GENEOLOGICAL. 421 



In this connection a recent suggestion of much in- 

 terest has been made by Professors Mark Baldwin, 

 Lloyd Morgan, and Osborn, namely, that adaptive 

 modifications may act as the fostering nurses of con- 

 genital variations in the same direction. An illus- 

 tration will make the general idea clear. 



Let us suppose a country in which a change of 

 climate made it year by year of the utmost impor- 

 tance that the inhabitants should become swarthy. 

 Some individuals with a strong natural or congenital 

 tendency in this direction would doubtless exist, and 

 on them and their similarly endowed progeny the 

 permanent success of the race might wholly de- 

 pend. On the other hand, there might be many in- 

 dividuals in whom the constitutional tendency in 

 the direction of swarthiness was too weak and in- 

 cipient to be of use. If these, however, made up for 

 their lack of natural swarthiness by a great suscepti- 

 bility to acquired swarthiness, it is conceivable that 

 the modification, though never taking organic root, 

 would serve as a life-saving screen until coincident 

 congenital variations in the direction of swarthiness 

 had time to grow strong. 



Practical Conclusions. — It seems then that the 

 scientific position at present should be one of active 

 scepticism — leading on to experiment. It also seems 

 to us necessary at present to give a verdict of non- 

 proven for the afiirmative, with a strong presumption 

 in favour of the negative answer, 

 r If this be so, how should the scientific position re- 

 act upon conduct ? Supposing that the negative be 

 the answer, what should be our attitude to education, 

 physical culture, amelioration of function, improve- 

 ment of environment, and the like ? There can be 

 no doubt that these should become increasingly im- 



