58 THEORIES OF HEREDITY AND VARIATION. 



thing whatever and his children will not be affected thereby in the 

 remotest degree. They will be exactly what their grandparents 

 transmitted, plus or minus such variations as fortuitously arise. 



If, on the other hand, there be such a thing as use-inheritance, 

 and children 'are influenced for good or bad by the pre-natal actions 

 of their parents within the range of free will, then the moral 

 responsibility of parents reaches back to their own early lives, and 

 after the birth of children reaches forward to their grandchildren. 

 Not only would there be direct responsibility on the part of parents, 

 but that responsibility would extend to the State to see that all 

 reasonable efforts be made to improve and develop future genera- 

 tions. In fact, if use-inheritance be an actuality, then there is within 

 the hands of the present generation the power to improve future 

 generations, and consequently the race, more fully and completely 

 than would be possible through the most scientific process of selec- 

 tion. All that is necessary is positive knowledge that characters 

 acquired by the parents are transmitted to the offspring, and a 

 knowledge of the conditions under which such transmission may 

 take place. If this knowledge will give this power, then it is difficult 

 to conceive of any knowledge that is more important to acquire. 



