PRESENT-DAY BIOLOGICAL THOUGHT 51 



"What and why were certain variations and modifica- 

 tions allowed to persist which could not have persisted 

 without some social shield?" Here, too, must be placed 

 those newer findings and interpretations resulting from 

 the study of endocrines and their relation to the emotions. 

 This is a second fundamental problem of human biology, 

 and one which as yet is scarcely understood, but never- 

 theless is bound to influence most profoundly much of our 

 present and future interpretation of all things psycho- 

 logical and sociological. 



4. Organic evolution; a subject mentioned by practi- 

 cally every writer. Professor B. A. Bensley says in this 

 regard : 



"I do not believe that the larger effects of biological or 

 other scientific study can be of greater or different con- 

 sequence in one country than another. I think we would 

 have to admit that organic evolution and its historical 

 setting have made not only the greatest difference to 

 humanity, but also that no other single issue including 

 the entire industrial development of the world, has been 

 so important. Organic evolution ought to have been one 

 of the minor issues — historically the stage was not set 

 that way." 



5. To the four preceding headings, Professor Conklin 

 adds a fifth: the noninheritance of acquired character- 

 istics, a biological factor with a vast influence on account 

 of its wide ramifications in almost every walk of life. 



On the negative side, we may quote one correspondent 

 who reviews the matter thus: 



