DEGENERACY. 215 



at 14 or 15 for the mother and 15 or 16 for the father. This off- 

 spring of childish parents happens, by fortuitous circumstances, to 

 unite at an early age with some person of the opposite sex who has 

 been produced in the same manner. From this union we have a 

 third individual who is the product of immature parents, and whose 

 parents are both products of immature grandparents. This child 

 is healthy so far as freedom from disease goes, but, from what has 

 been previously shown, we know that he, or more probably she, 

 will lack something in physical stamina and very much in mental 

 capacity. At this point we will refer to our typical and hypothetical 

 ancestor and carry his characteristics back to an early age. 



AGE OF ACUTE SEXUALITY. 



From the time of puberty to the age of twenty, the sexual in- 

 stincts are acute and intense. Unless the mind be kept pretty 

 steadily at studies, or on some subject that will attract the atten- 

 tion, the thoughts of the boy or girl will dwell much more on per- 

 sons of the opposite sex than upon other things. As a consequence 

 the period of adolescence is a period of sexual intensity and passion, 

 and a child born of parents at this age has the sexual instincts 

 abnormally developed, the same as we have aggressiveness from 

 parents of 25, the love of the beautiful from parents of 35, reasoning 

 and practical usefulness from parents of 45, and morality and 

 philosophy from parents over 50. 



Returning now to our hypothetical child, we have a low grade 

 of intellectual capacity with its accompanying low appreciation of 

 morality, together with acute sexual characteristics, all of which 

 have their origin in the series of early reproductions. If this child 

 be a female, and the ordinary opportunities arise, she will doubt- 

 less begin at an early age to produce illegitimate offspring. The 



