86 THE FAMILY AND THE NATION 



word, may possibly be owned chiefly by the State ; but 

 health, character, and ability are assets which cannot be 

 divorced from the individual. They must yield an 

 annual return of interest on which he and his family 

 may flourish and multiply. Such qualities are an 

 inherent possession of the individual. They are his to 

 use and to hand on as he will, for the advantage of the 

 nation. No collectivist state can deprive him of their 

 possession, and any environment which makes him dis- 

 inclined to use or to transmit this innate capital is an 

 irremediable misfortune to the community. The inborn 

 qualities of mankind, whether good or bad, may be 

 established, maintained, and extended in a family by, 

 and only by, appropriate marriages. In past ages long 

 and honourable lines of descent were based jointly on 

 ability and on inherited wealth. If, at some future 

 time, the latter condition be set aside, the former 

 can yet remain ; and we may look with confidence to 

 the continuance in high position, from generation to 

 generation, of those families whose members choose 

 their mates for all good qualities of mind and body. 



To the student who wishes to gain a clear idea of 

 the influence of heredity, nothing is so illuminating as 

 to select some marked feature in himself or his acquaint- 

 ance, and search for its introduction into the family. It 

 is surprising how often the track of ability or lack of 

 intelligence, of strength or weakness of mind or body, 

 can be traced back in a definite line of ascent for several 

 generations. The construction of pedigrees like those 

 given above is fascinating in the light it throws on 

 such problems. 



The inheritance of various kinds of special ability 



