112 CHANGE IN CHARACTER. 



neighbours all alike ? Do they themselves resemble 

 one another more closely than they resemble their 

 parents ? Passing over these significant questions, 

 two matters need to be noted : in the more essential 

 and stable features of character, individuals resemble 

 their parents ; in the less essential or less stable they 

 resemble one another more or less. What a man is 

 in intelligence or stupidity, in courage or timidity, 

 in tenacity of purpose or fitfulness, in strong moral 

 sense or feeble, in gentleness or roughness, in honour- 

 able instincts or shiftiness, he is by virtue of a long 

 line of fathers and mothers. No doubt in manners 

 and dress and speech, nay even in opinion and belief 

 and superficial morals, he is to a considerable degree 

 under the control of his neighbours. Tailors, dancing 

 masters, grammarians, teachers, preachers, and poli- 

 ticians tend to give a certain, often a deceptive, 

 uniformity to the surface of society and its component 

 units. 



Few persons now deny that to organisation, in other 

 words to inheritance, is mainly due the existence of 

 criminals, paupers, drunkards, lunatics, and suicides. 

 Here again, as everywhere, the occurrence of con- 

 tinuity meets us, seeing that a number of individuals 

 are constantly hovering over the lines which divide 

 these unfortunate individuals from each other and 

 from the more fortunate classes. On the ' hovering/ 

 uncertain, and weakly organised individuals circum- 

 stance undoubtedly exercises considerable influence ; 

 it cannot make them strong or self-sufficing ; never- 

 theless to these, especially in their childhood, the 

 promoters of practical education, morals, economics, and 

 health cannot be too zealous in their attention. The 

 more clearly such promoters recognise the operation of 



