Chapter IV 

 Hereditary Qualities 



IN the last chapter it was said that men are not all 

 born alike. It was declared that the germs from 

 which we spring differ one from the other, with the result 

 that as grown men we also differ amongst ourselves. But 

 what proof is there that any of the differences between us 

 can thus be explained ? May not all our differences be the 

 result of the differences in the surroundings to which we 

 have been exposed ? 



All will agree that we can do nothing to stop a man having 

 red hair or blue eyes if, when born, that seems to be his 

 fate. Such peculiarities as these evidently depend on 

 something which was in existence when the man possessing 

 them was born. And this is equally true of many other 

 bodily qualities. Men are certainly not all born alike as 

 far as their bodies are concerned. 



Men also differ amongst themselves at birth as regards 

 their minds, or rather as to what their minds will become ; 

 though this is not so easily proved. In this matter we can, 

 however, appeal to common sense. Let anyone look back 

 at his school-days, and he will readily admit that some of 

 his school-fellows could beat him not only in strength of 

 body, but in strength of mind also. And it is evident to 

 us now that the superiority of the minds of some of our 

 young companions had little if anything to do with any 

 superiority in their surroundings. As to some other boys, 

 we know equally well that we should never have behaved 

 as badly as they did under any circumstances. Our 

 common sense tells us that some of the differences that we 

 noted between our schoolboy friends depended on some- 

 thing which was not affected by external conditions. 



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