HEREDITY IN MAN 365 



faculties of analysis and synthesis are to be added the faculty of 

 association, whereby objects come to be thought of in groups 

 according to the sequence in which they came to be presented 

 to the mind quite apart from their intrinsic affinities or dis- 

 tinctions. Thus, in addition to the faculties whereby the mind 

 attains some grasp of the constitution of the world of objects, 

 there is a faculty which in some degree mirrors the history of the 

 world. 



It is probable that in addition to these ultimate faculties, there 

 may be many other faculties which cannot be reduced to aspects 

 of the former, and have therefore to be considered also as primary. 

 However that may be, what is important for our present purpose 

 is that the faculty commonly known as ability is undoubtedly 

 innate. It may be very variously composed of specialized forms 

 of these three primary faculties, and perhaps of other faculties 

 combined in very many ways. Every degree of ability is known 

 and there are many forms in which it is specialized, such as in 

 musical, artistic, and other directions. It has been shown that 

 a high development of general ability is correlated with a high 

 development of any special ability. In other words, we have to 

 think of a genius with some marked talent as possessing on an 

 average a high general level of ability. There is ample evidence 

 of the inheritance of ability, both derived from the examination 

 of large numbers of cases and from the analysis of family histories. 

 This evidence also shows that musical and other forms of special 

 ability are inherited. We have therefore to think of predis- 

 positions in the germinal constitution, which give rise to abilities 

 of all kinds, although a more correct analysis may refer them to 

 some combination of the ultimate faculties enumerated above, 

 much as certain complex emotions are to be referred to the 

 combination of certain primary emotions, and not thought of as 

 given as such in the germinal constitution. 



There are other characters which do not appear to be covered 

 by any extension of the term abiUty. Such, for instance, are 

 will and self-control. In its essence will seems to be the rising up 

 of some dominating impulse which controls or harmonizes the 

 feelings. The weaker impulse somehow overcomes the stronger. 

 The will is variously explained, and in modern psychological 

 writings often in such a manner as to exclude the idea of a special 

 faculty. It is not necessary here to go into these explanations of 



