62 Recent Literature. [zoe 



The writer combats the view that the non - inlieritance of educa- 

 tional culture is a bar to future progress. He goes even further 

 and considers that it is a positive boon to humanity that such cult- 

 ure cannot be inherited. In order to do this he is obliged to take 

 a most uncompromisingly pessimistic view of the present. "If it 

 is thought," he says, " that this non-inheritance of the results of ed- 

 ucation and training is prejudicial to human progress, we must 

 remember that, on the other hand, it also prevents the continuous 

 degradation of humanity by the inheritance of those vicious prac- 

 tices and degrading habits which the deplorable conditions of our 

 modern social system undoubtedly foster in the bulk of mankind. 

 Throughout all trade and commerce lying and deceit abound to 

 such an extent that it has come to be considered essential to suc- 

 cess. No dealer ever tells the exact truth about the goods he ad- 

 vertises or offers for sale, and the grossly absurd misrepresentations 

 of material and quality we everywhere meet with have, from their 

 very commonness, ceased to shock us. Now, it is -surely a great 

 blessing if we can believe that this widespread system of fraud and 

 falsehood does not produce any inherited deterioration in the next 

 generation." There are many who would disagree with Mr. Wal- 

 lace as to the universality of evil at the present day. Surely there 

 is much less of evil now than in even comparatively recent past his- 

 torical times. But even granting all that he requires of us, there 

 must, according to his own views, be a time in the future when good 

 will preponderate, at which time it will be as great a disadvantage 

 that acquired virtue cannot be inherited as it now is an advantage 

 that acquired vice cannot be. Yet another objection. According 

 to the writer's views, the evil which he deplores in the present must 

 be innate and due to the inherent properties of the germs, in which 

 event it must be as easily transmitted, or indeed far more easily, 

 than could an acquired character. This evil in man's nature which 

 he sees may in fact be fostered by pernicious social institutions, but 

 it must exist before it can be fostered, and if acquired characters 

 cannot be inherited it must be inherent in the organism. 



It may be of interest to inquire what Mr. Wallace considers to be 

 the real factors of future progress. There are two such factors, he 

 says. " The one is that process of elimination already referred to, 

 by which vice, violence and recklessness so often bring about the 

 earl)^ destruction of those addicted to them. The other, and by far 



