,jr,l certainty. finds resoundlhE
I',,s'''..,,,,iya vote In the number of
I,s,iuslished sons Of famous fathers
4, rresent day national HE.
The old theory that fathers seldom
transmit their genius to their sons
orroars disproven. The pyschoIosy
~ ouch a theory seems TO be based
on m. biological fact that nature is
NOR. Interested In maintaining a
bigh general average than IN the
cultivation Of geniuses
since the foundation OF the re-
,utltc philosophers, sociologists and
statesmen have puzzled over the
oIosion. rs there any such thing
as heradity in American politics
This was natural question. Tor the
tnud.rs OF America have thrown
aside the theory OF hereditary honors'
and their minds turned to the pos
ability that there might develop in
this country an aristocracy of brains
mat despite the theory that all men
wore created free and equal would
bestow through sheer merit on mem
bor. Of the same family the honors-
rolltical and otherwise-from gene
ration to generation.
Example In the Presidency.
The answer seemed apparent when,
IN the first century OF constitutional
government. father and son in one
family and grandfather and grandson
Laan fArnqiHnnfg Af fhp
tepuhIic. while the sons OF the other
rrrsidents had been mentioned as a
nossible presidential team. II is only
fair 10 add that history regards John
Quincy Adams as more able than his
father John Adams, while Gen. Ben
Iamin Harrison easily took honors as
n statesman and president from Gen.
william Henry Harrison, who was a
fish out OF water away from a mill
tary encampment.
Tell it not in Gath nor whisper 1t
I'm the streets OF Ascalon," but the
undcniable fact remains that pater-
nal genius is more likely to bc trans
mitted TO the daughters of family
than to the sons. History il replete
with such instances, and in some
dynasties a barrier has hecn raised 10
prevent daughters from seizing .he
reins OF power by prohibiting them
succession to the throne. The follS
Of such a practice is seen when such
queens and rulers as good Queen
Bess and the great Victoria are re-
membcrcd.
Congress has been the scene OF
many SUGGESTIONS Of the same fam
ily in the seats Of power. Like the
great preaching lines of England
whore for generations the sons of the
house have occupied positions oi
authority in ~, church, so in Amer
lea some families seem predestined
as il were to political prowess and
attainment Take for instance, th'
Bayard and Salisbury families OF
Delaware and the senate.
Four Bayards In the Senate.
-Four Bayards have held seats ir
the senate, James A., his two sons
Richard y. and James A., jr.. and the
son ot James A., jr., Thomas F. The
last named was sworn In just as hi:
fathers term expired. His grand
father, James A. Bayard, thu
founder OF the dynasty, succeed
ed his fathcr-ln-law In thI
senate, served as one OF the commits
sioners IN Ghent and declined mis-
sons 10 France and Russia.
History shows that Senator MAJ
Claihorn once ran against and de
fcn'od his father for the Virginif
legislature, He was not as chivalrou
ms Judge Jeremiah S. Black. who. II
MS Younger days. was nominated
against his father for congress, bu
declined, much 10 his own honor.
Sometimes the great regulations o
Iathors In American politics hav'
handicapped the sons. as in the cast
~ F.e.ehor Webster. sor os the y-ea
Daniel who soon discovered that h
"aS always compared, to his own dis
advantage with his father, and that
no matter what he did or ATTEMPTED
n nouncs his cnvious competitor
declared that n was because Of hi
tlI' towering reputation that h
7phleFod anything. When appointed
az tho opening Of the civil war I,
me command OF regiment. ne OK
clali4'd Thank God, Daniel Webste
was never colonel OF infantry"
IN Al. congressional history ther,
" no case OF father and son servinI
together IN the house.
Tho Judge and the Poet,
10 lhe majority OF Americans tn
name oliver Wendell Holmes con
ures UP vision of The Sage O
Ne" England. The Autocrat of tn
hr"akia't Table" whose delightful
philosophy Is one OF the Hterar,
treasures of America. But to tn
I,S'I fraternity IT means somethinl
'S,. because the present Oliver Wen
'" Holmes, son OF the great author
member Of the United State
uproin' court and an authority ol
international law.
l''cc Holmes has Inherited mucl
ms tathcr's sane outlook on If
an" mas keen sense Of humor. Hi
. 's'"Ns-to show the literary per
hH,,h''-are models Of diction an,
H".' ns much human interest az /
t,res''ie IN legal documents. Justic
s.",S was Ign IN Boston in 1871
- h's distinguished father was II
.nt neIfht Of his fame. As younI
ma, ,,."n Ne served In the union army AM
G vas wounded three times. He wol
80 ignition for bravery and came ou
IT, lH' war a colonel. a graduate o
20, 'aFd, he became a noted lawye
u writer on legal topics He wa
professor OF law at Harvard lay
'l"'"i and chief justice of the su