HEREDITY HAS NO POWER, ETC. 91 



er. In fact he could not possibly know whether there 

 is one, many, or none in his genital organs, at any 

 given time, for a stronger reason no single organ nor 

 any part of his body could possibly affect, modify nor 

 differentiate the spermatozoon in such a manner as 

 to cause the child, which arises from it to have or- 

 gans and parts resembling those of the father. Thus, 

 suppose the father has blue eyes. How could the 

 father, or his eyes, possibly affect the spermatozoon 

 in such a way as to cause the child's eyes to be blue? 

 How could the father, or his nose, modify the sperm- 

 atozoon in such a manner as to cause the child's nose 

 to resemble the father's nose. It would be absurd 

 to suppose that the father 's brain and his vocal organs 

 can affect the spermatozoon in such a manner as to 

 cause the child to be a notable singer. 

 Professor Weismann says : 



'It is well known that many mental and phys- 

 ical qualities of parents are transmitted to their chil- 

 dren, such as the color of the eyes and hair, the shape 

 and size of the finger nails; and not only these, but 

 as everyone knows, even such minute and indefinable 

 physical and mental characteristics as likeness of 

 features, bearing, gait, handwriting a mild and equa- 

 ble or passionate and irritable temperament." 

 (Weismann on Heredity, 2, p. 14.) 



The color of the eyes depends on the coloring 

 matter or pigment in the irises. How could the fath- 

 er's eyes possibly affect the spermatozoon in such a 

 manner as to make the child's eyes blue? How could 

 the father's red hair differentiate the spermatozoon 

 so as to give the child red hair ? Can we imagine that 



