FALLACIES ABOUT INHERITANCE 97 



36. The Transmission to Offspring of Acquired Qualities 



The cruel fate of Dom Carlos of Portugal naturally 

 enough produced philosophic and thoughtful articles in 

 some of the journals of the day. An able writer told 

 his readers that the " kingly caste " has characteristics 

 peculiar to itself, " which illustrate the Darwinian law." 

 He does not say what Darwinian law, and I am afraid 

 he would find it difficult to do so. He says that people 

 who for centuries have had their own way (how many 

 kingly families have done so ?), who have always lived 

 on good food and never tasted bad wine, and have 

 constantly conversed with interesting people (not usually 

 the chance of princes !) must certainly, if subject to 

 " the laws which govern animal and plant life," produce 

 well-marked characteristics in their offspring and he 

 goes on to speak of a fine appetite for food (what he 

 describes is really a morbid condition connected with 

 indigestion) as indigenous to Royalty, and declares 

 that the gift of recognising faces and remembering 

 names is "a faculty cultivated by generations of 

 practice." 



One must recognise with satisfaction the desire to 

 explain the facts and varieties of human life and 

 character by reference to " the laws which govern 

 an nal and plant life." It is by faithfully and truly 

 carrying out the inquiries suggested by that desire that 

 the knowledge which is the sole and absolutely essential 

 condition for the safe conduct of human life and the 

 increased happiness of human communities, can be 

 obtained, and by such inquiries only ; and, further, only 

 upon the condition that the investigation is conducted 

 in the true scientific spirit with accuracy and without 

 prejudice. The remarks upon the kingly caste which I 

 have quoted above show with what "legerity and 



