National Deterioration 75 



cases cited by Sir James Crich ton- Browne to 

 amount largely to the creation of a fashion, 

 and not to the calling into play of ability 

 which would otherwise have remained poten- 

 tial. Healthy rivalry among equals is a 

 great thing, perhaps the best thing for a 

 leader in literature or science. But few such 

 leaders can probably look with equanimity 

 upon their own " intellectual infectivity " ; 

 they see their methods abused and carica- 

 tured by men of minor ability, who have 

 drifted into wrong channels owing to the 

 fashion of the moment. Let us use, then, 

 the broader words, ability and capacity. 



' I take it that, judged by investigation of 

 special phases of these, we can now say that 

 capacity and ability are inherited. Further, 

 that Sir James Crichton- Browne agrees 

 with me not only in this point, but also in 

 the equality of degree between the inheri- 

 tance of mental and physical characteristics 

 in man. Now my point is this : that since 

 the spread of modern civilization railways 

 schools, manufactures say, since 1840, it 

 has become much easier than previously for 

 ability and capacity I do not wish to con- 

 fine our attention to intellectuality to rise 

 from the ranks. The upper middle-classes 

 have been enormously increased and re- 

 cruited in this way. Taking even monetary 

 success as a crude measure of ability an^ 

 capacity, we find there has been a selection 

 repeated for several generations, of able in\ 



