THE MORALITY OF HAPPINESS. 539 



the doctrine of heredity, and the doctrine is not only true but is uni- 

 versally recognized : it is scarcely more clearly and certainly recog- 

 nized now than it was by those who in old times made the pregnant 

 proverb, full of old-world wisdom and experience, " The fathers have 

 eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." Fathers 

 and mothers who are selfish by nature rear with less care offspring 

 who as certainly inherit their -nature as the young of beasts of prey 

 inherit the carnivorous tastes of those to whom they owe their lives. 

 Hence, fortunately for the race — seeing how many egoistic tendencies 

 are apt to be fostered in the struggle for life — a constant tendency to 

 the elimination of the more selfish natures. 



To this may be added the consideration that the ill-reared and 

 unduly egoistic are less likely than those of more generous and altru- 

 istic nature to be found pleasing by those of the opposite sex, less 

 likely therefore to marry, so that (speaking always of the average not 

 of individual cases) there is yet another factor opposing the increase 

 in number of the unduly egoistic. 



Thus do we recognize on the one hand that within families a due 

 degree of altruism is essential to the development of life and life's 

 fullness, while on the other hand undue egoism tends directly in more 

 ways than one to diminish happiness. 



The best proof that such influence is exerted is found in the cir- 

 cumstance that in every advancing community the young are cared 

 for with constantly-increasing care. Among savage races offspring 

 receive few altruistic attentions. They are not reared in the full sense 

 of the word. Almost from the beginning of their lives they have to 

 take part in the struggle for life. In civilized communities they are 

 cared for during many years, and they are better, more thoroughly, and 

 more wisely, cared for, the more such communities advance. All this 

 indicates and enables us to measure the development of altruism, so 

 far as the family is concerned. 



And that care of others in this case (i. e., within the family) is not 

 only essential to the development of life and its fullness, but also to 

 the happiness of self, will be clear if we consider the matter with the 

 least attention. For the altruistic nature shown in the care of children 

 is inherited by children and developed in them by such care. Hence, 

 as Mr. Spencer well notes, there results such conduct on the part of 

 children as " makes parenthood a blessing." Of the parent of children 

 inheriting such natures and so reared, it may be said that, even in our 

 days (to which the saying of the Hebrew Psalmist was not, I suppose, 

 intended originally to apply), the man is blessed that hath his quiver 

 full of them.* On the contrary, where the parents and therefore 

 probably the children are of selfish nature, and the example set the 

 children is unduly egoistic, parenthood is no blessing, and may well 



* So only that it be not so full as to give the little arrows but a narrow space to turn 

 in J for so can not the young idea be daily taught to shoot. 



