60 THE MENDEL JOURNAL 



of their already-existing physical, moral, ana in- 

 tellectual degeneration. These degenerates are muta- 

 tions, and breed true to their degeneracy. The 

 qualities of an individual are determined within 

 him ; they are inherent, and depend upon the 

 molecular architecture of the racial lines from which 

 he has sprung. An individual is merely a piece of 

 his racial stock ; what he can do depends, not upon 

 his environment, but upon the innate qualities 

 which he has inherited from his stock. Let us 

 observe that it is a potato plant, and not a dahlia, 

 that grows out of a potato tuber ; it is a dahlia, and 

 not a potato, that grows out of a dahlia's tuberous 

 root-stock. A change of soil will not alter this 

 fact. One potato may be grown among an army of 

 dahlias, but it comes up a potato plant in spite of 

 that. The susceptible wheat plant falls a prey to 

 the " rust," but the inherently immune plant growing 

 in a field of " rusted " plants remains unattached 

 and healthy. From the fertilised ovum of a fish 

 there is developed a fish, and not a bird. Transference 

 of the bird to water, or of the fish to the skies, will not 

 convert the one to the other. But the exponents of 

 modern sentiment are preaching, either directly or 

 by implication, that it will. It is a strange doctrine, 

 and is so contrary to the common experiences of 

 life, that it is marvellous it should ever have been 

 believed. But I suppose there is no limit to the 

 amount of delusion which the circumstances of a 

 democracy, with the various appeals that are made 

 to the uncultured and unculturable masses for their 

 judgement, will allow to be imposed upon it. 



