52 THE KALLIKAK FAMILY 



this comparison to draw certain conclusions. It is a 

 striking comparison, but unfortunately not as con- 

 clusive as we need in these days. The two families 

 were utterly independent, of different ancestral stock, 

 reared in different communities, even in different States, 

 and under utterly different environment. 



The one, starting from a strong, religious, and highly 

 educated ancestor, has maintained those traits and 

 traditions down to the present day and with remarkable 

 results ; the other, starting without any of these ad- 

 vantages, and under an entirely different environment, 

 has resulted in the opposite kind of descendants. 



It is not possible to convince the euthenist (who 

 holds that environment is the sole factor) that, had the 

 children of Jonathan Edwards and the children of "Old 

 Max" changed places, the results would not have been 

 such as to show that it was a question of environment 

 and not of heredity. And he cites to us the fact that 

 many children of highly developed parents degenerate 

 and become paupers and criminals, while on the other 

 hand, some children born of lowly and even criminal 

 parents take the opposite course and become respect- 

 able and useful citizens. 



In as far as the children of "Old Max" were of 

 normal mentality, it is not possible to say what might 



