CHAPTER VIII 



RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF THE MALE AND FEMALE 



PARENT 



Although throwing back is a fact to be reckoned 

 with, hereditary influence is generally strong or weak 

 in proportion to the nearness or the remoteness of 

 the ancestor concerned. The parents having thus to 

 be credited with the largest share in the moulding of 

 the physical and moral character of their children, 

 the important question arises, In what proportion, as 

 between the father and mother, is that influence 

 exercised ? In ancient times it was held that the 

 father was predominant in the child, but modern 

 physiologists, although perplexed by the singular 

 diversity of the facts observed, have come to the 

 conclusion that the influence of each parent is about 

 equal, not in individual cases, but in the main. All 

 characteristics transmissible by the father are trans- 



