2o6 



The Journal of Heredity 



ton, Pllderton and Heron of Environ- 

 ment, Defective Physique, Eyesight, 

 etc. He quotes from Wood's "Laws of 

 Diminishing En\ironmental Influence" 

 to show that only in the lower forms 

 of animal life, is much to be expected 

 from en\'ironmental pressure. 



In taking up the other side of the 

 question and giving consideration to 

 the advocates of en\ironment Mr. 

 Ireland does not quote the work of any 

 recent in\estigator except that of Mr. 

 C. L. Redfield. This is for the very 

 good reason that, broadly speaking, 

 there are not anv others to quot(i. 

 Larnark (1744-1829) was a great 

 environmentalist and he quotes him. 

 Herbert Spencer was a great environ- 

 mentalist. He might have quoted 

 him. Odin so much ad\ertised by 

 the late Lester W'ard might also have 

 been discussed, though Odin had no 

 method of weighing heredity against 

 en\"ironment. 



The point of interest is merely this, 

 that the preponderating force of hered- 

 ity (germ-plasm control) has so slowly 

 and general 1\- become accepted as 

 not to be realized among biologists, 

 imtil some non-biological specialist 

 enters the field and says: here, what 

 does all this mean to our theories of 

 IK)litical control? 



iMPoRrAN(i>: OF Li:Ai)i;Ksnip 



Men are far from equal in natural 

 ability and capacity for achie\ement. 

 The amoimt of \ariation is not known, 

 though some facts suggest that it is 

 ])ro1>ably \er\- great, at least in the 

 Jiigher races. The doctrine of heredity 

 ties up naturalK' with the more aristo- 

 cratic belief in the importance of 

 the upper cla.sses and of exception- 

 ally great leaders who, as man\- 

 investigators have prcned, do actual 1\- 

 arise in the iipi)er classes in f;ir 

 greater proportion. 



As to the importance of greatness 

 in the indi\idiial the author says 

 J). 128: "Tile (piestion resolves itself 

 actually into the choice between a 

 (|ualitati\'e and a (piantitative theor\- 

 of causation in human achie\ement . 

 To whatever phase of human (Ie\elop- 



ment we turn, history fails to furnish a 

 single instance in which an accomp- 

 lished step can be referred, ultimately, 

 to any cause other than the quality 

 of greatness in the indi^•idual. It is 

 this quality which has gi\en the 

 world all that has ennobled man's 

 character, elevated his culture, and 

 extended his mastery o\er the ma- 

 terial elements of life. It is to the 

 genius of a few hundred individuals 

 among the thousands of millions who 

 ha\e li\ed that we owe all the 

 inspiration of religion, of philosophy, 

 of music, of art, of literature; all the 

 benefactions of science, of discovery, 

 of in\'ention." 



While this statement is doubtless, 

 in a way, true, it will seem to many to 

 be an o\er-statement of the case. 

 It is true that most movements if 

 traced to their source ma\- be referred 

 ultimately to the inspiration and 

 energy of some one genius, or group of 

 great souls, but the subsequent de- 

 velopment appear to a great extent to 

 depend on the qualities of the followers, 

 their numerical total, and the oppor- 

 timities of the epoch. 



I'or instance, one of the greatest 

 of events in the world's history took 

 place when one half of the world 

 discovered the other half, and exploded 

 and conquered it. There are a few 

 great names that stand out heroically 

 in the \ast records of exploration. 

 Perhaps the figure of Columbus is 

 o\er-enlarged. It is true, that at the 

 source we find our single and isolated 

 initiator, Henry the Na\igator, Prince 

 of Portugal. But how small are most 

 of the individuals compared with the 

 \ast importance of their united work. 



The saiue may be said of the up- 

 building of tlie Inited States. 



Indeed the history of pure science 

 shows, not onl>- the greatness of the 

 great pioneers, but that .something 

 more than the>' are lU'cessarx . Roger 

 Bacon was a great iimoxator, but here, 

 things stopjH'd. In the realm of 

 imeiition, there is probabh' exen more 

 increir.eiit, than in pure science, from 

 the man\' minds who each contribute 

 their nute. 



