The Washington times., 1925-12-19
Was Environment Entirely Responsible
For -Four Suicides IN Rogers Family?
Some Scott at idea That
Urge to End Life Was
Inherited


ticularly readers OF The Washing
ton Times who have interested
themselves in the debate over
heredity and environment. In so far
as either force influences human
lives, were given something to
think about yesterday and today
when they read OF the suicide Of
Mrs. Rosa Rogers, OF Franconia,
Fairfax county. Va, the fourth
member OF her family within three
generations to end her life.
The newspapers reported the ir-
cident as having been. due to a
suicidal mania; still you viii find
hundreds of deep thinkers and
students OF parental influences and
heredity and whatever you wish to
call 1t. who will deny that such d
thing as suicidal mania" exists
and who will attach no importance
to- the aforementioned case.
It Is stated that the grand
father Of Mrs. Rogers died BY his
own hand. her fathers end came
BY the same means, her brother
took his own lfIS-and there you
have the whole story in a brief
paragraph.
What Was RespOnsibIe3
What do the proponents OF the
value of environment have to say
about this case where heredity
seems to have dished out about the
same fate to such closely related
persons. Or do they argue that
environment (the fact of witnessing
or observing or having knowledge
Of the suicides which went before)
had just AS much to do with the
subsequent acts of suicide as
heredity?
Under such circumstances it
would certainly seem difficult to
discount entirely either influence,
but there Is still an argument left
as to which force, heredity or en-
vtronment. worked stronger in
bringing about such coincidence.
For several weeks The Washing.
ton Times has been awarding daily
a copy Of Harold Bell Wright's
novel, - Son Of His Father"
which is really a story about
'heredity" for the best observations
directed to the Heredity Editor on
| this subject 1t is not too late
for you to earn this award, which.
incidentally would make an excel
lent Xmas gift for a friend or rela-
tive or for yourself, inasmuch as
many people often do contemplate
some sort of Christmas remem-
brance for themselves.
>AnacOstia Man Wins
The winner of this award today
is N. LOTUS Anderson, Route Ne.
3, Anacostia, d. c., who says:
ST care not into how many
branches the mind sharps may d.
vide the question, one fact remains
crystal clear to the mature think
er, namely, that so called heredity,
whether designated as prenatal,
direct, reversional, collateral, or
what not, is nothing but an imagi-
/ nary peg upon which laziness, dis
honesty, incompetency and indiffer-
ence would hang their soiled and
| tattered garments. so far as an
invariable, or even general mode,
( of transmission OF qualities, either
good or bad, is concerned, the main
/ theories OF the advocates Of the
| heredity side of the question are
4 utterly fallacious.
/ "This is the age OF disobedient
parents and 'flapper' offsprings,
primarily because Of the substltu.
/ ton Of moral suas1on for birch
switches, because father is busy
breeding blooded swine, and mother
is in politics and so sigh a tea
and also because of the glorifica-
ton OF muscle, of the omnipresent
almighty physical at the expense
Of thinking mind and soaring soul
and not because humanity COULD
not be different If it WOULD.
Mountain climbing, whether of
body or mind, involves infinite toll.
patience. persistence, and he who
would travel fastest and farthest
must needs use his own alpen-
stock, his own opinions and judg-
ments, II he would enjoy the air
and the view at the top.
Abraham Lincoln went to the
top, and Kip Rhinelander has gone
to the bottom, not because Of the
transmission Of qualities, either
good or bad, in either case; but
simply because Lincoln determined
WITHIN to take the hard road up
. ward. while Kip decided to take
the easy, downward, primrose path
OF fleshly nonresistance; that Is, In
diligence, which, while crowded, il
the way that all weaklings, grovel
ers and sycophants alike take to
their common, inglorious end. And
this proves both sides of the ques
i toni"
Whether regular Subscribers or
not al readers Of The Times are