INFLUENCE OF MALE AND FEMALE FARENT 121 



courage and tenacity long after the physical traces 

 of the crossing had disappeared. 



A curious case of crossing in the human species is 

 recorded by Eibot Lislet-Geoffroy, a civil engineer in 

 the Isle of France, was the son of a Frenchman and 

 of a negress of the lowest order of intelligence. 

 Physically he was a perfect negro, having the features, 

 colour, hair, and odour of his mother's race. But 

 morally he was so much of a European that he was 

 able to overcome the prejudices of caste, to raise him- 

 self to a professional post of distinction, to be upon 

 terms of intimacy with the most exclusive families, 

 and to be elected a corresponding member of 

 L'Acad^mie des Sciences. It is seldom that the 

 physical and moral natures of a child are so evenly 

 apportioned between its parents. For the most part, 

 no line of demarcation can be drawn between the 

 paternal and the maternal influence. Consequently 

 the hybrids known as mulattoes, quadroons and 

 octoroons represent a far from uniform admixture 

 of white blood, one such subject taking largely after 

 his father, another after his mother, and so on. 



There is a prevalent opinion that the crossing of 

 distinct races of mankind is beneficial. The majority 

 of physiologists do not favour this view. Crossing 



